I-270/Highway 367 Corridor Study

Transcription

1 -270/ighway 367 orridor tudy t ouis ounty epartment of lanning pril 2003

2 age ntroduction to tudy rea and rocess xecutive ummary ackground nalysis of tudy rea evelopment istory and Zoning xisting onditions ransportation lans - ighway 367 mprovements - ounty oad mprovements/ t ouis ounty rterial tudy ther rea lans - unicipal omprehensive lans - onfluence reenway - panish ake ommunity rea tudy - ld Jamestown rea ommunity tudy arket nalysis eneral olicy ecommendations - eautification - ode nforcement - ommunity dentity - atkins reek atershed olicy uidelines for ubareas ubarea 1: -270/ilac venue ubarea 2: -270/ighway 367 ubarea 3: -270/est lorissant venue/ ld alls erry oad ubarea 4: orth ighway 367 ubarea 5: ighway 367/arker oad/ edman oad ubarea 6: outh ighway 367 ppendices uture ighway 367 oncept esign Zoning etition istory

3 he -270/ighway 367 orridor tudy is an analysis of two major highway corridors in northeast t ouis ounty he study includes properties generally within the -270 corridor as it extends from the ississippi iver (east) to est lorissant venue (west) and within the ighway 367 corridor from the indbergh oulevard area (north) south to t yr oad he corridors include a large area of unincorporated t ouis ounty plus portions of the ities of ellefontaine eighbors, erguson and oline cres number of factors created the need for this commercial corridor analysis oremost among these were citizen concerns over proposed rezonings in the ilac venue area south of -270 nother significant factor is the improvement of ighway 367 that will significantly alter this roadway and the parcels it adjoins onstruction work has already begun on bridge replacements, beginning at the ighway 367 bridge over hambers oad uture construction will rebuild the highway north of -270 into a grade-separated facility with one-way outer roads his is a dramatic change from the at-grade intersections at major streets and two-way outer roads that exist today, which currently make ighway 367 one of the most dangerous roads in the region dditionally, large tracts of undeveloped land adjacent to both -270 and ighway 367 provide a significant opportunity for new development ome existing commercial areas are underutilized or vacant, indicating a need for improving market conditions inally, new recreational amenities are beginning to be developed in the eastern portion of the -270 corridor regional effort aimed at creating a greenbelt of public open space along the issouri and ississippi ivers, called the onfluence reenway, is making major progress everal significant land purchases have already been made by the tate of issouri and the etropolitan ark and ecreation istrict he convergence of these many factors led t ouis ounty ouncilman ichael ara to request that the t ouis ounty epartment of lanning undertake the corridor study he t ouis ounty conomic ouncil agreed to assist in the planning effort he intent of the corridor analysis is to provide policy recommendations to guide future land use decision-making in the -270 and ighway 367 corridors ue to the crossjurisdictional nature of this study, it is recognized that these recommendations will serve simply as guidelines for the municipalities involved n dvisory ommittee consisting of individuals representing municipalities, community groups, residents and institutions within the corridors was created to guide the work of the epartment of lanning articipants in the dvisory ommittee were: s nn rand (t ouis ommunity ollege) r Joseph onahue (azelwood chool oard) aptain ennis lze (t ouis ounty olice epartment) r avid isher (etropolitan ark & ecreation istrict) lderman ionne lowers (ity of t ouis ard 2) r ob arrett (ity of lorissant)

4 s ora ianoulakis (panish ake ommunity ssociation) s aurna odwin (ector ommunications) r att ampe (orth ounty resident) r aul acek (hristian ospital ortheast) ouncilman ichael ara (t ouis ounty ouncil 4 th istrict) lderman hirley aro (ity of ellefontaine eighbors) s rances ussell (lasgow illage rustee) s Jo oche (t ouis ounty ouncil) r im one (ity of lorissant) ayor arty udloff (ity of ellefontaine eighbors) r ill chnell (issouri epartment of ransportation) r e arlon eewood (ity of erguson) r enneth mith (ld Jamestown ssociation) r obert wank (ity of erguson) s atricia elch (lasgow illage rustee) r hris right (azelwood chool istrict) s ebecca Zoll (orth ounty ncorporated) ounty representatives who assisted in the development of the corridor study include the following individuals: r om urran (t ouis ounty xecutive ffice) s atricia etch (t ouis ounty epartment of lanning) s ail ttolino (t ouis ounty epartment of lanning) r atrick wens (t ouis ounty conomic ouncil) r lenn owers (t ouis ounty epartment of lanning) s Jennifer amson (t ouis ounty epartment of lanning) r ichael Zeek (t ouis ounty epartment of lanning) hese seven individuals, with the assistance of the dvisory ommittee members, created this document and the policy guidelines it contains he dvisory ommittee met monthly from ay 2002 through eptember 2002, and a draft document was presented to the public at an open house meeting on pril 15, 2003 he study process was open to all interested residents and individuals who attended the open meetings of the dvisory ommittee and the open house

5 X he -270/ighway 367 orridor tudy is an analysis of two major highway corridors in northeast t ouis ounty ounty ouncilman ichael ara requested the study as a result of several factors: 1) citizen concerns of proposed rezonings; 2) the planned reconstruction of ighway 367 north of -270 and its anticipated effect on surrounding properties; 3) the presence of large tracts of undeveloped land that offer development potential; 4) several retail centers are vacant and underutilized; and 5) the onfluence reenway initiative is developing new open space and tourism opportunities along the issouri and ississippi ivers he study was led by the t ouis ounty epartment of lanning with assistance from the t ouis ounty conomic ouncil n dvisory ommittee made up of individuals representing municipalities, community groups, residents and institutions helped guide the work of t ouis ounty staff evelopment istory esidential development in the study corridors began in the 1950s, expanding northward in the 1960s and 1970s ommercial development followed residential growth, with a majority of retail and business projects being completed from the 1960s to the 1980s ore recent commercial growth has occurred in the est lorissant venue/-270 area ax increment financing () was used to promote retail centers including locktower lace, orth ounty estival, and the rossings at alls erry he transition of certain commercial properties from their original uses to alternatives uses, such as churches, and increases in retail vacancies are trends of concern ransportation lans he issouri epartment of ransportation (o) will rebuild ighway 367 north of -270 beginning in 2005 he new highway will have grade separated intersections at unn, edman, arker and ew Jamestown oads he existing outer roads, usher oad and enham oad, will become one-way north and one-way south respectively ridge replacements on ighway 367 at hambers oad, oldwater reek and the urlington orthern anta e railroad tracks are already in progress he entire project is scheduled to be complete in 2008 t ouis ounty is expanding ellefontaine oad to include a center turn lane, curbs, gutters and sidewalks his project is anticipated to be complete in all 2004 ther rea lans number of plans are already in place in portions of the -270 and ighway 367 corridors he ity of ellefontaine eighbors omprehensive lan calls for commercial development at the southwest corner of -270 and ighway 367 he erguson ision 2015 lan recommends expansion of existing business areas along ershall oad and est lorissant venue he onfluence reenway project has created a concept plan for a greenbelt with bicycle and pedestrian trails and a nature interpretive center along the ississippi iver he panish ake ommunity rea tudy and the ld Jamestown rea ommunity tudy both call for improving the appearance of these two northeastern communities, focusing on high-quality development to create jobs and services for area residents

6 arket nalysis evelopment trategies, nc, a t ouis-based real estate consulting firm, was hired by t ouis ounty to perform a market analysis of the -270 and ighway 367 corridors evelopment trategies recommended a concerted action plan to bring about redevelopment and reinvestment in those portions of the study area that are obsolete, dysfunctional and in poor condition arget areas included the southwest quadrant of -270 and ighway 367, the former store on unn oad, the large collection of commercial uses on unn oad between ld and ew alls erry oads, and the mostly vacant land near enran ndustrial rive south of off ilac venue eneral olicy ecommendations ssues of general concern for the entire study area include beautification, code enforcement, community identity and watershed management einstitution of signage as part of an dopt a oad program for t ouis ounty arterial streets is suggested, as well as continuing o s citizen involvement in the aesthetic improvements for ighway 367 ode enforcement is recommended for key problem sites within the corridors: the vacant store and the vacant arget store (both on unn oad), fshari enters and XX, the ewis & lark tower and the vacant ational grocery store (both on ighway 367), and the vacant uilders quare store on est lorissant venue in erguson he rich history of the area, including its connection to the ewis & lark expedition, should be recognized in naming future developments and redevelopment projects fforts to promote tourism based on the historical and natural features of the study area will be aided by efforts of the onfluence reenway project and the etropolitan ark and ecreation istrict nsuring that new development and redevelopment efforts do not harm local watersheds is another goal of the study cooperative effort among many organizations including the etropolitan ark and ecreation istrict, egionise and treameach, nc is in progress to preserve and enhance the atkins reek watershed that lies within the study area uidelines for ubareas he -270/ighway 367 orridor tudy area has been divided into six subareas for the purpose of describing land use and policy recommendations ubarea 1-270/ilac venue uture development should contribute to the improvement and signalization of the -270/ilac venue intersection; promote open space along atkins reek; assemble industrially-zoned properties to allow for a unified commercial or residential redevelopment east of ilac venue; maintain green space on both sides of -270 at the entrance to issouri ubarea 2-270/ighway 367 ursue development of a business park at the southwest corner of -270 and ighway 367; maintain existing tate of issouri uses southeast of -270 and ighway 367; accommodate the future expansion needs of hristian ospital ortheast; demolish and redevelop the store site for residential or educational use

7 ubarea 3-270/est lorissant venue/ld alls erry oad edevelop fshari enter using or an appropriate economic incentive; rehabilitate and expand businesses along ershall oad; assemble parcels along unn oad between ld and ew alls erry oads for redevelopment of obsolete and vacant properties ubarea 4 orth ighway 367 ncourage quality commercial development at the intersection of ighway 367 and ighway 67 (indbergh oulevard); study road and trail connections between ort ellefontaine est ounty ark and ort ellefontaine ounty ark (formerly oldwater reek ark) at issouri ills; open these publicly-owned lands for recreational use ubarea 5 ighway 367/ arker oad/edman oad mprove the condition of the addock orest and ayfair laza shopping centers with the possible use of economic incentives (, ransportation evelopment istrict); focus on neighborhood and highway service uses for redevelopment at edman oad and ighway 367; utilize t ouis ounty s lanned ommercial istrict zoning to control uses and coordinate development ubarea 6 outh ighway 367 romote redevelopment of retail centers on the western side of ighway 367 at hambers oad using economic incentives; encourage ellefontaine eighbors and oline cres to carefully review new developments for architecture, aesthetics and landscaping; seek a grocery store tenant for the shopping center north of hambers oad on the east side of ighway 367

