MINUTES OF THE REGULAR BOARD OF ALDERMEN
MEETING
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City Hall
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August 19, 2002
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Council Chambers
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7:00 p.m.
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The Mayor led with
the Pledge of Allegiance.
ROLL CALL
Present: Alderman
Marshall, Alderman Leahy, Alderman Golfin, Alderwoman Mehler, Alderman
Robertson, Alderman Wynn, Alderman Cross.
City Attorney Murphy, City Clerk/Administrator Seemayer, Zoning
Administrator Wolf, Economic Development Director Shelton, City Treasurer
Reynders.
Absent: Alderman Boyd and Executive
Secretary Williams.
CONSIDERATION
AND APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA OF THE REGULAR BOARD OF ALDERMEN MEETING OF AUGUST
19, 2002
Mayor Kelly said
there are two additional bills that need to be added to the agenda, which are
Bills No. 5131 and 5132 with respect to the Meridian project.
Motion was made by
Alderman Golfin, second by Alderman Robertson to add Bills No. 5131 and 5132 to
the agenda. Roll call: Alderman Marshall, yes; Alderman Leahy, yes;
Alderman Golfin, yes; Alderwoman Mehler, yes; Alderman Robertson, yes; Alderman
Wynn, yes; Alderman Cross, yes.
Executive Session
Mayor Kelly said
because of some information received late on Friday, the Board needs to have an
executive session real estate matter following the meeting tonight.
Motion was made by
Alderman Leahy, second by Alderwoman Mehler to add an executive session real
estate matter following the regularly scheduled meeting. Roll call:
Alderman Marshall, yes; Alderman Leahy, yes; Alderman Golfin, yes;
Alderwoman Mehler, yes; Alderman Robertson, yes; Alderman Wynn, yes; Alderman
Cross, yes.
Motion was made by
Alderman Wynn, second by Alderman Leahy to amend Bill No. 5128 in Section 3 to
read “.24” instead of “.23”. Roll
call: Alderman Marshall, yes; Alderman
Leahy, yes; Alderman Golfin, yes; Alderwoman Mehler, yes; Alderman Robertson,
yes; Alderman Wynn, yes; Alderman Cross, yes.
Motion was made by
Alderwoman Mehler, second by Alderman Golfin to approve and adopt the Agenda of
the Regular Board of Aldermen Meeting of August 19, 2002 as amended. Roll call:
Alderman Marshall, yes; Alderman Leahy, yes; Alderman Golfin, yes;
Alderwoman Mehler, yes; Alderman Robertson, yes; Alderman Wynn, yes; Alderman
Cross, yes.
CONSIDERATION
AND APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL BOARD OF ALDERMEN MEETING OF JULY
24, 2002
Motion was made by
Alderman Marshall, second by Alderman Golfin to approve and adopt the Minutes
of the Special Board of Aldermen Meeting of July 24, 2002 as submitted. Roll call:
Alderman Marshall, yes; Alderman Leahy, yes; Alderman Golfin, yes;
Alderwoman Mehler, yes; Alderman Robertson, yes; Alderman Wynn, yes; Alderman
Cross, yes.
BIDS – None
HEARING OF
ANY MATTER OF PUBLIC INTEREST UPON REQUEST OF ANY PERSON PRESENT
Bonnie Rasmussen
– 8828 Pendleton came
before the Board and said there is a “for sale” sign down on Russell Avenue on
one of the properties that’s owned by Michael Anderson. The residents are recommending the City
purchase that property and add it to the green space proposed for a parkway
coming from southeast Brentwood and across Russell Avenue and optional railroad
tracks. On the north side of Russell,
the City already owns four or five lots of green space because they flood and
they are deed restricted. The residents
have even thought that the City could apply to FEMA for the funds and they
might deed it over to the City for a dollar.
Claudia Shugert
– Executive Director of the Animal Protective Association of Missouri – 1705 S.
Hanley came before the
Board and said they have been in that location since the early 50’s and
involved with Brentwood since 1922.
Obviously, they are concerned about the process and the understanding of
the usage of the land at 1705 S. Hanley and the proposals that have been
presented to the City of Brentwood.
They have had one brief encounter with Pace Properties who are by no
means in the negotiating stage. They
have had no discussion of compensation or alternative locations. As she spoke with Mayor Kelly this morning,
she expressed that they understand the energy and the vitality of Brentwood,
the desire for development and they perceive the need for traffic and other
kinds of relief. However, as an
organization that is well vested with $2.5 million into a renovation of that
site, they need to be sure that they take care of their donors.
Mrs. Shugert
reminded everyone that the canine carnival would be held September 15th
at Tilles Park. They are anticipating a
wonderful turn out. It is their major
fundraiser for the year.
