Florida Changing The Redevelopment Plan To Allow Drive-Thrus

This post was going to be about the city’s Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority (aka LCRA) amending the Gravois/South Grand/Meramec redevelopment area at their meeting next week on the 25th. But, guess what, the LCRA amended the redevelopment plan at their April 4th meeting. The next step is the Board of Aldermen. The public notice given: an agenda posted of the lobby at 1015 Locust. No notice to property owners within the blighted area or even a posting in the City Journal (whose sole purpose is to provide public notice).

The LCRA Board consists of the following:

Judith Doss (Chair) of St. Louis Hills
Artie Whitmore of the Central West End
Chris Goodson of Lafayette Square (major developer doing projects such as the City Hospital & Eden Lofts)
Larry Williams, Treasurer for the City of St. Louis.

Today I spoke with Chairwoman Judith Doss. I asked her if she was aware of the opposition to the McDonald’s. She was not. Doss indicated they had a letter of support from the Alderwoman and therefore assumed the residents of the area were OK with the change since they did not have a letter of opposition from anyone. When I mentioned that none of us were aware of the April 4th meeting she said our Alderman should have told us. Well, Ald. Craig Schmid who represents the bulk of the Gravois Park neighborhood where the McDonald’s is proposed was unaware the LCRA had amended the redevelopment plan — I gave him a copy of the paperwork! Back to Doss. When I said the Alderwoman intentionally wouldn’t tell anyone about the change and that we don’t frequent the lobby of 1015 Locust (where the LCRA agenda is posted) she said they can’t do anything about that. How convenient.

I’m sure Doss wouldn’t want this kind of development along Hampton near her St. Louis Hills home. Nor would Mr. Whitmore want this in the CWE or heaven forbid we even suggest such a thing near Goodson’s Lafayette Square. Even Florida’s own neighborhood of Tower Grove would not permit such a thing a half a mile to the North. But it seems to be OK in less affluent areas of the city.

The main reason for Florida to change the redevelopment ordinance is the proposed McDonald’s is in conflict with the following prohibited land uses:

…any use (except for financial institutions) that utilizes a sales or service window or facility for customers who are in cars, or restaurants that sell products to customers who are in cars or who consume the sold products in cars parked on the restaurant premises, or sell products through a sales window to customers who are in cars or to pedestrians outside the building for immediate consumption by the customer either on or off the premises, automobile service or stations.

Here is the proposed language change that will go to the Board of Aldermen:

…any use (except for financial institutions and a relocated restaurant from the Redevelopment Area to the east side of S. Grand Ave. between Chippewa St. and Winnebago St.) that utilizes a sales or service window or facility for customers who are in cars, or restaurants that sell products to customers who are in cars or who consume the sold products in cars parked on the restaurant premises, or sell products through a sales window to customers who are in cars or to pedestrians outside the building for immediate consumption by the customer either on or off the premises, automobile service or stations.

While this is not exactly the same as the zoning for the area it does beg the question if this particular exception for a single parcel would legally constitute what the courts have ruled as “spot zoning.” From Attorney Bob Widner:

Most planning commissioners have heard the impassioned cry that a particular rezoning decision will constitute an invalid “spot zoning.” This allegation typically arises where the community is considering the rezoning of a single lot or small parcel of property held by a single owner and the rezoning will permit land uses not available to the adjacent property.

Because spot zoning often focuses on the single parcel without considering the broader context, that is, the area and land uses surrounding the parcel, it is commonly considered the antithesis of planned zoning. While rezoning decisions that only affect a single parcel or small amount of land are most often the subject of spot zoning claims (as opposed to rezonings of larger areas), a locality can lawfully rezone a single parcel if its action is shown to be consistent with the community’s land use policies.

I think it is quite fair to say this special exception is not consistent with the city’s Strategic Land Use plan nor is it consistent with the broader intent of the redevelopment area. This is favoritism for a single land owner.