8 evelopment istory and Zoning n 1950, the highway corridors that are the subject of this study were very different from the roadways that exist today erial photos from 1953 show that many of the major roads in the area, including ellefontaine, hambers, olumbia ottom, alls erry, arker, and edman were already in existence owever, the original road that is now known as ighway 367 was a smaller two-lane thoroughfare named ighway 99 hat later became nterstate 270 was called the oute 66 y-ass t that time, est lorissant venue north of nterstate 270 and the nterstate 270 ridge over the ississippi iver did not exist he hain of ocks ridge, which is now used as a bicycle path and pedestrian walkway, provided vehicular access across the ississippi iver he 1950s he northeast portion of t ouis ounty, including the areas where ighway 367 and nterstate 270 are currently located, was largely a rural area until the 1950s ome residential subdivisions, however, did appear prior to the 1950s in astle oint, south of hambers oad, and in the Jennings area uring the 1950s, most of the construction in the corridor consisted of residential development south of the present-day nterstate 270 eighborhoods such as issell ills, astle oint, lasgow illage, and athaway anor were largely built at this time orth of what would become nterstate 270, a smaller number of homes were constructed in orthgate states and in the ighway 367 corridor north of arker oad, near orma and ob ill anes ittle commercial development occurred within the study area in this decade he 1960s he early 1960s brought even more housing development to northeast t ouis ounty long the ighway 367 corridor, new subdivisions including idden ake, orthaire, and arkmont states were built urther west along nterstate 270, residential expansion consisted of further plats of athaway anor north of the interstate and orthland ills south of the interstate n 1965, t ouis ounty adopted its Zoning rdinance, applying new zoning designations to properties in unincorporated areas of the ounty t should be noted that, within the study area, the area north of -270 is unincorporated, while most of the area south of the interstate lies within various municipalities n 1965, most properties on either side of ighway 367, from nterstate 270 northward to the issouri iver, were residentially zoned in relatively low density districts eyond indbergh oulevard to the county line, properties were zoned in the on- rban istrict, requiring a three-acre minimum lot for a single-family home long the ighway 367 corridor, north of nterstate 270, the limited commercial zoning was concentrated at the intersection of ighway 367 and edman oad and on the southwest corner of ighway 367 and arker oad lthough these areas were zoned to allow highway services, such as restaurants, hotels/motels, and repair facilities, all of the commercially developed properties were occupied by service stations ater in 1965, more than twelve acres on the northwest corner of ighway 367 and arker oad was rezoned for commercial uses,

9 authorizing the development of addock orest hopping enter n 1967, property in the northeast quadrant of the intersection was rezoned for an automobile dealership eader hevrolet is located on the southern portion of this property n 1968, the 163 acres surrounding an existing service station on the southwest corner of the intersection was rezoned for commercial uses, and authorized the development of the ayfair laza shopping center n the ighway 367 corridor, south of nterstate 270, the first major development was the ewis & lark ower and adjoining retail, which was constructed in 1964 Just north, across hambers oad, the -art shopping center was developed in 1969 long the north side of nterstate 270, the majority of properties were residentially zoned owever, small areas of commercial and industrial zoning were also present ommercial zoning was in place at the northwest corner of unn oad and ld alls erry oad (the former arget store), at 1795 unn oad (the store), and at the intersection of unn and ellefontaine oads (chnucks) oteworthy commercial developments south of nterstate 270 at this time included the entral ity hopping enter (now the rossings at alls erry) between ld and ew alls erry oads, and ckerman uick on the southeast corner of ershall oad and rask rive ndustrial zoning along nterstate 270 was present at the northwest corner of unn oad and the urlington orthern ailroad, and at the southeast corner of ilac venue and unn oad espite this significant increase in residential development, other current-day commercial centers along est lorissant venue and ew alls erry oad were still farms and forests in the late 1960s he 1970s hile single-family residential growth in the area south of nterstate 270 was virtually complete prior to 1970, significant residential construction continued in the 1970s in the more northern portions of the study area eighborhoods along the ighway 367 corridor that were constructed during that decade include ountry illage, ountry illage ills and oxwoods long the nterstate 270 corridor, large multi-family developments such as aintree, ierra ista and ugartree were built in this decade ade possible by a rezoning in 1971, the largest retail center in far orth ounty, Jamestown all, opened in 1973 ituated on indbergh oulevard at ld Jamestown oad just west of ighway 367, Jamestown all s opening signified that retail development had followed residential growth out to the suburban fringe of t ouis ounty s wealthier households moved into newer portions of orth ounty, aging neighborhoods and shopping centers in the southern portion of the ighway 367 corridor became less attractive to suburban residents n 1973, hristian ospital ortheast, a major institutional landmark was constructed in the northwest quadrant of nterstate 270 and ighway 367 riginally made possible by a rezoning in 1972, several subsequent rezoning petitions have allowed the facility to expand to its current size of over 45 acres y 1975, est lorissant venue had been extended north of -270, opening new areas for development y the mid-1970s, commercial zoning was in place for the first tier of properties along unn oad between est lorissant venue and ew alls erry oad, and continued to expand northerly along ew alls erry oad he former enture store (now -art) at the intersection of unn oad and est lorissant venue is an example of commercial development in the area at this time urther east along the corridor, the northeast corner of ilac venue and unn oad was rezoned for a neighborhood shopping center in 1973

10 ost ffice currently occupies the site long the ighway 367 corridor, the ayfair laza shopping center was completed in 1975 on the south side of arker oad at ighway 367 y the late 1970s, much of the residential and retail development in both the -270 and ighway 367 corridors was complete he 1980s and 1990s uring the 1980s and 1990s, the emphasis of development shifted towards smaller projects, infill construction, and rehabilitation, with the exception of the est lorissant venue area, which continued to see commercial development of significant size lthough almost 23 acres in the southwest quadrant of indbergh oulevard and ighway 367 was zoned for all permitted -2 hopping istrict uses and a bank with a drive-through facility; and a 242 acre parcel fronting on indbergh oulevard west of ighway 367 was zoned for a fast food restaurant with drivethrough, a service station and a convenience store and car wash, no development has occurred as a result of these zoning petitions ommercial construction in the ighway 367 corridor consisted of projects such as the ighway 367 usiness and rofessional ark between ew Jamestown and arker oads, the algreen s drugstore and -aul truck rental facility at arker oad, the Quikrip and Jack in the ox restaurant at edman oad, and the out lot strip retail center on the west side of ighway 367 north of hambers oad he western end of the nterstate 270 corridor saw three major developments at this time which utilized tax increment financing () to assist in paying for infrastructure and development costs he first of these was the locktower laza shopping center at the northeast corner of unn oad and est lorissant venue uilt on the site of the former 270 rive-n heatre, locktower was constructed in 1987 t is anchored by a ierberg s grocery store he second -assisted development is the orth ounty estival shopping center on the west side of est lorissant venue south of -270 his shopping center s anchor stores are am s and al-art; it was constructed in 1989 on the site of former farms and large lot homes he third development is the rossings at alls erry shopping center between ld and ew alls erry oads on the south side of -270 t was formerly the location of the entral ity shopping center, whose main tenant was a hardware store of the now defunct entral ardware chain funds were used to demolish the old shopping center, make drainage improvements, and provide new entrance signalization for the rossings at alls erry he new center is anchored by a ome epot and hop n ave grocery store he rossings at alls erry was completed in 1998 any small commercial developments also took place in the est lorissant venue/even ills rive area north of nterstate 270, including reystone laza (1980), fshari enter XX (1983), ducational mployees redit nion (1986), and erame incoln ercury (1997) f note in the eastern end of the -270 corridor is the t ouis hristian enter hurch he church acquired almost thirty acres of land on the south side of nterstate 270, between ilac venue and iverview rive in 1995 he t ouis hristian enter hurch occupies a building on the site that had a long history prior to its current use ade possible by a commercial rezoning in 1972, the building was originally a dinner theater n the early 1980s, it was used by ope aptist hurch of astle oint for a church, chapel, classrooms, and an office; and in the early 1990s, it was used as a restaurant/nightclub/lounge hen the church acquired the property in 1995, they filed for, and were granted a rezoning reverting the property back to its on-rban istrict designation

11 elatively few developments occurred in the corridors from issouri missions esting enter and torage facility were constructed on est lorissant venue between ew alls erry oad and even ills rive in 2000 unn oad anor apartments on the north side of unn oad between ew alls erry oad and est lorissant venue were completed in 2001 long ighway 367, north of nterstate 270, residential zoning continues to predominate while commercially-zoned areas are found at the highway s intersections with ighway 67, ew Jamestown oad, arker oad, edman oad, and nterstate 270 long the 270 corridor, the entire area along unn oad from est lorissant venue to ld alls erry oad is now commercially zoned, as is the area near ellefontaine and arimore oads mixture of commercial and industrial zoning exists along ilac venue north and south of nterstate 270, while the eastern limits of the corridor remain residentially zoned onclusion n conclusion, the study area experienced significant residential development in the 1950s and 1960s ezoning of residential properties for commercial development followed, primarily in the 1960s and 1970s ome infill and redevelopment of previously zoned commercial sites occurred in the 1980s and 1990s ittle new commercial zoning or redevelopment has occurred in 2000 and beyond he transition of certain commercial properties from their original retail and industrial uses to alternative uses or vacancy is a trend of concern hile some commercial buildings have successfully transformed to new uses, such as the t ouis hristian enter, other attempts at conversion have failed he former arget store on unn oad has not been converted to use as a church center ome large retail spaces, including the former store on unn oad and uilders quare on est lorissant venue, have also failed to find new occupants n overabundance of small strip centers suffering from poor design and substandard construction has over time led to deterioration and vacancies

