Planning and Zoning Commission Issues Special Use Permits for McDonald's Stores

On Monday night, the Planning and Zoning Commission met for the first time since June 6. After a 15-minute delay due to technical difficulties with the recording system, the meeting was underway.

The majority of the discussion revolved around the special use permit request from the McDonald's located at the intersection of Lindbergh Boulevard and New Halls Ferry Road.

David Glover and Dan Gross represented the golden arches in search for a special use permit that would allow exterior alterations in a B-3 Zoning District. 

The McDonald's in the Flower Valley Shopping Center requested a special use permit so that it could do a complete remodel of its store. The McDonald's restaurant at Lindbergh Boulevard and New Halls Ferry Road has already remodeled the inside, but the outside still has the original look. 

Glover presented plans to the commissioners to give them an idea of what the remodeling would look like if approved. The commissioners asked a few questions which brought up a crucial issue--this McDonald's does not have the necessary permit to use the flashing reading board on the roof of the restaurant.

The commissioners approved Glover's request for the permit to allow exterior alterations but said that the McDonald's needs to request another permit at a later date to allow the use of the reading board. 

Other highlights of Monday's meeting include:

• Alice Ratnaswamy was not present at the meeting for a second week in a row. Ratnaswamy is seeking a special use permit for her child care center, Kydz Kastle. Ratnaswamy has informed the commissioners that she is unable to redesign the parking lot at her location, and she is considering terminating the project. The commissioners decided to continue the decision to the July 5 meeting.
• The commissioners continued discussing the issue of parking ratios in the Florissant area. After deciding to hire the City of Florissant instead of professionals to gather information about empty parking spaces at the last meeting, the commissioners ruled to continue the motion to the next week because the city is still in the process of gathering information.