Until I started examining the ordinances I was not fully aware of the extent of this redevelopment area. It is not confined to just Pyramid’s lackluster Keystone Place project. In 1996 Four aldermen jointly sponsored the legislation to redevelop a large area along South Grand, from Utah Place on the North to Meramec on the South. The area includes some adjacent blocks as well, most notably what was the former Sears’ parking area along Arkansas and Tennessee. See ordinance #63865

Here are the addresses included in the blighted redevelopment area:

3500-3610, 3501-3611 Alberta St.;
3601-15, 3700-3957, 3701-59 Arkansas Ave.;
3547 Cherokee Street;
3500-3654, 3435-3617 Chippewa St.;

3600-20, 3601-17 Dunnica Ave.;
3600 Fairview Ave.;
3466-3610, 3465-3611 Gasconade St.;
3800-10 Giles Ave.;
3500-54, 3501-53, 3600-34, 3601 Gravois Ave.;
3500-3610, 3501-3619 Keokuk St.;
3450-64, 3451-63 Klocke St.;
3600-10, 3601-11 Lierman Ave.;
3600-12 McDonald Ave.;
3548, 3529-49 McKean Ave.;
3441-3613 Meramec St.;
3500-36, 3533-45 Miami St.;
3478-3610, 3477-3611 Montana St.;
3520-66, 3501-29 Osage St.;
3600-18, 3601-23 Phillips Pl.;
3546-3606, 3601-05 Potomac St.;
3250-3348, 3500-4164, 3255-3309, 3401-3405, 3445-4149 South Grand Blvd;
3700-59 Tennessee Ave.;
3600, 3601-43 Tholozan Ave.;
3522-3600, 3547-3603 Utah Pl.;
3434-3614, 3517-3615 Winnebago St.

This is a big area, just over a mile length of South Grand. This section of Grand is a major corridor for those of us that live South of Gravois. As such a major corridor is really is a bigger development issue than simply the 15th Ward. Aldermen Kirner, Wessels and Villa to the South should be joining Ald. Schmid in opposing the McDonald’s.

The section of the ordinance I found quite interesting was on Urban Design (emphasis mine):

8. URBAN DESIGN

a. Urban Design Objectives

The intent is to, over time, upgrade, attractively landscape, and more cohesively define a long established, but weakened, commercial corridor along a multi-block segment of South Grand Boulevard.

b. Urban Design Regulations

A more attractive and cohesive corridor shall be achieved by:

1. Requiring retained, rehabilitated structures to closely adhere to their original exteriors in terms of design and, where suitable, materials, and with compatible window and door shapes and detailing. Requiring new structures to be compatible with well designed surrounding structures in terms of exterior finish materials and colors, massing, setbacks, etc.

3. Preparing a study and accompanying detailed block-by-block streetscape drawings to guide rehabilitation of existing structures in terms of facade, signage, awning and landscaping considerations, and to similarly guide construction of new structures.

9. Upgrading street “furniture”, including street benches.

So how does the McDonald’s help create a “more cohesively” defined commercial corridor? It doesn’t! Such a small structure surrounded by parking without a drive-thru is counter to the crux of the urban design principals and even worse with a drive-thru. The proposed McDonald’s certainly doesn’t relate at all to the adjacent massing or setbacks.

I’ve also never seen any streetscape drawings for the area, as required by ordinance. Nor have I seen any discussion of street furniture for the full area from Utah to Meramec.

In 1998 three of the original four aldermen passed an ordinance to “reaffirm” that the area was blighted, #64592. Attempts during the prior two years to find an adaptive reuse of the Sears building turned up nothing so it was decided to raze the structure. In hindsight the old Sears building would have been an excellent reuse candidate but at the time it was thought something would have been built on the site if it were cleared. The truly urban Sears building was not razed for a sprawl-centric fast food chain.

