Kirkwood council holds public hearing on request to add outdoor bar at Napoli Kirkwood

The Kirkwood City Council held a public hearing on a request to amend a special-use permit to allow an outdoor bar at Napoli Kirkwood, 436 North Kirkwood Road, in the James development plaza.

Planning and development services director Jonathan Raich told the council the proposal would convert roughly half of the restaurant’s existing, covered outdoor seating — an approximately 1,000-square-foot area under the building overhang — to include bar service and seating while keeping the overall outdoor-seat cap at 49. "The only item still active in their request is for this bar function, and not the, not the outdoor, live entertainment," Raich said, noting the applicant withdrew a request for outdoor live music during the planning and zoning review.

The planning and zoning commission recommended approval with conditions intended to keep the private restaurant area separate from the public plaza. The…