Developer, city report slow progress finding restaurant tenant for Olive Crossing site; access improvements under study

Michael Sansone, the owner/developer of the parcel at Olive Crossing, told the Olivette City Council on Feb. 11 that the property has been formally marketed since November but has not yet produced a signed tenant for the site the city anticipated would house a sit‑down restaurant.

City and developer officials said they have contacted several multi‑unit local restaurant operators and offered multiple deal structures — selling the land, contributing land toward a project, building a building for leaseback or offering a build‑to‑suit — but none has produced a firm commitment.

“The City Center Redevelopment District planned for there to be a restaurant,” Sansone said, and his marketing team has approached local operators, including multiunit restaurateurs in the St. Louis market. “We've offered to sell land. We've offered to contribute land and build a building and lease back.”

Why it matters: the parcel sits at the Olive Crossing development near existing retail and a recently opened Aldi grocery. Council members said a vibrant tenant would maintain the neighborhood’s retail momentum, prevent vacancy problems and serve nearby residents and apartment occupants.

Council members pressed Sansone about interim maintenance and design. Council Member Clark suggested adding low‑cost amenities, such as benches or a gazebo, for neighbors while the site remains vacant; he said such improvements could make the site look finished and useful. Sansone and council members cautioned against features that could encourage loitering.

Traffic and access remain central to the site’s marketability. City staff and the developer said the planned entrance had been required by the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) to be right‑in/right‑out, which limits driveway access. Carlos (city staff), who was part of the discussion, said the city and developer are working with a consultant to study acquiring a small strip of property from the adjacent parcel so the drives could be realigned and a full‑access entrance could be achieved. “MoDOT did require to make that in a right in, right out,” Carlos said; he added the longer‑term Olive Boulevard Master Transportation Plan envisions signalization between the Plant Haven parcel and Olive Crossing to improve access.

City Manager Yackley also updated the council on Olive Crossing during the meeting. She said Lot 1 and Lot 2 are complete and the Aldi opened recently. Lot 4, the apartment complex, is about 90% leased and about 85% occupied. Lot 3, the multi‑tenant retail building that will include Brass Taps and Paris Baguette, is finalizing tenant paperwork and lining up subcontractors; Lots 5 (office) and 6 (hotel) had no new updates.

Council members said they wanted the developer to return with further progress in a few months. Sansone said he expects the marketing effort to take time and that he would return to update the council. “If any of [the contacts] stick, it will take some time,” he said.

Details and next steps: staff is studying an acquisition to realign the entrance across Olive Boulevard and to better position the parcel for a restaurant use; any property acquisition or signal work would return to the council for budgetary approval and additional steps. Sansone said he and the marketing firm PACE Properties will continue outreach to local multiunit restaurant operators and that he is open to design options that could be more flexible for future tenants.

Ending: Sansone said he would come back in a couple of months with updates; council members asked staff to continue evaluating interim maintenance options and to report back before committing to any short‑term site changes that might have unintended consequences.