Harms, who has been the city administrator since the 1980s, said, “We just have never allowed apartments. It goes back to the '70s. I wasn’t here and I couldn’t tell you why they did it. But no one’s ever asked us to change it until now.”

The Alinea at Town & Country apartment complex sits just outside the city limits at Manchester Road and Interstate 270.
After previous developer requests, the city amended its zoning code in 2018 to allow townhouses or condominiums on large tracts of land, Harms said. But those developers later dropped their plans. The city also previously amended the zoning code to allow nursing homes and assisted living centers in commercial areas, and two of those have been built in the city, Sunrise and The Quarters, he added.

On face value, the development is noncompliant with the Des Peres zoning code and would have to be approved using a series of waivers and zoning amendments, according to the city report.
The Des Peres zoning code does not mention apartments or multifamily developments, so they are prohibited by default, city officials wrote. The city would have to pass a zoning amendment allowing apartments. The code also prohibits dwellings that are not owner-occupied from being part of mixed-use zoning, which would also require some type of waiver.
The city has previously set a 10-acre minimum requirement for any mixed-use development, unless the Board of Aldermen issues a waiver. Des Peres also has density requirements that would require a waiver to bypass.
The city’s 35-foot height restriction would also have to be addressed. Officials waived that requirement in 1997 for Southwest Bank to build a four-story building higher than the limit, which is now occupied by BMO Harris Bank, the city said.

chriss752 wrote: ↑

Apr 09, 2023

This project is finally up for final approval at the April 12th Planning and Zoning meeting.

Per a presentation, the Des Peres Board of Aldermen voted 5-1 to revise the zoning text on February 13th.