Webster Groves preservation commissioners press city for floor‑area ratio fixes, draft advisory letter on demolitions

Webster Groves — The Historic Preservation Commission on Sept. 9 reviewed a city report on residential demolitions, discussed proposed changes to local zoning and floor‑area‑ratio (FAR) rules intended to slow tear‑downs, and agreed to prepare an advisory letter to City Council outlining the commission’s recommendations.

The commission heard the demolition review from Sam Dobson, who introduced himself as the report’s author and as a former city intern who now serves as a code enforcement officer. Dobson presented case examples showing that ‘‘we build bigger and and more expensive’’ houses, and said it is ‘‘quite normal for us to tear down the 800 or 900 square foot home and rebuild 2,500, 3,000 square feet.’’ He said the trend is visible in scattered locations and that the report’s recommendations are intended to manage conversion pressure without opposing all development.

The discussion centered on two technical changes commissioners said could reduce incentives for wholesale replacements: (1) tightening the FAR calculation so new construction is more in scale with historical averages in each neighborhood, and (2) clarifying how front‑entry garages are counted so that existing front‑entry carports could be treated as part of the allowed frontage percentage. Commissioners argued those two changes together would reduce returns for speculative builders and better protect smaller, intact homes.

Why it matters: The commission framed the changes as an attempt to preserve neighborhood scale and housing diversity, not to stop all new construction. Several speakers said modest policy tools could make it easier for owner‑occupants to renovate rather than sell to developers who maximize lot value.

Commissioner Karen (last name not specified) pushed for a neighborhood‑specific FAR tied to historical averages and the exclusion of recent outlier houses from those averages. She said a fixed ratio keyed to local historic sizes would ‘‘reduce the attractiveness of builders and deep pocket investors’’ by limiting how much larger a replacement house could be. Commissioner Aaron (last name not specified) suggested a technical tweak: count existing front‑entry carports as established front‑entry garages for the 40% frontage calculation so owners could enclose carports without creating a new nonconformity.

Dobson summarized limits in current protections: ‘‘Any home that is more than 50 years old must get approved by the HPC for demolition,’’ he said, and added that the commission’s legal authority is limited to properties that meet the city’s historic‑significance criteria. He and other speakers noted that many demolished houses are genuinely distressed, but others appear structurally sound and could be preserved with modest maintenance.

Commissioners and staff discussed complementary policy ideas Dobson flagged in his report, including targeted incentives (grants, low‑interest loans or tax abatements) to help owners keep viable older homes up to code, and a possible demolition fee recycled into a home‑maintenance fund. Dobson also noted that demolition activity slowed during the COVID period but has shown signs of increasing again and that earlier incremental FAR changes had not gone far enough, prompting the current push for stronger adjustments.

Next steps and deadlines: Commissioners agreed to assemble a joint advisory letter to City Council. Jason (last name not specified) volunteered to draft the letter; commissioners will send bullet points and suggested language to him by the next Tuesday following the meeting. Jason said he would circulate a draft by Oct. 6, accept comments through Oct. 10, and aims to have a revised letter by Oct. 13. The letter will cite Dobson’s report and highlight recommendations on FAR, garage/carport counting, historic‑property protections, and homeowner retention incentives.

Other related items: Commissioners asked staff to clarify how many variance requests actually represented distinct projects (Dobson and staff said some projects had multiple variance approvals) and reminded members that the HPC’s demolition jurisdiction applies to properties at least 50 years old but does not, on its own, block demolitions of non‑designated but viable homes.

The meeting closed with the commission offering to assist staff as the comprehensive‑plan and zoning discussions progress, and with an agreement to coordinate drafting and review of the advisory letter in a shared document.