Residents press city over truck training-school noise and street use; developer offers trees, berm and fence options

Residents raised sustained complaints Monday about noise and trucks related to a truck-driving school operating at the mall near Old Saint Charles Rock Road, saying activities run late into the night and that trucks are using Saint Ann streets despite restrictions in the facility's special-use permit.

At the Feb. 3 meeting, a resident told the Board of Aldermen the operation felt like an industrial use adjacent to a residential neighborhood and said she collected a petition with about 65 signatures. The resident said she had observed multiple vehicles on-site and late-night activity and that the sound at night was the primary complaint.

Paul David Garner, the developer, told the board he and the tenant are prepared to implement mitigation measures. Garner said the tenant uses GPS tracking and the Motive software to log truck movements, that typical late-night operations shut down around 1:30 a.m. (vehicles depart by about 2:30 a.m.), and that classes begin around 7 a.m. He said the program runs a 160-hour course (about 50 hours classroom, 110 hours behind the wheel), with each student receiving roughly 30–35 hours of behind-the-wheel training. Garner said there are four training trucks used for on-site instruction and that, during some periods, a greater number of trucks or trailers may be parked on-site for aesthetic screening.

Garner and his civil engineer, Mark Ditch, described mitigation options they are willing to pursue: importing 3–4 feet of fill to raise an existing berm to improve noise attenuation; planting a substantial number of trees (Garner referenced ordering large quantities and mentioned a figure of nearly $180,000 to add trees and screening); and erecting a fence if appropriate. The developer said planting could begin this spring but that if additional fill is placed on the berm trees may need time to settle before planting and may require replanting in a subsequent year. He said nursery stock would likely be 5–6 foot arborvitae (often marketed as 'Green Giant' arborvitae) that could grow 2–3 feet per year.

Residents and some aldermen asked whether the trucks are using Saint Ann streets in contradiction to the facility's special-use permit. Meeting participants discussed GPS data the tenant says shows routes that largely avoid residential streets; others said they have seen trucks on local streets. One board member suggested the city could require a different exit route (via Lindbergh by the mattress store) so trucks do not leave through Old Saint Charles Road. The transcript shows the board agreed to review the permit language and consider an amendment; the mayor stated the matter will be discussed further in closed session.

Quotes from participants reflect the split: a resident said, "That's an industrial use and should not be an adjacent residential," and Garner said, "We're willing to do whatever the city asks us to do, to try to make a situation better." City staff and the developer agreed to meet and map mitigation steps before the next operating season.

The board did not record a formal vote on permit changes at the meeting; discussion concluded with a plan for staff review and a closed-session follow-up. The transcript includes requests from residents that the developer limit late-night operations and adjust departure routes to reduce use of Old Saint Charles Road.

Next steps noted in the meeting: the developer requested clear direction from the city on preferred mitigation (berm width, fence vs. planting), said he will await formal city direction before placing orders, and the board indicated it will review the special-use permit and discuss options — including a possible amendment — in closed session.