12 xisting onditions he -270/ighway 367 corridors contain a wide variety of land uses, and building conditions vary greatly throughout the area hile some developments are thriving, other commercial centers are abandoned or underutilized, and significant amounts of vacant land are available for development -270 orridor eginning at the ississippi iver, the issouri elcome enter is the first developed property in the -270 corridor o the north of the center on the north side of -270 is a large tract of land owned by the etropolitan ark and ecreation istrict n the opposite side of the highway is a wooded bluff, which is currently for sale and undeveloped hese properties create a pleasant entry to issouri for the traveling public, and their future is critical to the image of the area ontinuing westward, the most notable developments are the t ouis hristian enter church on the south side of -270 and the aintree partments on the north side of the interstate highway t the ilac venue interchange, industrial and highway-oriented uses are found on the south side of -270 (storage facilities, Quikrip, hillips 66, ardees restaurant, etc) outh of -270 and east of ilac venue a large tract of land is for sale in the enran ndustrial rive area nother 29-acre vacant parcel is found at the northwest corner of -270 and ilac venue, and like the vacant area to the south, it is zoned for industrial use he industrial area on the north side of -270 continues west of the urlington-orthern anta e railroad tracks; to the south of the highway, the industrial section stops at the railroad line t the ellefontaine oad interchange, a significant number of retail uses are found on the north side of -270 at the ierra ista shopping center and on surrounding parcels on arimore and ellefontaine oads uto-oriented services exist on the west side of ellefontaine oad (service station, car wash, fast food restaurant), while a chnucks grocery store anchors the east side n the west side of ellefontaine oad to the north are several problem properties, including a vacant lot (former conald s restaurant), a second vacant property with unresolved environmental problems and a newly constructed but vacant commercial building est of ellefontaine oad to ighway 367, the south side of -270 is owned by the tate of issouri nstitutional uses include the ellefontaine abilitation enter for persons with disabilities, the issouri eterans ome and the issouri epartment of onservation s new ellefontaine onservation rea n the north side of -270 is the long-vacant department store, an expansive tract of undeveloped land, and two azelwood chool istrict facilities (irby Junior igh chool and azelwood ast igh chool) n the west side of ighway 367 north of -270 is hristian ospital ortheast and the adjacent J illage orth retirement community pposite these uses on the south side of -270 are several very large parcels of land owned by the tate of issouri and the ity of t ouis that are currently for sale hey are mostly vacant and undeveloped except for a small o office building and a truck driver testing facility

13 raveling west, residential subdivisions are located on both sides of -270 he next commercial node is between ld and ew alls erry oads n the south side of is the rossings at alls erry shopping center his -assisted retail development includes ome epot and hop n ave est of the shopping center on the west side of ew alls erry oad is a series of smaller retail stores and restaurants, which suffer from vacancies and deterioration orth of -270 is a jumble of commercial uses with several vacant buildings he most notable is the former arget store at 2677 unn oad his very visible building is unoccupied, although signs at that location state that it is the future location of the estside issionary aptist hurch former rank s ursery store, currently being used by a liquidation business, is adjacent to the vacant arget store n empty lot that was formerly a honey s restaurant and a vacant cinema building are found west of the arget site ommercial activities continue on both sides of -270 west to the est lorissant venue area wo churches and some vacant land are on ershall oad, the south outer road for -270 he deteriorated fshari XX retail center and offices are found at ershall oad n the southwest quadrant of -270 and est lorissant venue is the orth ounty estival shopping center, anchored by am s lub and al- art n the northwest corner is a -art store, and on the northeast is locktower lace shopping center, which includes a ierberg s grocery store oth the locktower lace and orth ounty estival shopping centers were constructed using financing orth of the -art and locktower shopping center are a series of smaller retail strips including reystone laza, even ills laza and fshari enter he fshari enter at est lorissant venue suffers from a severe vacancy rate and deteriorated condition ighway 367 orridor eginning on the south side of the corridor at t yr oad, an moco service station and ocial ecurity office are found on the northwest corner of t yr and ighway 367 eading north, the highway is lined with single-family homes and one church (orthside hristian hurch) until it reaches aline reek orth of the creek, the ewis & lark illage apartments are found on the east side of ighway 367, and a utility corridor intersects both the apartment complex and the highway he utility corridor also serves as aple ree rail, a greenway connecting the eastern and western portions of ella ontaine ounty ark orth from this area, single-family homes again front the highway up to erwyn rive n the southeast corner of erwyn rive and ighway 367 is the entrance to the iverview ardens chool istrict offices and the ccelerated iddle chool n the northwest corner is the ewis & lark ranch of the t ouis ounty ibrary service station and cell tower are located on the north side of the library property t the intersection of ighway 367 and hambers oad, institutional uses are found on the east side of the highway and retail uses are on the west hrist resbyterian hurch is on the southeast corner, and race utheran hapel is on the northeast outhwest of hambers and ighway 367 is retail strip center and telmacki s market, and south of that strip is the ewis & lark tower he tower is a multi-story round building containing residential and office uses flea market is found to the rear of the retail strip ll of these buildings are showing their age and are in need of renovation

14 n the northwest corner and continuing northward along the west side of ighway 367 is a collection of large retail buildings suffering from vacancies and deterioration former enny s and a former conald s restaurant are both vacant he -art store is scheduled to be closed, and a vacant store formerly housing a ational supermarket is to the north of -art ome smaller retail stores, including lockbuster ideo, continue to operate next to the larger vacant stores raveling north towards -270, on the east side of ighway 367 is the issouri eterans ome and a issouri epartment of onservation area under development n the west side is a o truck testing facility and office and a 200-acre tract of undeveloped land (see previous descriptions in -270 orridor ) orth of -270, hristian ospital ortheast dominates the -270/ighway 367 interchange on the northwest corner, and azelwood ast igh chool is located on the east side of ighway 367 orth of the hospital is a o operations center and hapel of the ross utheran hurch he next commercial node is found at edman oad hree service station buildings are found on the corners here Quikrip is on the northeast corner, while two vacant stations are located on the southeast and southwest corners untrup automotive dealership and nion lanters bank are found in the southeast quadrant of the ighway 367/edman intersection Jack in the ox restaurant and day care center are located in the northeast area orth from this intersection, commercial and institutional uses, including a t ouis ounty police substation, line the west side of ighway 367, while residential uses occupy the east side of the highway ictorian illage, a subdivision constructed in the mid-1980s, includes multi-family units as well as single-family residences on the east side of ighway 367 arger tracts of land containing commercial uses are found at arker oad, the next intersection north on ighway 367 ayfair laza shopping center, anchored by a hop n ave grocery store, and addock orest shopping center are on the west side of ighway 367 he addock orest shopping center is underutilized and suffers from vacancies everal out lots have been platted to reorient a portion of this shopping center to ighway 367, although development has not yet occurred algreens drug store and eader hevrolet automobile dealership are found on the east side of ighway 367 ontinuing to the north, the last pieces of commercial development on ighway 367 are the 367 usiness and rofessional ark and properties on the east side of ighway 367 at orma ane and some small auto-oriented businesses at ew Jamestown oad vacant 35-acre parcel is located on the south side of ew Jamestown on the east side of ighway 367 t the northern end of the study area are several large properties owned by t ouis ounty ort ellefontaine est ounty ark, located northeast of the ighway 367 and indbergh oulevard (ighway 67) interchange, is the site of a composting facility his park and the adjoining ort ellefontaine ounty ark west of oldwater reek are not yet developed for active park use

15 ransportation lans ignificant improvements are planned for ighway 367 and ellefontaine oad within the study corridors elow is a brief description of the proposed improvements ighway 367 he issouri epartment of ransportation (o) will reconstruct ighway 367 during the next five years he existing at-grade intersections on ighway 367 north of -270 have been a public safety and congestion problem for many years wo-way outer roads (enham and usher oads) require additional traffic signals and complicate the existing travel pattern ollowing years of public debate and input, o has now approved a plan to grade separate the intersections of unn, edman, arker and ew Jamestown oads and make ighway 367 s outer roads one-way lip ramps will provide access from the new ighway 367 to usher oad (one-way northbound outer road) and enham oad (oneway southbound outer road) ighway 367 mprovements outh of -270, o will reconstruct ighway 367 as a four-lane divided parkway with a landscaped median eplacement of the bridges over hambers oad, oldwater reek and the ailroad is underway hese three bridge projects are scheduled to be complete by year end 2003 he new design of ighway 367 north of -270 is expected to be complete in 2004, with construction of the new expressway planned for 2005 though 2008 o has approved $74 million in funding for improvements north of -270, but no funding has been identified for the parkway project south of -270 with the exception of the ighway 367 bridge over aline reek

16 unding for the aline reek ridge replacement will be available in 2005 econstruction of ighway 367 is planned in three phases, from south (-270 area) to north (indbergh oulevard area) onstruction phasing calls for improvements to the outer roads first nce the outer roads are complete, traffic will be diverted to them from the existing ighway 367 while the bridges and main highway pavement are being constructed more detailed view of the new highway configuration is shown in ppendix ounty oad mprovements ellefontaine oad t ouis ounty is currently improving ellefontaine oad, which intersects -270 and runs parallel to ighway 367 he existing road is a two-lane asphalt street with a single driving lane in each direction t has paved shoulders, but no curbing mprovements will include a new center turn lane, curbs, gutters and sidewalks his $73 million project extends from arimore arkway on the south to a point north of orizon illage rive ue to the presence of both public and private schools in the area, many children use ellefontaine oad to walk to school, and its current condition creates unsafe conditions for pedestrians he lack of a center turn lane causes traffic backups and encourages dangerous driving, as some motorists use the paved shoulders to illegally pass cars waiting to make left hand turns ellefontaine oad is an important north-south corridor in the panish ake and ellefontaine eighbors area, and these new improvements will enhance both vehicular and pedestrian movement in the study corridor ork began in eptember 2002 and is anticipated to be complete in all 2004 t ouis ounty rterial tudy orth tudy rea t ouis ounty hired arsons, rinckerhoff, Quade & ouglas, nc to develop a study of the ounty s rterial oad ystem () in orth ounty he study, which was completed in ctober 2002, contains a description of existing and future conditions, a needs assessment and capital improvement recommendations for ounty arterial roads in orth ounty everal of these arterials intersect with -270 and ighway 367 uture projections to the year 2020 show traffic increases on ellefontaine oad north of -270 as well as ew Jamestown, arker and edman oads, with the greatest increases projected for edman oad east of ighway 367 and arker oad west of ighway 367 raffic is not anticipated to increase on ellefontaine oad south of -270 or on hambers oad he existing evel of ervice (), a calculation of roadway functioning, is poor ( ) on ellefontaine oad south of arker oad and below average ( ) on arker oad west of ighway 367 uture projections of for the year 2020 still show problems on arker oad and on ellefontaine oad south of edman oad

