Planning commission approves Goodwill special-use permit for 717 Gravois Road

FENTON, Mo. — The City of Fenton Planning and Zoning Commission on Jan. 7 approved a special-use permit allowing Goodwill to operate a used-merchandise store at 717 Gravois Road, a property in the C-1 Commercial District occupying part of the former Best Buy tenant space.

The commission’s approval is conditioned on municipal zoning approval and a Saint Louis County building permit for tenant improvements, possible separate site-plan review for the new storefront (the petitioner indicated EIFS is proposed but EIFS is not a permitted facade material in the C-1 district), proper striping of the donation drop-off and queuing areas, markings to indicate one-way traffic through the drop-off, administrative approval of minor fire-district changes by the community development director, and a prohibition on exterior accumulation or storage of donated goods outside business hours.

Amy (community development staff) described the proposed plan: the Best Buy tenant space will be divided into two tenant spaces, Goodwill will construct a new storefront that may include alternative facade elements requiring separate review, and the proposed donation drop-off at the side and rear of the building has a queuing/stacking area that appears to hold up to four vehicles. Staff recommended marking the drop-off and queuing areas as no-parking zones and adding striping and one-way flow markings for safety and truck access. Fenton Fire Protection District conducted a preliminary review and may require minor changes at building-permit review.

David Dial of Dial Architects said the petitioner plans a new, durable entry and acknowledged that EIFS is not permitted in the C-1 district; he said the team will use other materials to match the site requirements.

Jason Ryback, vice president for Goodwill, described Goodwill’s operating procedures for managing donations and preventing accumulation outside operating hours. Ryback said staffed donation centers at other locations are attended during store hours and that employees bring any donations left outside into the store at the start of the next business day. He told commissioners Goodwill’s typical hours for donation attendants would be 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays; he said donations would be accepted only during store hours, a condition the commission included in its approval.

The commission moved and seconded approval with the conditions read into the record. A roll-call vote was recorded and the motion was approved.

Ending: The approval authorizes Goodwill to proceed to the building-permit stage and requires striping, traffic markings and compliance with any additional requirements identified by the Fenton Fire Protection District and county permitting officials.