John Kraska –
President of the Hanley Industrial Court Association – came before the Board and said allowing a
major retailer into Hanley Industrial Court which would cost the replacement of
approximately fourteen small businesses is a major mistake. To quote from Small Business Facts included
in the latest Brentwood Chamber of Commerce publication, “small business
accounts for more than 99 percent of all employers; small business accounts for
47 percent of sales in the nation; small business employs 51 percent of
private-sector workers; small businesses create the bulk of new jobs; small
businesses account for 75 percent of new job creation each year”. The businesses that will have to leave
represent stable employment, higher wages and skilled employees than retail
establishments employ. Large retail
operations such as Costco are known to abandon their facilities when quotas are
not met. It could happen with a
business of this nature in a secluded area.
Value Line Investments survey data indicates as of May 17th
Costco was operating with approximately $250 million deficit and working
capital. It is primarily attributed to the opening of a large number of new
warehouses. The latest Value Line dated
August 16th indicates they anticipate a $250 million deficit in 2002
and $150 million in 2003. Their current
assets are $57 million greater than their current liabilities. However, it should be known that 69% of
their assets are stated as inventory, which relates to warehouse merchandise
for sale. Even with their anticipated
$39 billion of income our present economy would cause a major problem in
meeting their quotas required to insure on that profit. The ensuing traffic associated with Costco
will also add to a major problem they have with both Brentwood Boulevard and
Hanley Road. Brentwood would be much better off in assisting the Hanley
Industrial Court building owners in updating their facilities and increasing
stable and higher paying employment.
Fred Epstein –
President of Indeeco – 425 Hanley Industrial Court came before the Board and said Brentwood
has been his second home for longer than he has been married and he is
celebrating his 45th wedding anniversary next month. A number of years ago he
founded the Hanley Industrial Court Association. At the present time the property that is proposed for the Costco
development comprise of some 27,000 square feet under roof. There is a lot of vacant space available in
Hanley Industrial Court. They are
urging the Board to accept that portion of the Pace proposal that would develop
a corner of Hanley Industrial Court for Costco, but turn the other properties
over to MLP for redevelopment. The MLP
proposal, which is a residentially based proposal, would add about 500 new
citizens to Brentwood. It is a very
imaginative proposal for many reasons.
It would be the first real transit oriented development project in the
St. Louis Metropolitan area. It would include a second Brentwood stop for
MetroLink on the cross-county line.
This is the City’s best and probably last chance to achieve that second
station which has always been shown on the Bi-State plans as a future
station. Furthermore, Costco would put
through the east/west road commonly known as Strassner. This would relieve the traffic along Eager
Road and Highway 40. They would do it
with an overpass over the railroad tracks, so there would be no signal to worry
about. As a property owner in Hanley
Industrial Court he would probably be better off if the entire Pace proposal
went through or some similar proposal.
Everybody knows that retail space draws higher property values than
residential space. The residential will
not happen without the retail. There is
a lot of infrastructure cost to be accounted for and there is no way that the
MLP proposal can generate enough tax revenue to pay off that TIF that’s going
to be necessary to put the road through, build a station and have the
overpass.
Bob Lindsley –
300 Wymon Road/Ballwin Missouri representing the United Food and Commercial Local 655 and Schnucks,
Dierbergs, Shop and Save and Straubs came before the Board and said they are
very concerned about the Costco project.
In the City of Brentwood, you have Brentwood Pointe Dierbergs that has
144 members and Brentwood Schnucks with 114 members. You actually have eighty-four members living in the City of
Brentwood that belong to Local 655.
They are concerned about getting a big box retailer such as Costco in
the community. Costco can sell at a
lower cost than grocery chains can.
They pay their employees less.
The grocery stores employ both part-time and full-time employees, and
offer health benefits and pension benefits.
Instead of raising your city residency to a higher level of wages and
benefits you are going to cause jobs to be lost at these other giant grocery
chains. Across Hanley Road, Maplewood
is proposing a Wal-Mart and a Sam’s Club.
For those three to be in direct competition with each other somebody has
to lose. Recent reports and studies of
the new Costco in St. Peters shows that they are not making their retail
projections. They are about 50% below
what they projected in retail business.
Perhaps the MLP program is a good program because it is multi-diverse
with residential, retail and commercial.
They are asking that the Board think about the existing businesses and
the good neighbors like Schnucks and Dierbergs. They understand the need for new revenue but do not hurt existing
businesses that are already here.
John Kraska came
before the Board and said Fred Epstein’s remarks are not the remarks of the
Hanley Industrial Court Association.
The Association voted on August 14th to oppose the Costco
entry into Hanley Industrial Court.