17 he t ouis ounty rterial tudy suggests three potential improvement options for ellefontaine oad near -270, including: development of one-way outer roads along - 270; realignment of unn oad to the north and conversion of the signalized arimore arkway intersection to a right-in, right-out configuration; and installation of adaptive signal controls to allow for real-time adjusted signal timing and optimization he study also recommends monitoring ellefontaine oad at elgrove rive and arker oad, with possible signalization of elgrove rive and intersection improvements at arker oad he t ouis ounty epartment of ighways and raffic will continuously monitor ellefontaine and arker oads before, during and after construction of the ighway 367 improvements -270 lthough the issouri epartment of ransportation (o) does not currently have plans to improve -270 within the study area, a major construction project to the west does impact traffic flow within the -270/ighway 367 corridors -270 / -170 nterchange he -270/-170 interchange is being reconstructed in order to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion urrently, motorists westbound on -270 who wish to travel south on -170 must use a single-lane, left-turn exit ue to the heavy volumes at this intersection, the left lane often becomes stopped with stacked traffic during rush hour his creates significant delays and causes hazardous driving conditions, as evidenced by the fatal accidents that have occurred at this interchange n 1999, o hired verdrup ivil to complete a detailed traffic analysis of the -270/-170 interchange, and four design options were developed t a public meeting late that year, citizens overwhelmingly supported constructing a new interchange with dual right-lane exit ramps from westbound -270 to southbound -170 n early 2001, this project was selected for construction using bond financing through o onstruction is anticipated to be complete in all 2003

18 ther rea lans unicipal omprehensive lans ortions of the cities of ellefontaine eighbors, erguson and oline cres are included in the -270/ighway 367 orridor tudy, and it is important to note the existing land use plans of these municipalities ellefontaine eighbors and erguson have municipal comprehensive plans, and all three cities have zoning regulations that govern land use development in the -270 and ighway 367 corridors he following is a brief overview of each municipality s land use plans as they pertain to the study area corridors ellefontaine eighbors he omprehensive lan for the ity of ellefontaine eighbors was prepared by ooker ssociates, nc in pril 1998 he plan contains a ommunity oals and bjectives chapter that addresses business development issues ection of this chapter states, ncourage business development at locations designated in the omprehensive lan his should include both new commercial development and the reuse of existing buildings and centers ew or restored commercial buildings will improve the community image, provide a source for local employment and business opportunities, and facilitate resident access to goods and services stablish a small investigative committee to explore the prudent use of issouri s ax ncrement inancing () statute as a means of stimulating worthwhile commercial or other business development projects hrough the omprehensive lan, promote the reuse of surplus state property west of ewis and lark oulevard/tate ighway 367 and south of nterstate ighway 270 for business/commercial development n xhibit, ecommended and se hanges, the large area at the southwest corner of -270 and ighway 367 is recommended for commercial development (see ite 1 on map) he plan notes that the tate intends to sell portions of the property fronting -270 and ighway 367 and advises that given its access and visibility, it should be developed as commercial/office o permit the ity and potential developers greater flexibility, the plan indicates that the site should be planned in conformance with the procedures of the lanned evelopment-ommercial (-) istrict he uture and se lan map shows the existing -art shopping center and former ational grocery store shopping center on the west side of ighway 367 as commercial, adjoining the commercial/office center to be developed to its north ther smaller development sites referenced in the omprehensive lan include the southeast corner of ellefontaine oad and -270 (ite 2 commercial), a parcel on the

19 south side of -270 at the railroad tracks (ite 3 industrial) and two parcels on ilac venue south of -270 (ites 4 and 5 residential) ellefontaine eighbors omprehensive lan

20 erguson he ity of erguson approved its ision 2015 lan on June 7, 1995, and that comprehensive plan was later updated effective ugust 1998 he plan outlines a land use vision for the ity of erguson, which includes the portion of the -270/ighway 367 study area south of -270 from ld alls erry oad west to est lorissant venue ome steep slopes along ershall oad and a small former floodplain (now in a subsurface sewer) along ew alls erry oad are the only development constraints noted in the plan that pertain to the -270 area igure 4 xisting and se shows that the majority of the property fronting ershall oad (-270 outer road) is commercial, with the exception of two churches and a small vacant property outh of -270, this commercial pattern continues along ew alls erry oad and est lorissant venue igure 6 and se lan for erguson shows an even greater extension of commercial activity (see below) ll of the property along the south side of ershall oad/-270 is shown as commercial in the future, including the previously described churches and vacant parcel, as well as the lack aks subdivision lack aks is an existing subdivision of large ranch homes on the east side of est lorissant venue, which currently separates businesses along ershall oad from a vacant retail development to its south erguson ision 2015 lan he oals and bjectives section of the and se lement contains the following objectives: he visual impact of commercial and industrial uses on adjacent areas shall be minimized through the use of landscaping, buffering and attractive building designs

21 he lan ommission should complete a review of the city s commercial zoning districts to determine the possibility of creating additional districts such as neighborhood or community commercial for use in certain areas of the city which would limit the range of allowed uses he oals and bjectives section of the conomic evelopment lements contains the following objectives: he city shall encourage existing retail facilities to expand within the city he city shall encourage new retail facilities to locate in the city ershall oad ew alls erry oad ith improved access to -270 and arterial roads, ershall oad east of est lorissant venue to ld alls erry oad offers development opportunities, especially for commercial uses that benefit from excellent interstate visibility his prominent location should provide commercial sites conducive to producing significant tax revenue for erguson oline cres he ity of oline cres does not have a municipal comprehensive plan, but land use is governed by Zoning rdinance o 330, which was first passed on July 11, 1972, and amended in June 1991 and eptember 1992 he northwest corner of the ighway 367 and hambers oad intersection is zoned -2 ommercial, while the southwest corner is zoned -3 ommercial he municipal limits of oline cres stretch just north of the hambers oad right-of-way hus, the northwest corner of the ighway 367/hambers oad intersection includes the entrance to the -art shopping center and a now vacant restaurant he -3 ommercial district on the southwest corner of the same intersection includes telmacki s arket and other retail plus the ewis & lark tower ocated on the east side of ighway 367 at restige and arquis anes are the ewis & lark illage apartments, which are zoned -1 and -2 ulti-amily his multi-family development adjoins the aple ree rail connecting two sides of ella ontaine ounty ark smaller business area at the northwest corner of ighway 367 and t yr oad is zoned -3 ommercial t contains a ocial ecurity office and an moco service station he remaining zoning along ighway 367 is -1 and -2 esidential his zoning district contains single family homes, the ewis & lark ounty ibrary, hrist resbyterian hurch, race utheran hapel and orthside hristian hurch onfluence reenway major planning effort is underway along the issouri and ississippi ivers and their convergence aimed at preserving and restoring the natural heritage of these two great waterways he onfluence reenway project will establish a vast conservation and

22 recreation district in both issouri and llinois he project will create trails and preserve open space linking historic sites, cultural and natural resources within the district his ambitious effort involves many organizations including the etropolitan ark and ecreation istrict (), railnet, rust for ublic and, the issouri and llinois epartments of atural esources, issouri epartment of onservation, ational ark ervice and the rmy orps of ngineers ignificant accomplishments have already been achieved in terms of land acquisition for green space o the northeast of the -270/ighway 367 orridor tudy area, the issouri epartment of onservation is developing the olumbia ottom onservation rea has acquired a 119-acre property on the north side of -270 west of iverview rive he property adjoins an existing welcome center operated by the issouri epartment of ransportation where westbound motorists enter issouri after crossing the ississippi iver proposed nature interpretive center, the reat ivers esource enter, is in the planning stage and may be located on the property or a nearby future purchase he reat ivers esource enter would educate visitors about the ecosystem of the rivers and the onfluence reenway project onfluence reenway he old hain of ocks ridge, which lies south of -270 off iverview rive, has been reopened for bicycle and pedestrian use and provides magnificent views of the ississippi iver

23 panish ake ommunity rea tudy he panish ake ommunity rea tudy was prepared by the t ouis ounty epartment of lanning and adopted by the t ouis ounty ouncil on pril 1, 1999 he study covered the area north of -270 and east of ighway 367 to the issouri and ississippi ivers he purpose of the study was to identify issues of concern to area residents and devise strategies for addressing those concerns eneral recommendations included preservation of natural areas in panish ake, ensuring that new developments were compatible with community preferences and creation of a 501(c) community association pecific strategies that affect the -270 and ighway 367 corridors included: stablish guidelines for landscaping and aesthetics in commercial areas, especially ellefontaine, ighway 367 and unn oad reate an annual community clean-up event iden ellefontaine oad to allow for a center turn lane ork to build consensus on design for construction of grade-separated intersections on ighway 367 at unn, edman, arker and ew Jamestown oads dd project to the 3-year ransportation mprovement rogram () ncourage the development of family restaurants, not fast food establishments arket the area to encourage a diverse retail mix including specialty food stores, restaurants, and neighborhood-oriented retail establishments irect the t ouis ounty conomic ouncil to contact the property owner of the store site and discuss his plans for the site t ouis ounty lanning ommission is directed to avoid higher density rezonings in those portions of panish ake which currently are low density or adjacent to agricultural or park lands ezonings for multi-family use should not be recommended by the t ouis ounty lanning ommission or permitted by the t ouis ounty ouncil for the panish ake area he issouri epartment of onservation should consider an array of potential improvements including horse trails, hiking trails, improved access roads, boat ramp, parking and restrooms at the olumbia ottom onservation rea museum/interpretive center could be created to educate visitors on the ecology of the river bottoms bike trail linking the olumbia ottom area with the pedestrian hain of ocks ridge should be developed link to the aty rail could also be explored

