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Mayor updates: children's facility traffic fixes, large stormwater estimate, teardown study and new banquet use
Summary
Mayor Arnold briefed the Traffic Advisory Commission on an upcoming Planning Commission review of a children's facility site plan that will include local traffic mitigations, a citywide stormwater master plan estimate in the tens of millions, a university teardown study and approval of a banquet facility in the Yorkshire Shopping Center.
Mayor Arnold told the Traffic Advisory Commission that the Planning Commission will next week review a site plan for a new children’s facility (referred to in the meeting as the KVC project). Because neighbors raised safety concerns, the city plans physical traffic mitigation near the project: the mayor said city crews will place bollards at the end of College Avenue to prevent cut-through traffic and to keep buses off a relatively narrow street. The mayor also said the city is reviewing the Bacon and Rock Hill intersection for additional safety measures and that residents have discussed possible parking restrictions on College Avenue.
Arnold said these measures stem from neighbor input and staff recommendations; he cautioned that some follow-up requests (for example, resident‑only parking) may not be necessary after the bollards are installed and that the commission might not see a formal application for parking restrictions if the physical measures achieve the intended effect.
On another matter, the mayor said an early estimate for the city’s stormwater master plan work exceeds $50 million and may be closer to $75 million once final accounting is complete. He said the figure will prompt long‑range conversations about prioritization and funding sources and that the department will present more detail to Council in coming meetings.
The mayor also previewed a university graduate student’s study of residential tear-downs and replacements. The student, Sam (UMSL), compiled geographic and valuation data intended to show where demolitions and rebuilds have occurred and how values have changed; the mayor described the forthcoming report as “fascinating” and cautioned that the written report’s release date is not yet set.
Finally, Arnold noted Council had approved a new banquet facility in the Yorkshire Shopping Center (in the strip near Watson and Fleet Station). He said the council’s action converted a former dojo into a banquet venue; the property is outside the core Webster Groves downtown but was raised for the commission’s situational awareness.
Commissioners requested the city follow up with clear, written proposals where mitigation or parking changes are proposed and said they expect the Planning Department and project applicants to return with formal applications if regulatory changes are required. Mayor Arnold’s presentation occupied the commission’s city‑update segment and concluded without formal action by the commission.