While the site in question is within Alderwoman Florida’s 15th Ward it is important to note that the blighted redevelopment area is current in two additional wards, the 25th (Dorothy Kirner) and the 20th (Craig Schmid). As such, any changes to the redevelopment plan really should include all three aldermen for the area affected as well as the input from those constituents. Plus, in a few years we’ll start redistricting so who know how many wards this will be in after that process. The only consistency to any of this is Ald. Craig Schmid. He was a sponsor of the legislation in 1996 & 1998 and remains vocal in working toward the plan rather than simply chuck it when inconvenient to the wishes of a political contributor. The redevelopment area also includes the following neighborhoods: Tower Grove, Dutchtown, Gravois Park, Tower Grove East and Benton Park West.

In 1996 & 1998 the aldermen and residents for these areas collectively determined what they wanted for the area. Now, a single alderwoman and her deep pocketed developer buddies have decided to undermine those earlier efforts. The Mayor & President of the Board of Aldermen, predictably, are letting it happen.

Please tell the following you are not pleased with this project or process:

Email Jennifer Florida, 15th Ward Ald.
Email Jim Shrewsbury, Pres. Board of Aldermen
Email Francis Slay, Mayor
Email Rodney Crim, SLDC Executive Director (oversees LCRA)

Some suggested language to send to the above:

As a voting resident of the City of St. Louis I am opposed to the relocation of a McDonald’s with drive-thru service to a parcel known as 3708 S. Grand in the 15th Ward. Grand Ave. is a major corridor in the City of St. Louis and its design affects more than the citizens of the 15th Ward. The residents of the Gravois Park Neighborhood Association and several adjacent associations have opposed the relocation of the McDonald’s. The redevelopment plan for the area calls for creating a “more cohesive” commercial corridor. We are in the city because we seek an urban environment, not a suburban one. The proposed McDonald’s is highly suburban in design.

We also need to let the members of the Housing, Urban Design and Zoning committee (HUDZ) of the Board of Aldermen know we don’t want a drive-thru establishment on the former Sears site adjacent to the new homes in Keystone Place. They need to know the citizens are opposed to this and ask them not to approve any legislation to amend the redevelopment area:

Fred Wessels, Jr. Chair, 13th Ward
Craig Schmid, Vice-Chair, 20th Ward
Freeman Bosley, Sr., 3rd Ward
Jeffrey Boyd, 22nd Ward
Gregory Carter, 27th Ward
Stephen Conway, 8th Ward
Dionne Flowers, 2nd Ward
April Ford-Griffin, 5th Ward
Kathleen Hanrahan, 23rd Ward
Bernice Jones King, 21st Ward
Lyda Krewson, 28th Ward
Michael McMillan, 19th Ward and candidate for License Collector
Kenneth Ortman, 9th Ward (Ald. Ortman “prefers not to be contacted via email.” Hmm. So call him at 314-622-3287
Lewis Reed, 6th Ward
Matt Villa, 11th Ward
Phillis Young, 7th Ward

Suggested Language to HUDZ committee members (feel free to copy & paste):

As a voting resident of the City of St. Louis I am opposed to the relocation of a McDonald’s with drive-thru service to a parcel known as 3708 S. Grand in the 15th Ward. I ask that you as a member of the HUDZ committee do not approve any legislation which would enable this to proceed, including by not limited to, amending the current redevelopment plan to permit drive-thrus. Grand Ave. is a major corridor in the City of St. Louis and its design affects more than the citizens of the 15th Ward. The residents of the Gravois Park Neighborhood Association and several adjacent associations have opposed the relocation of the McDonald’s. I ask that you step back and take a city-wide perspective and not defer to the wishes of your colleague as she does not have the best interests of Grand in mind.

If you are not a voting resident of the City of St. Louis change the language around to fit your circumstances. Tell them why you visit St. Louis and why you like the city and how the McDonald’s will not be a positive for the area. Last month I had over 14,000 unique visitors to this site, lets use our numbers to make a difference.

– Steve