24 ollowing adoption of the panish ake ommunity rea tudy, a non-profit neighborhood organization named the panish ake ommunity ssociation was formed number of other strategies have also been realized, including improvements at olumbia ottom onservation rea and a construction start for widening ellefontaine oad ld Jamestown rea ommunity tudy he ld Jamestown rea ommunity tudy was prepared by the t ouis ounty epartment of lanning and adopted by the ounty ouncil in 1988 he purpose of the study was to provide guidelines for future land use decisions he study boundaries included a 725 square-mile area situated south of the issouri iver, west of ighway 367, north of oldwater reek, and west to the aile venue/ld alls erry oad vicinity he easternmost portion of the study boundary at the northwest and southwest quadrant of ighways 367 and 67 (indbergh oulevard) overlaps the -270/ighway 367 corridor study boundary mportant recommendations pertinent to these quadrants include: ighway related commercial, light industrial and office uses should be considered due to the prominent location of the ighway 367/ighway 67 intersection that offers good visibility and accessibility articular consideration should be given to appropriate buffering, screening and related site design criteria to provide a compatible development roperty at the southwest quadrant of ighways 367 and 67 (indbergh oulevard) should be considered for more intensive non-residential uses benefiting from the high visibility and access offered by the site

25 n order to gain insight into the market potential of the -270 and ighway 367 corridors, t ouis ounty commissioned a consulting firm to perform an analysis of land uses and economic activities within the study area evelopment trategies, nc, a t ouisbased consulting firm providing research, planning and counseling in the fields of real estate development, community development and economic development, was hired in eptember 2002 to analyze the -270 and ighway 367 corridors n overview of market conditions and a strategic assessment prepared by evelopment trategies begins on the following page

26 & ighway 367 trategic ssessment of onditions, rends and pportunities for nvestment repared by: ebruary 17, 2003 ntroduction evelopment trategies was asked by the t ouis ounty xecutive and the ounty lanning epartment to take a fresh and objective look at the conditions and trends affecting land uses and economic activities focused on the two major highway corridors that serve and bisect the area generally known as orth t ouis ounty he assessment of background factors should serve as the basis for identification of key opportunities for new investment along these corridors as well as for recommendations of primary actions required to capitalize on these opportunities ome key objectives of this assignment include: rovide the residents, property owners and businesses an indication of a future direction and agenda for action that they can support and advocate to enhance their own futures within orth ounty ring to the attention of policy makers in t ouis ounty and local municipal governments those areas where priority might be placed for public investments in infrastructure and enhanced services that can yield the greatest benefits to the most stakeholders egin the process of a more aggressive quest for increased private investment in economic development initiatives to complement and enrich the economic well being and quality of life of the residents of orth ounty verview of arket onditions f you exclude the areas surrounding ambert irport located in the western portions of orth ounty (arth ity, iverport, orporate oods, portions of estport, and oeing and other sections of azelwood), the remaining eastern portion of orth ounty that is the focus of this assessment is largely a bedroom suburb n this role it exports labor and provides patronage to major concentrations of jobs, shopping and cultural, civic, and entertainment activities located elsewhere in t ouis ounty and the region he area s housing stock has been built in successive waves corresponding to economic cycles since the econd orld ar he quality, value and size of single-family homes is reasonably balanced, ranging from the very modest to the grand owever, the inventory of 1

27 rental apartments falls disproportionately into the affordable category lso, there are very few attached single-family homes (townhouses, duplexes) or condominium units available orth ounty s shopping facilities are primarily of a convenience and community scale with the exception of Jamestown all to the north here are few major employers, with the J hristian ortheast ospital being the largest here are no major cultural or entertainment institutions or venues within the corridors but there is a wide variety of churches of diverse denominations and sizes eyond various retail centers lining portions of the major arterials and the presence of the J hristian ortheast hospital, the only other significant economic development resources are the scattered light industrial and warehouse uses concentrated primarily on the north and south sides of -270 east of wy 367 (see eneral and se map) heir condition and quality is highly varied with some significant vacancies as well as small concentrations of strong businesses he major opportunities for investment include infill residential uses, particularly those designed to meet the shifting lifestyle requirements of older, empty nester households; concentrating and upgrading retail shopping facilities; and creating business parks designed to accommodate office/industrial combinations of use t the same time there are opportunities for redevelopment (clearance and replacement) of some older residential areas to provide for new and more competitive residential uses as well as for non-residential uses that will expand area employment opportunities he nearby redevelopment of the former iver oads hopping enter and adjacent drive-in site in the city of Jennings is an excellent demonstration of this potential trategic ssessment 1 imited ense of lace, oor dentification and mage his observation derives from a wide variety of factors, both historic and physical key one is the presence of the major land holdings of the state of issouri at the area s crossroads he vacant and unused appearance of these high profile sites prevails where the highest intensity and most imageable uses and facilities would otherwise be expected to be located hile the J hristian ortheast ospital occupies the northwest quadrant and the azelwood ast igh chool and irby Junior igh chool occupy the northeast quadrant of the -270/ighway 367 interchange, their presence is insufficient to project a strong identity for orth ounty elatedly, these and other major institutions located in orth ounty are mostly scattered and fail to contribute a focus for the area urther, there is no traditional business district that can serve this function and bring distinction to the area through a sense of heritage and continuity (he nearest such areas would be the erguson business district along lorissant oad to the west and ld own lorissant to the northwest) 2

28 3

29 everal features of orth ounty do have the potential to bring greater distinction to it hese include the ississippi and issouri riverfronts along with the extensive state and county parks that relate to this and other unique geologic features olumbia ottoms, the confluence of the issouri and ississippi ivers and their defining bluff lines, and panish ake he trail system being created to link these protected open spaces together with the hain of ocks ridge and the opportunity to preserve additional open space to frame the gateway to issouri on the -270 corridor all stand to enhance the natural amenities that benefit the area ome key actions and policies that the ounty can support to address this key factor would then include: ncourage substantial new development of surplus state property at both the southwest and southeast quadrants of -270 and ighway 367 t is understood that the ity of ellefountaine eighbors is actively engaged in promoting such reuse of the southwest quadrant owever, the state should be given every encouragement to take greater advantage of its property on the southeast quadrant n the event the chooses to leave most of the property unused, they should be encouraged to take steps to dispose of the unused portions for new planned private investment that will bring greater employment, identity and distinction to the area n doing so, every effort should be made to create a central place with which orth ountians and visitors and passers-by alike can identify reate a memorable and visually pleasing, non-commercial entry or gateway feature and land use pattern on both sides of -270 at iverview rive ncourage creation of a local system of trails and bikeways to link the substantial system of county and state open spaces located in orth ounty, along with connections into the regional/bi-state greenways system 2 xcessive, bsolete and ncompetitive etail acilities and and se casual survey of the condition, quality and occupancy of retail shopping facilities and districts in orth ounty suggests there is a greater supply than justified by market demand his observation is, in fact, born out by a more careful examination of available data on the distribution of retail space by zip code relative to corresponding demographic characteristics of these areas owever, it is also true that, for those households living in the eastern portion of the area, say east of ighway 367, the distribution of attractive, competitive retail operations is less than optimum ost such space is located more to the west and northwest his circumstance is the result of several interrelated factors, including: the absence of an effective market to the east given the barrier of the ississippi iver and the distance from substantial communities in llinois; retailers fears and perceptions of racial and economic change in neighborhoods mostly to the south of -270; and the simple overbuilding of retail space 4

30 his circumstance suggests the importance of several polices and practices that the ounty can support, including: arefully identify sites where new investment in non-retail uses can be encouraged and induced with public incentives if necessary his would include using vacant sites or redeveloping sites occupied by obsolete retail uses for new residential, office, or light industrial uses hese alternative land uses would have the advantage of increasing the effective patronage for retail uses that remain additional employees, employers and residents as well as creating jobs for residents of orth ounty void providing public incentives (tax abatement, tax increment financing) for additional retail uses and facilities that would exacerbate the current oversupply situation and give new entrants advantages not realized by established businesses and retail centers his does not suggest discouraging investment in the redevelopment and revitalization of existing retail shopping facilities and districts in order to offer contemporary shopping choices and greater quality in more appealing facilities t does suggest giving a higher priority to the use of fiscal incentives to attract other uses that bring substantial new jobs to orth ounty in office, manufacturing and distribution businesses 3 iscontinuous and onfusing ocal irculation ystem his problem is particularly acute with regard to the frontage road system on -270 at or near the interchange with ighway 367 here is an obvious sense that you can t get there from here if you are driving on the south outer road, ershall oad, where it just dies out at several points n addition, there is a serious problem with dangerous turning movements that is created at all of the intersections of east-west cross streets with ighway 367 and its frontage roads his is due to the frontage roads being so close to the principal roadway, leaving no stacking space for cars turning into and out of those roads his problem will presumably be solved with the rebuilding of ighway 367 that is underway, at least in part therwise the problem is one mostly of confusion resulting from a relative sameness and lack of distinction in the relationship of circulation and land use his, in turn, relates to the concerns discussed in item #1 above he actions and policies that the ounty can support or undertake to ameliorate these conditions include: ncourage the issouri epartment of ransportation, o, to take whatever steps necessary to complete the frontage roads along -270, south side, to provide continuous flow of traffic and proper connections to iverview on the east and to streets intersecting with ighway 367 ommission a community map that provides a simplified delineation of the major elements of the street system along with symbols or cartoon images of area landmarks and institutions, major shopping areas, major employers, natural features, etc 5