Ed Brimer – 9187
Rustic Wood Trail in Crestwood came before the Board and said he owns a business at 132 Hanley
Industrial Court called Engraphix Architectural Signage. As a business and
property owner in Hanley Industrial Court he is concerned as well as his
employees and customers that the increased traffic added to the Court on roads
that are not built for heavy big use retail situations is the wrong direction
to take the City of Brentwood in. It is
a thriving community with many skilled workers and is perfect for an industrial
use. To put a big box retailer in the
center of the Court with no major street frontage is a big mistake. He does not think the road through is the
right thing to do. It is going to pick
up a huge amount of traffic for people that are just cutting through for no
business whatsoever in the Court. As
you go up Hanley Road from the south you are going to make that first left next
to Union Planters Bank and ride in through the Court to get to and from Costco
which is going to increase traffic on streets which were never intended for
that. He suggested the Board think of the businesses in the community.
Christine Kobler
– 8615 Henrietta came
before the Board and said she has lived in Brentwood all her life. She also works in Brentwood. She would like the Board to consider when
voting for the proposals at Brentwood/Manchester and South Hanley why they live
in Brentwood. She lives in Brentwood
because it is a small town. This is a
good community to raise kids and she does not want that to change. The Mills project is going to take them more
to a West County atmosphere. The
traffic should be considered. Hanley,
Manchester and Brentwood Boulevard all have enough traffic.
Joe Johnson –
9417 Pine came before the
Board and said it was in the 50’s or early 60’s when Developer Tom White
started to develop Hanley Industrial Court.
Tom did many things in this community including building Brentwood
Square in 1952 and built many of the homes on Kenilworth. As this Board contemplates decisions that it
makes you are looking to the future with whatever wisdom you could gather from
past experience, knowledge and so forth.
Their firm was involved with the Evans Place land assembly, which
subsequently became the Promenade at Brentwood. One of the residents said during the public hearings, which he
thought was very concise and powerful, “time is like a dressmaker; it always
specializes in alterations”. As you contemplate
the two proposals this evening change is inevitable. The Board’s mission is to sort out what is good and bad for the
community.
Public Hearing – Setting of 2002 Property Tax Rate
Mayor Kelly
announced the public hearing for the setting of the 2002 property tax rate
would now be heard at 7:15 p.m. Mayor
Kelly said they are very excited to see the high percentage of residents that
were in favor of Proposition “F” which gave the City the ability to eliminate
its .23 cents in taxes this year. Brentwood
had a much higher percentage of turnouts than the percentage of turnout in
other municipalities throughout St. Louis County.
City Administrator
Seemayer said the new tax rate proposed is actually .42 cents instead of .41
cents because of the continual updates received from St. Louis County Assessors
Office as to the personal property and real estate values in the City of
Brentwood. An update was just received
today and it was calculated and the rate should be .24 cents which reflects in
the amended bill. The general fund has
been lowered to .00 cents. It has a
maximum of .34 cents. Last year the
City charged .17 cents. The debt
service for the $6 million dollars in bonds which comprise of street and park
bond issues maximum is .33 cents. Last
year that was at .03 cents. That is
proposed for this year at .00 cents.
The only taxable areas are the police and firemen’s pension fund and the
library.
Mayor Kelly asked
if there were any comments from the audience.
Mark Kurtz –
9144 White Avenue came
before the Board and said he is a 45 year resident of Brentwood. He thanked the Mayor, Board and
Administration for continuing to find ways to lower the property tax. The significance of that is sometimes lost
on the general public because they continue to get increases from all other
taxing bodies except the City of Brentwood.
This has been a trend that has been going on for the last eight years
where the City has found ways to continue to reduce the property tax. If people understood the little bit of money
they pay for the tremendous amount of services that they receive, it would mean
much more to them. There is no other
city in St. Louis County that has as low a tax base as Brentwood. As one of the citizens who worked for the
passage of proposition “F”, he is proud to say that the citizens and the voters
of Brentwood supported that proposition to the greatest percent of majority
than any proposition ever put forth in the City of Brentwood.
Mayor Kelly
announced the public hearing closed at 7:19 p.m.
INTRODUCTIONS, READINGS, AND PASSAGE OF BILLS AND
RESOLUTIONS
1st and 2nd Readings
of Bills
Motion was made by
Alderman Robertson, second by Alderman Marshall to give Bills No. 5126, 5127,
5128, 5129, 5130, 5131 and 5132 first and second readings. Roll call:
Alderman Marshall, yes; Alderman Leahy, yes; Alderman Golfin, yes; Alderwoman Mehler, yes; Alderman Robertson,
yes; Alderman Wynn, yes; Alderman Cross, yes.
Bill No. 5126 – Contract with Archimages
City Attorney
Murphy gave Bill No. 5126, AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR TO EXECUTE A
CONTRACT ON BEHALF OF THE CITY OF BRENTWOOD, MISSOURI, FOR ARCHITECTURAL
SERVICES WITH ARCHIMAGES, INC., 9717 LANDMARK PARKWAY DRIVE, SUITE 207, ST.
LOUIS, MISSOURI 63127 IN CONNECTION WITH THE FIRE STATION ADDITION AND
RENOVATION, its first and second readings.
Alderman Robertson
said the Public Safety Committee interviewed three architects and found that
Archimages is the most experienced in the entire St. Louis region. They were hired based on that competitive
basis.
