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Plan Commission Meetings Discuss City Plan, Zoning

Code Revision
Joint session with city council discussed the comprehensive city plan process, and the plan
commission discussed adding check-cashing establishments to zoning code
By Kareem Johnson | Email the author | April 30, 2011

3 Comments

Members of the Plan Commission met twice on

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Wednesday, first with the city council and then for
its regular session.

Joint Session:

University City Mayor Shelley Welsch, City

Manager Lehman Walker, and city
councilmembers met with the Plan Commission,
led by Ben Halpert to discuss the planning
process of a new city plan.

“The first comprehensive plan for University City PHOTOS (4)

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 PHOTOS (4)
was adopted in 1922. Subsequent plans were
published in 1931, 1958, 1986, 1999, and 2005,”
Walker said. He noted that he was the author of
the 1999 plan, and actively involved with the
development of the 2005 plan. Add your photos & videos

Walker said that the plan updates should occur in

five to 10 year increments. Andrea Riganti,
Director of Community Development added that Share Print

the purpose of the meeting was to provide an Tweet Start Following

opportunity to describe the planning process,
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what it is, and the timeline to develop a plan.

“A comprehensive plan is a vision for the

community, an expression of what we want the Tell Your Neighbors About Patch
community to be, where we are now, and what is
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desired,” she said.

In the roughly hour-and-a-half session, council members and plan commission members discussed a
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list of survey questions that Ray Lai, the Deputy Director of Planning, Zoning, and Economic
Development had asked of them. Some of the questions from the survey included ‘What level of
Committee Regulates Short-Term Loan,
citizen engagement would you like to see?’
Check-Cashing Businesses

Plan Commission Meeting Plan Commission - Zoning Review

Committee
After the adjournment of the joint session, the Plan Commission passed the minutes from the four
City Council Considers Domestic
previous meetings, with Chair Ben Halpert noting that they did not have to have a quorum to approve
Partnerships, Budget Transfers
minutes.
Plan Commission Considers Two
On continued business from the March 23 meeting, the minor subdivision and final plat of 7286 Proposals; Controversy Over Sunshine
Creveling Drive was withdrawn, per a letter the planning department received on April 25. The Law
original minor subdivision was brought to the Plan Commission, because the owner of the property,
State Rep. Ellinger Hosts Payday Loan
Mike Manlin of MRM Manlin Development Group wished to subdivide his lot into two, to build another
Reform Hearing in University City
home. Manlin withdrew his application because he found that the lot, which he wanted to subdivide,
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 was already a legal lot.
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Zach Greatens of the Planning Department stated that St. Louis County had combined the lots for tax
purposes at an earlier point in time. 1. City Council Agenda for May 23, 2011

2. University City Police Investigate

A zoning map amendment for Li Hua Lu and Zun Xing Li at 8162 Olive Boulevard had been Separate Shooting Incidents
requested to be tabled until the May 25 Plan Commission meeting because Mr. Li needed to have a
“surveyor prepare a new site plan with the flood plain (sic) information shown.” 3. A Walk Down Memory Lane

4. Memorial Fund Set Up For Family of

Mr. Halpert made a motion to move Mr. Lai’s application to be heard at the May 25 meeting, and was University City Man Killed In Car
unanimously agreed to. Accident

Mr. Greatens of the Planning Department then presented a text amendment to the zoning code 5. University City Man Goes From Painter
regarding short-term loan establishments, more commonly known as payday loans, title lenders, and to Millionaire
check-cashing establishments.

The reasons for the changes were at the request of the City Council, through City Manager Lehman Follow us:
Walker in light of Representative Rory Ellinger’s (D-72 University City) payday loan hearing at
Centennial Commons in February.

The text amendment would add check-cashing, short-term loan establishments, and title lenders to
standards for a conditional use permit approval.

During the discussion, Nova Felton, one of the commissioners asked how neighboring Clayton had
no institutions if cities cannot deny applications for these sorts of establishments.

The amendment would prohibit the approval of a permit if an establishment would be located 1000
feet of another similar establishment, or within 500 feet of a public activity area, such as a park, or
residential property.

The city attorney was on hand to answer questions the commission members had about the
proposed amendment.

The bulk of the meeting was the discussion of whether the conditional use permits would be
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 transferable to new owners, if the business changed hands, as Tom Byrne and Councilman Steve
Kraft questioned. The text states that the “conditional use permit shall not be transferable to a
successor land owner or operator.”

“But in a way it's kind of a moot point, because you have to apply every single year for this do you
not?” Byrne asked.

“Correct,” Greatens responded.

Byrne followed up by asking that if the transfer of ownership happened within that year, the permit
would still have to be applied for. Greatens concurred.

In further discussion, Ben Senturia and Felton were not sure whether check-cashing establishments
should be classified in the same way as payday lenders, and a motion was made to table the issue
until the May 25 meeting. The motion passed unanimously.

The last business at the meeting was Mr. Greatens presentation on subdivision regulations and their
review and approval procedures, to help explain the differences between minor and major
subdivisions of property to the commissioners.

The meeting adjourned at 8pm. The next scheduled Plan Commission meeting is May 25 in the EOC
in City Hall.

What do you think should be in the University City Comprehensive Plan? Tell us in the comments.

Interested in a follow-up to this article? Enter your email address Keep me posted!

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 Comments (3)

Michelle Flag as inappropriate

8:31am on Saturday, April 30, 2011

I'm thinking that question was meant to be facetious. On why Clayton doesn't have any payday loan
establishments.
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Kareem Johnson Flag as inappropriate

10:48am on Monday, May 2, 2011

It was, to a degree. State law prohibits cities from denying business licenses to payday loan
establishments, but it's possible to discourage them. It's also possible there is simply no interest in
opening them in Clayton.

Thelma Jones Flag as inappropriate

2:28pm on Saturday, April 30, 2011

We do not need pay day loans in University City because it brings down the neighborhood. Clayto does
not have it, Olivette does not have it and neither does Creve Couer. Why do we? If you qualifiy for a loan
then go to the Credt Union in University City. It is much safer for all citizens and it helps your credit
scores.
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