31 4 bsence of a argeted edevelopment trategy and mplementation rogram here clearly needs to be a plan created and concerted action taken to effect systematic redevelopment and reinvestment in areas of orth ounty that are obsolete, in poor condition or dysfunctional today here are also several areas that each has the potential to transition to a higher and best use in the interest of meeting the needs of residents economic potential and quality of life his edevelopment trategy should be designed to take optimum advantage of the variety of public tools and incentives available, including: hapter 353 edevelopment orporations law, hapter 99 ax ncrement inancing () and a ransportation evelopment istrict () he following are selected locations (see otential evelopment/edevelopment rea maps), that stand out in the area assessment conducted by evelopment trategies as needing to be considered for redevelopment action and/or change of land use: rea 1: acant and at the outhwest Quadrant of -270 and wy 367 ptimum use would be a business park with emphasis on office/warehouse or service center types of buildings s occurred in the est ort area in aryland eights, once these uses are established in the area, more and more office uses will follow his can result in signature buildings that help to establish a strong image for orth ounty rea 2: ormer tore, orth unn oad west of ilac ikely best use will be a small planned community comprised of a variety of residential products designed to appeal to different life styles, age groups and incomes, including attached single family homes, and condominiums and planning will need to address the challenge of the creek s flood way and flood plain that crosses the site rea 3: oncentration of acant and nderutilized roperties, ortheast Quadrant of unn and ew alls erry oads he likely and only realistic and feasible approach here will be to clear the extensive but largely vacant collection of obsolete and surplus commercial facilities (he alace, huck heese, theatre, arget) to enable a comprehensive area reuse strategy his area could become a mixed-use environment with retail, office and multi-family residential uses that contribute to a higher image and stronger economy for orth ounty 6

32 7

33 rea 4: acant and orth of -270, ast of urlington orthern ante e () ailroad line iven the existing uses and the generally positive prospects for light industrial real estate in the area, this property (including the vacant printing plant) should ideally be redeployed for business park uses including light manufacturing and office/warehouse or service center uses rea 5: fshari enter and djacent acant and, outh -270 frontage his site is especially poorly developed and maintained and would best be redeveloped to provide for new office or business service uses rea 6: est ide of wy 367, orth of hambers oad otential for partial upgrading of retail mix and replacement of some uses by new business services and limited office uses rea 7: orthwest Quadrant of ntersection of ighway 367 with arker oad eed to adapt existing retail center to planned rebuilding of the wy 367 roadway and frontage roads, including some substitution of limited business services and offices for retail uses, perhaps involving re-subdivision of properties fronting on the frontage road rea 8: ew alls erry oad, outh of -270 ptimum strategy would be a coordinated upgrading of existing retail uses along with substantial site improvements to include new street trees, landscaping of parking lots, lighting and signage rea 9: ast ide of est lorissant oad, outh of -270 hile formerly occupied by a uilders quare along with a portion of the site that has remained vacant, re-occupancy by a major big box retail use is highly unlikely ence, the optimum reuse would be a mixed-use project consisting of attached single family homes oriented to empty nesters along with a small component of specialty retail stores and business services rea 10: ershall oad at ilac usiness ark he area currently built in part as a business park and zoned accordingly in t ouis ounty should remain in this use owever, efforts should be made to insure the proper development of the remaining vacant property with consideration given to necessary infrastructure and preservation of the natural watercourse that traces the perimeter of this property rea 11: issouri -270 ntry ark he currently vacant property at the southwest quadrant of iverview rive and should be preserved and enhanced as part of a dramatic natural gateway to issouri at the crossing of the ississippi iver 8

34 5 eed for ustained and xpanded ntergovernmental ooperation with a lear ommon ision t ouis ounty is the municipal government charged with delivering municipal services to much of the orth ounty area, particularly north of -270 n the other hand, significant portions of the area are within an array of other local governments, mostly south of -270 erguson, ellefountaine eighbors, iverview, ellwood and oline cres he many challenges faced by orth ounty require a long-range common vision that is agreed upon by key stakeholders ost important among these are the elected representatives of t ouis ounty and the municipalities representing the balance of the area he policy direction of elected officials must then be transferred to the professional staffs within these governments charged with their implementation, especially in the arenas of planning, economic development, community development, public works and pubic safety uccessful definition of a common vision and its implementation requires a sustained and persistent cooperative arrangement a formal intergovernmental compact or alliance that distributes responsibilities and combines resources to effect programs and projects that extend across jurisdictions he success that is emerging in central t ouis ounty with an alliance between layton, aplewood, and ichmond eights should be looked to for inspiration ikewise, the success of municipalities, the school district and the county government in t harles ounty in implementing a common vision of a technology corridor can be looked to for lessons learned as well his initiative is being effected through a commonly accepted land use plan and zoning regulations along the -64/wy 40 corridor, from the issouri iver to entzville ome key steps that could be taken by t ouis ounty to insure an effective environment for planning and implementation in a multi-jurisdictional setting include: onvene a workshop of elected public officials from t ouis ounty, t ouis ity and affected municipalities to consider the area s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats () he objective would be to test the will to cooperate formally with programs of common benefit nitiate a public planning process to engage a wide array of community interests in defining a common vision for orth ounty and define roles and missions of local governments, businesses, the real estate community, residential associations and neighborhoods, private institutions, state government and others in realizing that image onstruct a program of progressive stages of intergovernmental cooperation and engagement to insure long-term stability and sustainability of the orth ounty community 9

35 our issues of general concern became apparent during the development of -270/ ighway 367 orridor tudy hey are: beautification, code enforcement, community identity and the atkins reek watershed hese subjects affect the general condition of the area and have an effect on land use and development throughout the corridors eautification roper maintenance of public rights-of-way is critical to the overall appearance of the and ighway 367 corridors he issouri epartment of ransportation (o) has an dopt a ighway program in place whereby volunteers clean sections of state right-of-way along -270 lthough citizen volunteers do clean up sections of intersecting ounty arterial roads (eg, ellefontaine oad), a signage program recognizing these efforts is no longer in place he t ouis ounty epartment of ighways and raffic could consider reinstating a designation program similar to o s, with limits on the number of signs in any area n addition, t ouis ounty should encourage revitalization of properties along both highway corridors and review future site plans in regard to their architectural and landscape design as it relates to their view from the highways he eastern section of -270 within the study corridor contains significant green space and should be preserved cquisition of properties by the etropolitan ark and ecreation istrict can assist in protecting a green corridor along the ississippi iver ignificant improvement is needed at the entrance to the hain of ocks ridge, which is now dedicated to bicycle and pedestrian usage n the middle portion of the study area, the ellefontaine onservation rea currently under development will maintain open space and will create new wetlands visible from the highway corridors o has had an extensive citizen involvement campaign for the ighway 367 improvement project, and an aesthetic advisory committee has been involved in design issues including selection of bridge styles and colors for the project o should continue these beautification efforts as it develops design and landscaping plans for ighway 367 north of -270 ode nforcement nforcement of building and zoning codes is required by both t ouis ounty and the cities of ellefontaine eighbors, erguson and oline cres in order to maintain the appearance of the -270 and ighway 367 corridors he most notable problem buildings within the study corridor are the former store (1795 unn oad), the former arget store (2677 unn oad), fshari enters (11700 est lorissant) and XX (3156 ershall oad), the ewis & lark tower (9953 ewis & lark oulevard), the vacant ational grocery store (10223 ewis & lark), and the former uilders quare (10710 est lorissant) in erguson

36 ach of these commercial buildings is highly visible, and collectively they negatively affect the appearance of the well-maintained areas that surround them oncentrated code enforcement and redevelopment efforts should be focused on these critical commercial structures ommunity dentity he northeast portion of t ouis ounty has a rich history including panish, rench and ritish rule ames that continue to this day, such as ort ellefontaine, ewis & lark and panish ake, provide a connection to the past and are unique to this area of t ouis ounty uture developments, as well as redevelopment projects, in the -270 and ighway 367 corridors should take advantage of the opportunity to identify themselves with these historic places and figures he upcoming bicentennial celebration of the ewis and lark expedition will bring additional attention to the study area s history unicipal identification signs (eg, the ity of ellefontaine eighbors) are found along -270 and indicate community identity to motorists panish ake, which is an unincorporated community, does not have such signage igns identifying the panish ake community should be considered, particularly in the -270/ellefontaine oad area atkins reek atershed he -270/ighway 367 study area includes portions of three watersheds: oldwater reek (north section of ighway 367), aline reek (southern portion of ighway 367 and western portion of -270), and atkins reek (eastern section of -270 and middle section of ighway 367) nlike the very large oldwater reek and aline reek watersheds that cover significant portions of t ouis ounty, the atkins reek watershed is contained entirely within the vicinity of the study area atkins reek begins just south of arker oad in the lack Jack area, continuing southeastwardly under ighway 367 and looping south and then north of -270 before emptying into the ississippi iver he atkins reek watershed includes approximately 4,300 acres, and there is undeveloped land along its course south of -270 and near the ississippi iver cooperative effort is underway to preserve and enhance the atkins reek watershed he atkins reek ask roup includes representatives of the etropolitan ark and ecreation istrict, arth ay, ast-est ateway oordinating ouncil, reat ivers esource enter, ntuition & ogic, issouri epartment of onservation,, egionise, oil and ater onservation istrict of t ouis ounty, panish ake ommunity ssociation, treameach, nc, rmy orps of ngineers, and atural esources onservation ervice everal recommendations from the task group are included herein to assist in preservation of atkins reek hese recommendations are included for reference purposes only ecommendation 1 ew development and redevelopment plans should include a watershed impact assessment to ensure economic, aesthetic and scientific integration with other area

37 plans (eg, onfluence reenway see ection ) his may include, but is not limited to, the following: atersheds in the -270/ighway 367 orridors reserve iewsheds ecause atkins reek borders the onfluence reenway, further development should be designed to benefit from and contribute to its ecological restoration and related economic development he intersection of -270 and iverview oulevard may become a major entrance to the olumbia ottom onservation rea and onfluence oint, as well as a destination for interpretive information about the issouri and ississippi ivers and environmental, heritage education and research programs (refer to the onfluence reenway plan for details) reate uffers ecause the study area is largely built out, great care must be taken to set aside buffers along the creek as new development comes into the watershed to prevent increased flooding for the residences and buildings downstream educe mpervious urfaces n commercial site design, the surface area of parking lots should be shrunk incrementally and the space saved should be used to integrate functional landscaping and better stormwater treatment within the parking lot esign adjustments may include less aggressive site designs in terms of parking and building coverage, limiting excess