Mayor Kelly said
this is for the addition to the north side of City Hall for an additional
garage and new living quarters for the fire department.
Alderman Leahy
pointed out on page 20, article 2.8 of the bill under schedule of services that
it lists the number of review of drawings, visits to the architect’s site,
inspection of work and two inspection of the final determination. He believes the number of reviews for the
shop drawings are limited to two. Any
additional reviews of that would be excessive work as he reads this bill.
Mayor Kelly said
one of the reasons that is in there is the City has an engineer on staff who
will do some of that. The City tries to
limit that to cut down on costs.
Motion was made by
Alderman Golfin, second by Alderman Marshall to approve and adopt Bill No.
5126. Roll call: Alderman Marshall, yes; Alderman Leahy, yes;
Alderman Golfin, yes; Alderwoman Mehler, yes; Alderman Robertson, yes; Alderman
Wynn, yes; Alderman Cross, yes.
The Mayor thereupon
declared Bill No. 5126 duly passed and signed same into approval thereof. Said Bill was given Ordinance No. 3833.
Bill No. 5127 – Police and Firemen’s Pension Fund
City Attorney
Murphy gave Bill No. 5127, AN ORDINANCE PROVIDING FOR THE ADOPTION OF THE THIRD
AMENDED AND RESTATED POLICE AND FIREMEN’S PENSION PLAN; PROVIDING FOR THE
REPEAL OF ALL CONFLICTING ORDINANCES; AND PROVIDING FOR THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF
THIS ORDINANCE, its first and second readings.
Motion was made by
Alderman Cross, second by Alderman Robertson to approve and adopt Bill No.
5127. Roll call: Alderman Marshall,
yes; Alderman Leahy, yes; Alderman Golfin, yes; Alderwoman Mehler, yes;
Alderman Robertson, yes; Alderman Wynn, yes; Alderman Cross, yes.
The Mayor thereupon
declared Bill No. 5127 duly passed and signed same into approval thereof. Said Bill was given Ordinance No. 3834.
Bill No. 5128 - Property Tax Rate
City Attorney
Murphy gave Bill No. 5128, AN ORDINANCE TO CONFIRM, RATIFY AND APPROVE THE RATE
OF TAX TO BE ASSESSED AND COLLECTED FOR EACH ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($100) OF
ASSESSED VALUATION FOR THE YEAR 2002 FOR: (A) GENERAL MUNICIPAL PURPOSES; (B)
TO PAY PRINCIPAL AND INTEREST AS THE SAME MATURES ON INDEBTEDNESS OF THE CITY
OF BRENTWOOD EVIDENCED BY BONDS; (C) TO PAY FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF THE PUBLIC
LIBRARY; AND (D) TO PROVIDE THE ANNUAL CONTRIBUTION TO THE CITY OF BRENTWOOD’S
POLICE AND FIREMEN’S RETIREMENT FUND; PROVIDING FOR THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS
ORDINANCE; AND PROVIDING FOR THE REPEAL OF ALL CONFLICTING ORDINANCES, its
first and second readings.
Motion was made by
Alderman Leahy, second by Alderman Wynn to approve and adopt Bill No. 5128 as
amended. Roll call: Alderman Marshall, yes; Alderman Leahy, yes;
Alderman Golfin, yes; Alderwoman Mehler, yes; Alderman Robertson, yes; Alderman
Wynn, yes; Alderman Cross, yes.
The Mayor thereupon
declared Bill No. 5128 duly passed and signed same into approval thereof. Said Bill was given Ordinance No. 3835.
Bill No. 5129 – Disclosure Statements
City Attorney
Murphy gave Bill No. 5129, AN ORDINANCE READOPTING ORDINANCE NO. 3153, SECTION
2-471 OF CHAPTER 2 OF THE REVISED CODE OF ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF BRENTWOOD
FOR 1987; PROVIDING FOR THE CURRENT MAINTENANCE OF THIS CODE; PROVIDING FOR THE
REPEAL OF ALL CONFLICTING ORDINANCES; AND PROVIDING FOR THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF
THIS ORDINANCE, its first and second readings.
City
Clerk/Administrator Seemayer said the City adopts this ordinance annually as
required by the Missouri Ethics Commission since the City has a budget in
excess of $1 million. It adopts the
procedures for elected officials and certain employees to annually file
financial disclosure statements to the State of Missouri. The ordinance is required to be adopted
every other year but the City adopts it every year.
Motion was made by
Alderman Leahy, second by Alderman Golfin to approve and adopt Bill No. 5129.
Roll call: Alderman Marshall, yes;
Alderman Leahy, yes; Alderman Golfin, yes; Alderwoman Mehler, yes; Alderman
Robertson, yes; Alderman Wynn, yes; Alderman Cross, yes.
The Mayor thereupon
declared Bill No. 5129 duly passed and signed same into approval thereof. Said Bill was given Ordinance No. 3836.
