1988-04-27 - Laserfiche WebLink

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. . Minutes - Plan Commission Page 6 April 27, 1988 Chairman McCauley asked if any members of the Commission had any questions for the developers. Mr. Safe stated, as a general comment, that he was opposed to the retail portion of the development and did not in any way wish to recommend approval of that portion of the proposal. Mr. Ollendorff stated that the City Council would certainly consider any advice Plan Commission members had on that issue even though the Plan Commission was specifically empowered to review the appropriateness of the single family portion of the development. Chairman McCauley asked about St. Louis County's requirement that Hanley Road be widened. Mr. Bruno stated that Hanley Road would only be widened as far as the length of the Jr. High School site and that the developers would provide a left turn lane into their extension of Balson Avenue as well as an accelerator lane. Chairman McCauley asked about materials to be used for building construction. Mr. Conner replied that he proposed predominately brick facades for all buildings. Mr. Kendall asked about the possibility of providing a traffic light at the intersection of Blackberry Lane and Hanley Road to help alleviate traffic problems. Mr. Bruno stated that their options with dealing with traffic around the site were limited by St. Louis County Highway Department's recommendations, and the Department had not suggested a light at that intersection. Ms. Kreishman asked about the lot configurations. Mr. Conner stated that zipper lot development had been created and extensively used in the areas of high property prices and proved to be a more efficient use of land. The concept combines the side yards between the houses in a way that allows each house to have a wide patio space on one side and an entrance court on the other side. He and Mr. Bruno had chosen this design rather than a development of entirely attached dwelling units because of their marketability and compatibility with the predominance of single family detached homes in University City. Mr. Marsh asked about potential unit prices and Mr. Bruno stated that the multifamily units would be priced between $120,000 and $165,000 and the detached homes would be priced between $160,000 and $200,000. Multifamily and attached housing would have at least 1,250 square feet in each unit with two bedrooms and two bathrooms while the detached single family homes would contain about 2,000 square feet of floor area with three bedrooms and two and a half baths. Chairman McCauley asked if any members of the public had any questions or concerns about the application. Mr. Esley Hamilton of 1169 Ursula Avenue stated that he had spoken before the Historic Preservation Commission during its deliberation on the demolition of the Hanley Jr. High School building. He stated that he was opposed to demolition of the high school building and, therefore, the developers proceeding with their proposal. He explained the historical significance of the building as he had described it in his nomination of the Hanley Jr. High School building for its inclusion in the National Register of Historic Buildings. He stated that while the building was not included in the local historic district, the University City Education District, the Historic Preservation Commission had recommended against demolition of the building and had adopted a policy that only the center portion of the building with the towers need be preserved. He explained the importance of the building to the City Beautiful Design of the Education District, and stated that the proposed development, at the very least, should include such a design and complimentary building construction. Mr. James Owens of 7530 Blackberry Avenue expressed his opinion that the school should not be torn down and that any new development of these proportions would generate a lot of traffic in the neighborhood during rush