38 parking, incrementally reducing parking demand ratios, and using grid pavers for spillover parking areas n residential site design, consideration should be given to the following: use of narrower, shorter streets and rights-of-way; application of smaller lots and setbacks and narrow frontages to preserve significant open space; reduction of the amount of site area devoted to residential lawns, spreading stormwater runoff over pervious surfaces; use of open channels rather than curbs and gutters; and protection of stream buffers ecommendation 2 ntegrate atershed mpact nformation with ommunication lans n public announcements of development projects, watershed impact information should be included tudies show that property values increase when residents have knowledge that public actions are taken to protect the environmental amenity in which they are invested ecommendation 3 lign conomic evelopment lans with the atershed evelopment lan he atkins reek ask roup is supporting the creation and implementation of a comprehensive watershed plan for atkins reek t is beginning this work with a collaboration of organizations that are seeking to engage stakeholders in activities that will contribute to a strong grassroots effort to protect and enhance the watershed

39 he -270/ighway 367 orridor tudy area has been divided into six subareas for the purpose of describing land use and policy recommendations he six subareas are: ubarea 1-270/ilac venue ubarea 2-270/ighway 367 ubarea 3-270/est lorissant venue/ld alls erry oad ubarea 4 orth ighway 367 ubarea 5 ighway 367/arker oad/edman oad ubarea 6 outh ighway 367 description of each subarea followed by a vision and recommendations for future land use begins on the following page

40 J ) ( Q J Z Q ( ) ( ) X X X X atkins reek hain of ocks ark (ity of t ouis) ubarea 1 : -270 / ilac venue eet

41 1: -270 / ubarea 1 is located at the eastern terminus of the study area encompassing the -270 corridor from the ississippi iver westward, just past ilac venue he ilac venue/ -270 interchange is unique in this area as it is the only non-signalized interchange of urther, the south outer road, known as ershall oad, is not fully continuous in its length t abruptly ends in both an easterly and westerly direction from ilac venue he entire southwest quadrant of ilac venue and -270 is within the city limits of ellefontaine eighbors and the remaining portion of the subarea is in unincorporated touis ounty ubarea 1 is further divided into four focus areas, which are the subject of redevelopment and/or land use strategies for the future rea 1 orthwest Quadrant of -270 / ilac venue haracteristics and hysical eatures rea 1 is located in the northwest quadrant of ilac venue and -270 unn oad, the north outer road for -270, provides access to these properties he urlington orthern anta e railroad tracks bisect subarea 1 in a north/south orientation he predominant zoning pattern in this quadrant is -1 ndustrial istrict he -1 istrict is a light industrial district allowing a variety of office/warehouse uses and light manufacturing f note in this quadrant are large vacant tracts ( 30+ acres) and the former nternational aper complex ision his quadrant has many characteristics that are attractive for a light industrial/business park including good visibility, proximity to a railroad, highway access and available land owever, the vacant 30-acre tract has impediments to development he severe grade and creek orientation are site constraints he zoning is in place to allow for the development of an industrial/business park subdivision ecommendations 1 uture developments shall contribute to the enhancement and signalization of the ilac venue/-270 interchange 2 romote architectural quality and continuity in design for this prominent, visible segment of ind economically productive uses for the vacant sites and for underutilized industrial sites 4 conomic incentives should be used to promote redevelopment of sites with projects that have the best potential to generate new jobs and provide needed services to the area (eg, hapter 99 or hapter 353 tax abatement,, ransportation evelopment istrict)

42 5 ncourage development that is best suited to the community and compatible with surrounding land uses rea 1 outhwest Quadrant of -270 / ilac venue haracteristics and hysical eatures rea 1 is located in the southwest quadrant of -270 and ilac venue entirely within ellefontaine eighbors ommercial and industrial development are oriented to properties north of elgrove rive and west to the urlington orthern anta e railroad tracks and include a Quiktrip with truck scales, a al-ec ydraulics company and various other businesses ershall oad is the south outer road of -270 along this subarea and it extends only to the railroad right-of-way outh of elgrove rive are a vacant gas station, several vacant tracts of land and single-family subdivisions large 12-acre vacant tract is located west of the urlington orthern anta e railroad tracks, along -270 ision he omprehensive lan for the ity of ellefontaine eighbors has identified goals and objectives for future development and/or redevelopment ew development should improve the community image, provide a local source for employment and business opportunities and facilitate residents access to goods and services and use changes were also recommended he two notable vacant sites in area 1, the 12-acre tract immediately west of the urlington orth anta e railroad line was delineated for industrial use and the 7-acre tract south of elgrove rive and west of ilac was designated for future residential development ecommendations 1 onform to the requirements in the omprehensive lan adopted by the ity of ellefontaine eighbors 2 uture development shall contribute to the enhancement and signalization of the ilac venue/-270 interchange 3 evelopment/redevelopment should be coordinated to ensure continuity in design, circulation, signage, and aesthetics to improve the community image 4 ncourage development that is best suited to the community and compatible with surrounding land uses rea 1 outheast Quadrant of -270 / ilac venue haracteristics and hysical eatures rea 1 is located in the southeast quadrant of ilac venue and -270 ershall oad, the south outer road for -270, provides access to properties with highway frontage

43 ershall oad extends eastward from ilac venue and ends abruptly at the touis hristian enter site he majority of these tracts of land were zoned -1 ndustrial istrict in 1965 due to their interstate highway orientation he land use pattern from ilac venue eastward includes a large hillips 66 service station, zoned -4 ighway ervice ommercial istrict, two manufacturing/warehouse uses and a mini-warehouse development, all zoned -1 ndustrial istrict large 16-acre tract zoned -8 lanned ommercial istrict is further east wo advertising signs are situated on the parcel while the remaining portion is vacant lthough this -8 district zoning from 1988 authorized numerous uses including an auto dealership, vehicle service center, 175-room hotel, fast food restaurant and office building or 72-room executive/residence inn, no development other than the two advertising signs has occurred to date urther south along ilac venue is ry ane, a narrow gravel road with an east/west orientation that provides access to several large single family lots ardee s fast food restaurant is located at ry ane and ilac venue, which is zoned -8 lanned ommercial istrict urther south along ilac venue is enran ndustrial oulevard, a partially improved roadway serving several businesses including the ipefitters training facility, zoned -8 lanned ommercial istrict, and truck storage for a transportation company he remaining large parcels are zoned -1 and -1 ndustrial istrict north of atkins reek and on-rban or -2 esidence istrict south of the creek ost of this property (approximately 60+ acres) is vacant f particular relevance in this area are a series of zoning petitions that were filed in 2001 he overall concept plan encompassed about 70 acres situated south and west of ry ane; east of ilac venue and north of atkins reek, most of which was, and is, zoned -1 ndustrial istrict owever, only about 15 acres of the total were the subject of a onditional se ermit () or rezoning request pecifically, a 10-acre portion oriented toward ilac venue south of ry ane was proposed for a in the -1 ndustrial istrict for a truck stop including a gas station and convenience store, truck station with scales, and a vehicle service station maller abutting parcels were proposed for a truck wash, car wash, and fast food restaurant he bulk of the remaining 70 acres was to be developed with -1 ndustrial istrict permitted uses that include offices, warehouses and light manufacturing he lanning ommission supported the requests after careful scrutiny of the issues he industrially-zoned site had good proximity to the ilac venue/-270 interchange, and the use was strategically distant from residential uses trong community objection to the proposal existed and the project was denied by the ounty ouncil oncern for the future development of the large vacant industrially zoned land contributed to the impetus for this study ision his area has excellent accessibility to an interstate highway, visibility on both ilac venue and ershall oad respectively and the availability of a large amount of vacant land he zoning for commercial development is in place in both areas he -1 ndustrial istrict zoning along ilac venue would allow a light industrial type of office/business park ensitivity to atkins reek should be strongly emphasized he commercial tract oriented to -270 should take advantage of its prominent location to enhance the entry into touis ounty along this orth ounty corridor with quality architecture and beneficial uses

44 ecommendation 1 ew development shall be required to contribute to the enhancement and signalization of the ilac venue/-270 interchange 2 ncourage o to complete outer road connections for a continuous flow of traffic circulation 3 romote open space links along atkins reek as a design feature and amenity for possible future connection to other areas ew developments should employ open space design techniques to reduce the amount of impervious surface and improve the performance of storm water treatment practices 4 romote architectural quality and continuity in design along the prominent frontage 5 ssemble tracts of land currently zoned -1 ndustrial istrict into a unified parcel that allows for an efficient internal circulation plan, coordinated signage, landscaping and architectural continuity for business or residential use rea 1 outh ide of -270 / t ouis ounty order haracteristics and hysical eatures rea 1 is located on the south side of -270 at the t ouis ounty/ity of t ouis line ight parcels of land comprise this area hey are accessed primarily from ildred rive, an extension of ookaway rive o direct access to -270 is available ultiple family residences are located along ookaway rive in the ity of t ouis, with the old hain of ocks ark further east he westernmost 127-acre tract is zoned on rban istrict he t ouis hristian enter hurch requested the rezoning petition for tax reasons and to have both church owned parcels under the same zoning classification ributaries of atkins reek traverse the site, and it is heavily wooded here are two houses and a 100-foot telecommunications tower on the remaining parcels he tower was authorized via a onditional se ermit () in the -2 esidence istrict verall, this area is significantly higher than -270 and offers a prominent view of the iverview rive/-270 interchange and ississippi iver to the east onversely, as one travels westward from llinois into t ouis ounty, this area is one of the first vistas seen he lack of direct access or an outer road connection to -270 is a significant constraint ision his area offers an outstanding view and is a major entry point to orth ounty he area should be considered for development as a dramatic gateway into issouri ecreational, tourism and other related uses; park and trail linkages; and preservation of

45 scenic natural vistas should be recommended to enhance the dramatic effect ccess to the interstate highway is crucial ecommendations 1 romote the theme of tourism at this prominent entryway into touis ounty 2 rovide links to the onfluence reenway system and other recreational themed areas tudy potential trail development for green space owned by t ouis ounty arks, etropolitan ark and ecreation istrict and lasgow illage rustees 3 ssemble tracts of land into larger parcels to promote unified development projects with quality architectural design 4 mphasize the scenic/landscape beauty of this area 5 ncourage o to complete outer road improvements for a continuous flow of traffic circulation 6 rovide access to the iverview rive/-270 interchange 7 etain viewshed in its current natural state