Bill No. 5130 – Solid Waste Contract
City Attorney
Murphy gave Bill No. 5130, AN ORDINANCE APPROVING AN EXTENSION OF THE SOLID
WASTE CONTRACT WITHIN THE CITY OF BRENTWOOD, MISSOURI, FOR THE PERIOD JANUARY
1, 2003 THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2005, its first and second readings.
Mayor Kelly said
this bill is extending the existing solid waste contract. Trash hauling is very important to a
municipality and it is something that the residents are affected by three days
a week. The City has strived to work
with the trash hauler to bring them up to the standards that Brentwood expects. He would hope that although they are getting
an extension of their existing contract that the quality of service does not
decline once the new contract is signed.
The City has looked at doing its own waste hauling but the financial
cost of purchasing trucks and the fear of future landfill costs is where the
real money comes in which is a risk the City can not take.
Alderman Wynn said
they have discussed this in Public Works Committee meetings and have looked at
many alternatives and concluded that the extension is best for the City.
Alderman Golfin
said they have had a very attractive contract in the past three years without
any escalation in prices annually.
While this contract represents a substantial increase as well, it should
be reflecting inflationary costs. It
is still a contract that is very competitive and it represents a charge to the
City per home at less than what the majority of other municipalities have
encountered or are having to pay.
Motion was made by
Alderman Wynn, second by Alderman Golfin to adopt Bill No. 5130. Roll
call: Alderman Marshall, yes; Alderman
Leahy, yes; Alderman Golfin, yes; Alderwoman Mehler, yes; Alderman Robertson,
yes; Alderman Wynn, yes; Alderman Cross, yes.
The Mayor thereupon declared Bill No. 5130
duly passed and signed same into approval thereof. Said Bill was given Ordinance No. 3837.
Bill No. 5131 – Site Development Plan
City Attorney
Murphy gave Bill No. 5131, AN ORDINANCE GRANTING APPROVAL OF A SITE DEVELOPMENT
PLAN FOR PARKING LOT AND BUILDING MODIFICATIONS TO 142 HANLEY INDUSTRIAL COURT;
PROVIDING THE CONDITIONS TO SUCH DEVELOPMENT AND PROVIDING FOR THE EFFECTIVE
DATE OF THIS ORDINANCE, its first and second readings.
Motion was made by
Alderman Robertson, second by Alderman Golfin to approve and adopt Bill No.
5131. Roll call: Alderman Marshall,
yes; Alderman Leahy, yes; Alderman Golfin, yes; Alderwoman Mehler, yes;
Alderman Robertson, yes; Alderman Wynn, yes; Alderman Cross, yes.
The Mayor thereupon
declared Bill No. 5131 duly passed and signed same into approval thereof. Said Bill was given Ordinance No. 3838.
Bill No. 5132 – Conditional Use Permit and Site
Development Plan
City Attorney
Murphy gave Bill No. 5132, AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT AND
SITE DEVELOPMENT PLAN APPROVAL PREVIOUSLY GRANTED BY ORDINANCE NO. 3746;
PROVIDING AMENDED CONDITIONS OF ESTABLISHING THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS
ORDINANCE, its first and second readings.
City Administrator
Seemayer said City Attorney Murphy has advised him that Bill No. 5132 require a
public hearing.
Motion was made by
Alderman Cross, second by Alderman Marshall to place Bill No. 5132 on hold.
Roll call: Alderman Marshall, yes;
Alderman Leahy, yes; Alderman Golfin, yes; Alderwoman Mehler, yes; Alderman
Robertson, yes; Alderman Wynn, yes; Alderman Cross, yes.
Resolution No. 879
Mayor Kelly said
this resolution does not include the area on Hanley Road. The only part that
they want to start the evaluation process on is the Costco part of that
development. Their subcommittee has
been meeting and evaluating this project and has determined that none of the
projects can go forward on Hanley Road without the support of the Costco store
because they are funding the construction of the road, which is between $13 and
$14 million. They need to do traffic
evaluations, impact on surrounding stores and look at the impact it is going to
have on the community.
Alderman Robertson
asked if the resolution gives the developer any rights as far as acquisition of
property for eminent domain.
Mayor Kelly said
the resolution gives the City the ability to start evaluating the process and
establishes a funding agreement where the developer will help to start offset
some of the City’s cost with hiring consultants to evaluate the project. The next phase of property acquisition would
be in the redevelopment agreement that the City would have to negotiate with
the developer to move forward after this phase.
Alderman Robertson
said if they sign the funding agreement is the City going to pay any of those
costs for traffic study, etc.
Mayor Kelly said he
would hope it would be part of the funding agreement in place.
Alderman Wynn said
he has been on the Board several years and gone through a lot of changes in the
last few years. He remembered when they
started that most of them realized there were things in Brentwood they did not
have like restaurants and shopping. The
talk was if they did those things, they cement the future for Brentwood. They have done all those things. Now they are looking at building
Costco. He does not like big box
retail. It is too big for Brentwood.
