Olive Blvd.
Updating the Creve Coeur Comprehensive Plan
The Creve Coeur Comprehensive Plan is being updated by the Planning & Zoning Commission.
If you don’t know what it is, the Comprehensive Plan is the master land use plan for the city. It’s our Constitution and Bill of Rights to guide future decisions on residential and commercial development projects that come before the City Council.
It’s good to review and update it and it’s an important part of my campaign.
Let’s talk about the Comprehensive Plan.
The current plan has many parts that do not need to be changed. An example is preserving the residential character of Ladue Rd. and protecting other neighborhoods from commercial development encroachment.
Creve Coeur Mayor Barry Glantz and others, including myself, suggest that we do need to update the Comprehensive Plan along Olive Blvd., particularly in Ward 1.
The current plan has resulted in high-level development stagnation. We have only a few houses whose commercial use we like to see being used in our neighborhoods while others are vacant and deteriorated.
My plan for this area is to create a new plan which would bring into the area only the types of businesses we feel that are appropriate for Olive Blvd. in Creve Coeur. We don’t want high-traffic businesses with late-night hours. We want businesses that provide services to Creve Coeur residents.
A good example of what I’m talking about is seen today on Maryland Ave. in Clayton.
We want to define the Olive Blvd. east area and keep out liquor stores or low-end retail businesses. Creve Coeur in Ward 1 can and should have boutique stores and professional offices which would complement all of Creve Coeur.
The key item in my Comprehensive Plan vision is to create and mandate buffer areas between commercial and residential property. They are not strong enough in the current plan.
The current Comprehensive Plan allows these residential properties to be changed to General Commercial zoning which doesn’t require the buffer residents want. A wooden or plastic fence with a few trees is not an adequate buffer.
Creve Coeur needs a Comprehensive Plan that requires masonry fences between commercial property and homes.
The current Creve Coeur Comprehensive Plan calls for sidewalks and green space in front of these Olive Blvd. businesses in Ward 1. But that plan has been in place for 10 years and very little has been done. The city needs to make the same commitment on Olive Blvd. east as it has for Olive Blvd. west of I-270.
The city is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars for decorative lighting on Olive west of I-270. It needs to build sidewalks and upgrade lighting right now on Olive Blvd. between Mosley and Spoede.
When the Creve Coeur Comprehensive Plan review is over, we’re going to have a good plan.
If I am elected Creve Coeur City Councilman in Ward 1, I promise to use that plan to protect our neighborhoods and at the same time make Olive Blvd. east attractive to get appropriate businesses and services to locate there.
I will be working to create a stronger buffer of masonry fences between homes and businesses; define the types of businesses appropriate to Olive Blvd. in Ward 1, and to require hours of operation to prevent late night traffic.
We can have compatibility between residents and businesses along Olive Blvd. in Ward 1 and it will happen when we approve a properly updated Creve Coeur Comprehensive Plan
Olive Blvd: A Better Plan
We need a better plan for Olive Blvd. in Ward 1.
Planning and implementation of Olive Blvd. improvements between Spoede and Mosley have been neglected too long.
Some properties have gone vacant for extended periods. Others have been neglected. Development and improvement has been spotty and inconsistent.
The current rules create uncertainty that is unacceptable to both residents and business people. Businesses face a costly process to get approval with no assurance of success. Residents must fight to protect their neighborhoods from encroachment on a case by case basis.
We need a plan and rules that work. We need a system that eliminates the uncertainty.
The plan should encourage a mix of retail and office use and include elements such as
- No businesses with late night hours
- No driveways on residential streets
- Architectural standards such as pitched roofs
- A sign code that is toned down
- Masonry fences along the rear boundary
- Sidewalks with trees and decorative lighting
- Artistic bus stop shelters and other pedestrian enhancements
To compensate for higher building costs and to encourage high quality projects, a higher coverage should be allowed.
Mayor Glantz has joined me in calling for a new plan. I will work with the Mayor to forge a consensus between residents and business.
I will insist on buy-in from residents before any changes are made.
The city should commit capital to enhance east Olive Blvd. A $530,000 decorative lighting project for west Olive Blvd. has been approved. We should have a similar commitment for east Olive to create a more inviting pedestrian corridor.
We need a plan to retain existing businesses, encourage them to upgrade their property, and to attract desirable new businesses.
Vote for me April 2 – for a better plan and a better Olive Blvd.
See more information about my campaign at www.caldwellforcrevecoeur.com.