46 Ṛ Z J & J J Z Z J X Q & X X o () atkins reek ubarea 2 : -270 / ighway eet

47 2: -270 / 367 ubarea 2 is located at the intersection of nterstate 270 and ighway 367 in the center of the corridor study area t consists of the four quadrants with the largest parcels in the corridors he area north of -270 is in unincorporated t ouis ounty, and the area south of the interstate is part of the ity of ellefontaine eighbors n the north side of -270, unn oad serves as the outer road for both -270 and ighway 367, as unn breaks its regular east-west pattern to loop north to the first signalized intersection on ighway 367 north of -270 and then continues south on the east side of ighway 367 until the road returns to its east-west movement again n the south side of -270, ershall oad exists as an outer road for only a short segment until it dead ends west of ighway 367 o south outer road exists for the majority of -270 in this subarea ubarea 2 is divided into four quadrants that are the described in greater detail and for which land use strategies are recommended below rea 2 outheast Quadrant of -270/ighway 367 haracteristics and hysical eatures rea 2 is located south of -270 and east of ighway 367, extending from ighway 367 to ellefontaine oad on the east ocated entirely within the ity of ellefontaine eighbors, this area is currently zoned -1 ingle amily welling istrict o outer road exists along -270 in rea 2, and therefore no point of entry exists from the north side of the area ccess is available from a signalized intersection on ighway 367 on the west and from ellefontaine oad on the east, but these entries are private roads that service only institutions within the area everal agencies of the tate of issouri control the land in rea 2, which includes the issouri eterans ome, a issouri epartment of onservation wetlands area, and the ellefontaine abilitation enter he issouri eterans ome occupies the southwestern portion of rea 2, where a 200-unit residential care facility is located onstruction is in progress to add an additional 100 units orth of the eterans ome, the issouri epartment of onservation is developing a wetlands demonstration area to be named the ellefontaine onservation rea t will include a shelter, restrooms, and an -accessible trail for viewing several ponds ublic fishing will be available at the easternmost pond n the eastern side of rea 2, the ellefontaine abilitation enter controls an expansive campus with residential units, health care, recreational and educational facilities for persons with developmental disabilities here are 374 residents living at the ellefontaine abilitation enter ision he completely institutional nature of rea 2 makes it unlike any other portion of the and ighway 367 corridors hile the lack of a continuous service road for the south side of -270 is problematic in most areas, the unique nature of the land uses (ie, the ellefontaine abilitation enter and the epartment of onservation area) makes the lack of an outer road a lesser issue he longtime tate of issouri uses here should be preserved, as they serve several important functions he epartment of

48 onservation project will offer educational and recreational opportunities for area residents he ellefontaine abilitation enter and issouri epartment of onservation areas are visible from -270, and the issouri eterans ome can be seen from ighway 367 he condition of all three of these institutional uses is critical to the image of the surrounding area here are some minor conditions such as the outdoor storage of derelict vehicles at the ellefontaine abilitation enter that need to be improved ecommendations 1 reserve existing state institutional uses 2 ncourage public use of epartment of onservation area 3 onitor tate of issouri developments to maintain the high quality visual character of the area as seen from nterstate 270 and ighway 367 he ity of ellefontaine eighbors should work with the state institutions to ensure compliance with municipal codes rea 2 outhwest Quadrant of -270/ighway 367 haracteristics and hysical eatures imilar to rea 2, the southwest quadrant of -270 and ighway 367 also contains land owned by the tate of issouri plus a large parcel owned by the ity of t ouis ut unlike rea 2, much of this area is vacant and underutilized, and no significant structures exist in rea 2 n the western edge of the area, a 50-acre parcel owned by the ity of t ouis adjoins residential properties in unincorporated t ouis ounty ershall oad terminates at this city-owned parcel, which formerly was used by the ity of t ouis for growing ornamental plants he remaining land in rea 2 is owned by the tate of issouri he issouri epartment of ransportation (o) uses a portion of the land for a commercial truck drivers testing facility small office building housing 25 o employees is located there he o parcel is accessible from a signalized intersection on ighway 367, from which a small road travels west to the test facility he remainder of the land is undeveloped and consists of fields and woods with irregular topography his 200+ acre section is currently for sale and has been the subject of redevelopment efforts by the ity of ellefontaine eighbors and at this heavilytraveled intersection offers views of downtown t ouis and the ateway rch ision his quadrant offers an opportunity for commercial development that could bring both an identity and much-needed employment opportunities to the area t is highly visible and underutilized he abrupt terminus of ershall oad and the existing signalized intersection on ighway 367 offer the possibility for development of an outer road connecting these two points, similar to the manner in which unn oad turns to become the outer road for ighway 367 to the north of -270 he ity of ellefontaine eighbors comprehensive plan recognizes the potential for this site and recommends

49 creation of a business park at this location with lanned evelopment-ommercial (- ) istrict zoning ecommendations 1 he ity of ellefontaine eighbors should pursue its goal of developing this area into a business park he development should contain a mix of office, commercial and light industrial activities 2 ershall oad should be extended eastward and then southward along ighway 367 to the existing signalized intersection on ighway 367 o should work with the ity of ellefontaine eighbors on a conceptual design for infrastructure improvements necessary to support the proposed business park and should add the ershall oad project to its plans for orth ounty 3 he ity of ellefontaine eighbors should study the potential use of tax increment financing and/or the implementation of a ransportation evelopment istrict () to assist in funding the road improvements, grading and utility extensions that will be required in order to realize the development of the business park rea 2 orthwest Quadrant of -270/ighway 367 haracteristics and hysical eatures he northwestern quadrant of nterstate 270 and ighway 367 is dominated by hristian ospital ortheast his landmark campus is the area s largest employer o the west of the hospital complex is a large multi-family development, the J illage orth retirement community o the south of the campus are several large wooded lots on reezy oint ane Just two single-family structures exist there, neither of which are being used for residential purposes ne of the homes is used as the t ouis risis ursery (11037 reezy oint ane), and the other is used for facilities and support services for the hospital rea 2 is part of unincorporated t ouis ounty, and the zoning is divided between -8 lanned ommercial istrict for the hospital and -3 esidential istrict with a onditional se ermit () for most of the remaining land second smaller -8 zoning is found at 2291 unn oad, but it is currently a singlefamily home ision he development plans of hristian ospital ortheast will determine the future of rea 2 J ealthcare intends for hristian ortheast to remain a full service acute care hospital lthough no plans exist at this point for campus expansion, J ealthcare will be initiating a long-range campus development plan during 2003 ecommendation 1 he t ouis ounty epartment of lanning should work with hristian ospital ortheast to accommodate the future expansion and development

50 needs of the hospital he preservation of a full service hospital at this location is critical to the future health of orth ounty rea 2 ortheast Quadrant of -270/ighway 367 haracteristics and hysical eatures he northeastern quadrant of nterstate 270 and ighway 367 contains educational facilities, a long-vacant retail building and vacant land irby Junior igh chool fronts on unn oad as it travels east-west along -270 ehind the junior high school is azelwood ast igh chool, which is accessed from unn oad along ighway 367 o the east of the two azelwood chool istrict properties is a very large tract of undeveloped land zoned -3 esidential istrict urther east is the abandoned department store his building, zoned -3 hopping istrict, has been vacant for thirty years and is the most deteriorated property within the study corridors second small cluster of vacant and boarded buildings exists at 1703 unn oad adjacent to the store site he flood plain of atkins reek traverses the northeast corner of the azelwood ast igh chool property and then travels southeastwardly across the vacant -3 property, behind the store, and through a platted but undeveloped area along ackin venue (a paper street) urger ing restaurant is located on unn oad just west of the flood plain, and commercial uses (some existing, some approved only) line ellefontaine oad just east of the flood plain ision rea 2 offers an opportunity for residential development that was recommended by the study s dvisory ommittee he large vacant tract of land east of the azelwood chool istrict properties could be utilized for new single-family and owner-occupied attached units s stated in the previously approved panish ake ommunity rea tudy, multifamily rental units should not be permitted wo stub streets, oggemoeller venue and ithersfield rive, could provide access from the north end of the site he vacant store should be demolished and redeveloped as part of the residential development nother potential land use that could be considered is the utilization of a portion of this area for additional school facilities for the azelwood chool istrict his use would be permitted under the existing residential zoning n ellefontaine oad on the eastern edge of rea 2, the incomplete commercial development at ackin venue must be addressed roperties from ellefontaine oad, which were zoned -8 lanned ommercial istrict in 1999, are in various stages of development hese properties were to be redeveloped in conjunction with the new signalization of the ellefontaine and arimore oad intersection he parcel at ellefontaine oad was formerly a gas station, and environmental remediation of that site remains incomplete algreens drug store is planned for that location he adjacent property at ellefontaine oad, which was formerly a conald s restaurant, is vacant as a result of the original restaurant being demolished

51 ite plans for a more modern conald s restaurant were approved, but environmental problems at the adjoining algreens parcel have stalled the redevelopment singlefamily home exists at ellefontaine oad (at ackin venue) o its north, a new building at ellefontaine oad originally constructed to be a ollywood ideo store remains vacant ompletion of projects in this area is critical to maintaining a positive image of the panish ake area, as ellefontaine oad is the entrance to this community ecommendations 1 t ouis ounty should analyze the store site and utilize a redevelopment mechanism such as tax increment financing (), hapter 353 rban edevelopment orporation, or transportation development district () in order to induce redevelopment of this site 2 t ouis ounty should pursue completion of the projects on ellefontaine oad in the ackin venue area by using the legal enforcement mechanisms it has available he current condition of the ellefontaine oad parcel is in violation of t ouis ounty ordinances argeted code enforcement for commercial properties along ellefontaine oad is recommended

52 X - Ṛ Ṣ X Z J Q - () XX Z ubarea 3 : -270 / est lorissant venue / ld alls erry oad eet