If you build it, they will come.
It will cause a traffic problem.
When the Costco is built it will hurt somebody’s business. There is only so many dollars being spent
out there. They will come from other
cities but will they go as much to Dierbergs, etc. He has a concern that they will not. He is not against redevelopment but does not think it is good for
the City to build a Costco.
Alderman Leahy said
his biggest concern with Costco just for the City to pull up the street to
Strassner is that the remaining part of that proposal has to come about
also. If Costco goes in the middle of
this street, they will need some type of attention getter at the entrance of Brentwood
and at Hanley. Those areas are going
have to come back to be developed again.
They requested that the Comprehensive Plan be reviewed and are looking
to put that in next year’s budget. He
would love to see this type of development be postponed long enough for the
City to pull together its Comprehensive Plan and be able to put a full
alignment of what they would like to do.
The concern for Strassner was that they did not do a good enough job in
planning their traffic flows on Eager and they are looking for this to
alleviate that problem. Two and a half
months ago the Board discussed the St. Louis County Highway Department wanting
to make Brentwood Boulevard five lanes with center turn lanes. If the City opens Strassner as a major
thoroughfare going east/west, are they inviting St. Louis County to come in and
raise this issue again?
The other issue
with Strassner is the YMCA and Memorial Park and kids crossing back and forth
between the two and citizen usage. In
the current conception plan, this issue is not addressed. He has been assured that they would be
willing to look at it, but this would change some of the funding that they will
all have to come up with in order to make this project work. They are jumping too far too fast. The Meridian project representatives came
back to the Planning and Zoning Commission last month complaining that they
could not get their anchors in place in order to make the project doable as the
original proposal. With a Costco in
there, they may adversely affect that project.
Brentwood Pointe has not been through a full quarter review as to how
its finances stack up to getting its TIF arrangement. Brentwood Square has barely gotten its first year. The Promenade is only in year three. Bringing in a Costco at this point could
adversely affect all three of those major developments to the point that it
would not be worth it.
Richard Ward –
Development Strategies came
before the Board and said there were three proposals in response to the RFP for
7.3 acres of land. That land is fronted
on Hanley Road. One of the proposals
included Costco. The RFP did provide
flexibility for whatever development proposals came forward to propose the
site, not just the 7.3 acres. One of those was the MLP proposal. They proposed a mixed-use development about
60,000 square feet of retail, 280 apartment units and an associated restaurant,
office and parking garage. The problem
is there are a lot of questions that need to be answered about that project in
terms of feasibility, circulation, traffic grades and the manner in which a
light rail station could be built which is part of what it is proposed to
reflect off of. The Pace proposal,
which is the one that has been commented on extensively tonight, is two
projects. One was the Costco. That was a deviance with/or variation from
the site that is proposed in the RFP in that it extended into the industrial
court and added about 15 acres of land in the heart of the industrial
court. The second part of that proposal
would be a strip center fronting on Hanley extending north from the new
intersection opposite Bruno and connecting across to Strassner; extending north
from there all the way up to the Home Depot and Lion’s Choice. The third
proposal went south from the Target site and added another 6 acres southward
down to where the railroad tracks crosses Hanley. Another strip center that would be built by THF. The decision was made by the committee who
reviewed this and certainly with their concurrence as consultants to the
committee that the road was a very important element in all this. They watched this situation for many years
in Brentwood. Brentwood has progressed
dramatically in many ways. The traffic
situation on Eager was very predictable in terms of what it is today. The need for this crossroad has always been
there. This is a way to get it done and
certainly the Costco affords the economic wherewithal for that. It clearly
changes the character of the industrial court on the long term. It connects the retail to retail on the
north side of the proposed Costco development.
It also allows something to happen at the Bruno/Strassner intersection
with Hanley that could be a major significance if it could be tied to a
light-rail station. The decision was
made to proceed with negotiations and refinement of the Costco proposal to see
if there is an ultimate solution that can be workable. That is the recommendation of their
organization and the committee that reviewed this. It is recommended that you put aside the other three proposals
simply because of the traffic situation, the feasibility of building a
MetroLink station and how you would handle grades associated with that and
turning movements. The issues that many
have raised here about traffic associated with Costco has to be carefully
looked at from the City’s standpoint, along with this other dream of a possible
MetroLink driven joint development at that intersection. The MLP proposal would need a lot of
refinement to be supported by the committee and their firm.
Mayor Kelly said he
understands Aldermen Leahy and Wynn concerns.
Those things will have to weigh heavily on their evaluation as they go
through this process. There are two key
things that the Board has to keep in mind.
One of the reasons this has come before the Board is because the Walsh
and Serta properties are available to make this project go forward. He would hate to see someone go into the
Walsh building and invest a fortune to make it accessible because right now it
does not meet a lot of the current codes.
There has to be a huge investment into that building to make it
usable. He would hate to see a
developer build a new building there and then the City loses this opportunity
to get the east/west corridor through there.
It is not their intention to continually move businesses around but they
have to look at opportunities when they come before the City. It is their responsibility as elected
officials to evaluate proposals that come before them and see if they make
sense.
Alderman Golfin
said he would like to thank the participants who have commented on this very
controversial question. It is not going
to be an easy decision to make.
Aldermen Leahy and Wynn, residents, as well as business people have some
serious concerns. He agrees with our
planner and consultants that the three proposals as they were made were not
acceptable. The idea of entertaining
only part of Pace’s proposal with the Costco and affording the opportunity to
give the City east/west road which is very badly needed in Brentwood, everyone
more or less agreed. Maybe Brentwood
should build the road but that is a $15 million project. He understands this is not a resolution
accepting any project. It is a
resolution to explore further in detail what the proposal is. The Board owes it to everyone to look at the
proposals. The impact that the
Maplewood proposal will have on the City of Brentwood is just as serious as
what they may be considering with Costco because they are just across the
street.
Mayor Kelly said if
that development in Maplewood goes forward and the City does not have another
alternative for an east/west corridor through the City that traffic is going to
increase even more. With respect to the
Comprehensive Plan, it is something that they are going to have in the budget
for next year. It is a very expensive
undertaking. Brentwood has not begun to
see the new revenues, specifically from the developments because the City is
putting it all back into them to pay them off.
The City is still trying to do as much as it can with the dollars that
it has.
Motion was made by
Alderman Golfin, second by Alderwoman Mehler to approve and adopt Resolution
No. 879. Roll call: Alderman Marshall, yes; Alderman Leahy, no;
Alderman Golfin, yes; Alderwoman Mehler, yes; Alderman Robertson, yes; Alderman
Wynn, no; Alderman Cross, yes.
Resolution No. 880
Richard Ward –
Development Strategies came
before the Board and said this project involves an area of 27 acres of land at
the southeast quadrant of Brentwood and Manchester Road. It is a complex area. It has single family homes, multi-family
apartments, industrial, office and retail uses, various ages and quality,
frontage on two major arterials, part of the area is clearly obsolete and
deteriorating, infrastructure is not sound in many instances and it offers many
challenges. It is certainly an area
that someone would deem eligible for redevelopment in terms of the conditions
he summarized. The City is interested
in someone taking on the challenge of redeveloping it in a mixed use manner
with a focus on single family residential development to the extent the
economics will allow along with retail office and/or multi-family rental
apartments as appropriate to make a feasible project.
The City would like
to have that area redeveloped pedestrian friendly where you can shop, work,
recreate, and live in close proximity to all those things. There were two proposals. One from Mills Properties which proposes 282
units of housing, 52 of those would be single family detaches and attached
single family units for owner occupancy.
Therefore, 230 units will be for rental occupancy. There will be 90 units of assisted living
and 40,000 square feet of retail space.
The Jones Company proposes to construct about 45 units less which is 237
residential units, 57 townhomes for owner occupancy, all attached single family
units, 24,000 square feet of retail space and 7600 square feet of office
space. They are somewhat comparable in
terms of the numerical count. They are
very different projects in terms of what they put on the land. Based upon the review of the committee and
their firm as your technical consultants they recommend the Mills project as
the better of the two. They clearly
understood what new urbanism meant in terms of their site planning and they
expressed it very well in a very exciting and interesting concept. The Crescent has a public space at the
corner of the intersection of Manchester and Brentwood. It would have the assisted living development
along the Brentwood Boulevard frontage.
Behind that would be single family attached and detached units in a very
pleasant neighborhood with all of the units facing the open space. They seem to have the elements of
feasibility there. Being able to cover
those costs with residential development primarily is going to be a challenge
every step of the way. It appears that
they thought it out enough to make it work.
That could not be said of the Jones Company proposal. They do not seem to have a realistic
expectation of what it would cost to acquire and how you would pay for those
acquisition costs.
Alderman Leahy said
he would like to remind the Board that three months ago they received a
362-signature petition from Janet Truss and the 24 landowners requesting that
the Board not go forward. They started
this RFP with the idea and concern that they wanted to make sure that
commercial development was done with the City’s input. That has now been accomplished. They have the time now to go back and deal
with the residents concerns before they look at spending more developer’s money
in order to proceed into the process.
The residents in that area have talked with him and convinced him that
this is not what they would like to see happen at this time. He is asking that the Board support the
residents concerns over a developer’s issue.
Alderman Robertson
said obviously anybody on the Board who wants to stay on the Board is going to
be concerned about residents’ wishes.
When they started discussing the idea of an RFP, he asked that they put
in that RFP to let the development community know that they are not going to
just do it without any consideration of the existing residents. If residents want to stay in Brentwood they
are going to work as hard as they can to make that possible. He suggested they have a ward meeting with
the residents on those streets to discuss what their desires are. The wishes of the residents and the Council
for the Blind, which is a unique organization, should be highly considered
before they make any decisions.
Alderman Robertson
said he does intend to vote for approval of the resolution. It is by no means a final thing. They own it to everybody to take a further
look at the fact of the matter and see if it is feasible with the desires of
the existing residents.
Motion was made by
Alderman Marshall, second by Alderwoman Mehler to approve and adopt Resolution
No. 880. Roll call: Alderman Marshall, yes; Alderman Leahy, no;
Alderman Golfin, yes; Alderwoman Mehler, yes; Alderman Robertson, yes; Alderman
Wynn, yes; Alderman Cross, yes.
ACCOUNTS AGAINST THE CITY
Motion was made by
Alderman Golfin, second by Alderman Wynn to approve the revised warrant list as
presented. All in favor, none opposed.
REPORTS OF
COMMITTEES AND DEPARTMENT HEADS:
Mayor’s Report
APA Carnival
Mayor Kelly said
the APA carnival is scheduled for September 15th. He encouraged everyone to participate in the
carnival and the run.
Brentwood Days
Mayor Kelly said
Brentwood Days is scheduled for September 20th and 21st. It is a great opportunity for family and
friends to get together.
Police Station
Mayor Kelly said
the police department moved into the new police station last week. They are very excited. They are ironing out some of the wrinkles. They are hoping to be able to hold an open
house and grand opening on Sunday, September 29, 2002 to invite the public.
Certified Results
Mayor Kelly said
the City received the certified election results today from St. Louis County
for the August 6th election.
The total votes for Proposition “F” were 1,145 and 328 votes against.
Motion was made by
Alderman Marshall, second by Alderman Leahy to accept the certified election
results from the August 6th election. All in favor, none opposed.
Public Safety Committee – No report
Public Works Committee – No report
City Engineer – No report
Parks – No report
Zoning Administrator – No report
Ways and Means Committee – No report
Planning and Zoning – No report
City Attorney – No report
City Clerk/Administrator – No report
Director of Economic Development – No report
Excise Commissioner
Temporary Liquor License – Ruby’s Brentwood Inn
Motion was made by
Alderman Cross, second by Alderman Marshall to grant the temporary liquor
license to Ruby’s Brentwood Inn for Brentwood Days. Roll call: Alderman
Marshall, yes; Alderman Leahy, yes; Alderman Golfin, yes; Alderwoman Mehler,
yes; Alderman Robertson, yes; Alderman Wynn, no; Alderman Cross, yes.
Library– No report
Municipal League– No report
Waste Management Commission– No report
Stormwater Management– No report
Communication – No report
Facilities Committee – No report
Insurance Committee – No report
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Appointment
Mayor Kelly
requested Mr. Westfall be appointed as a new member to the Planning and Zoning
Commission.
Motion was made by
Alderman Golfin, second by Alderman Marshall to approve the appointment of Mr.
Westfall to the Planning and Zoning Commission. All in favor, none opposed.
NEW BUSINESS
Alderman Leahy said
he would like to submit a bill for review by the Public Works Committee. This is requesting that the Board expand the
notification for permits and possible developments to a 500-foot radius.
Mayor Kelly said it
has to go to the Planning and Zoning Commission and get their approval before
it comes to the Board of Aldermen.
Alderman Leahy said
he would send it to the Planning and Zoning Commission.
The meeting was
recessed at 8:40 p.m. for an executive session real estate matter.
Executive Session
Motion was made by
Alderman Marshall, second by Alderman Wynn to enter into executive session on a
real estate matter at 8:56 p.m. Roll
call: Alderman Marshall, yes; Alderman
Leahy, yes; Alderman Golfin, yes; Alderwoman Mehler, yes; Alderman Robertson,
yes; Alderman Wynn, yes; Alderman Cross, yes.
Discussion was held
in executive session on Resolution No. 881.
Motion was made by Alderman Marshall, second by Alderman Wynn to approve
and adopt Resolution No. 881. Roll
call: Alderman Marshall, yes; Alderman
Leahy, yes; Alderman Golfin, yes; Alderwoman Mehler, yes; Alderman Robertson,
yes; Alderman Wynn, yes; Alderman Cross, yes.
After discussion on
a real estate matter, motion was made by Alderman Cross, second by Alderman
Marshall to return to open session at 9:09 p.m. Roll call: Alderman
Marshall, yes; Alderman Leahy, yes; Alderman Golfin, yes; Alderwoman Mehler,
yes; Alderman Robertson, yes; Alderman Wynn, yes; Alderman Cross, yes.
Adjournment
Motion was made by
Alderman Cross, second by Alderman Marshall to adjourn the meeting at 9:10
p.m. All in favor, none opposed.
Pat
Kelly, Mayor
Attest:
Chris Seemayer,
City Clerk