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Webster Groves adopts draft policies letting neighbors maintain small islands and accept adjacent city-owned slivers
Summary
City staff presented two draft policies that let nearby residents maintain traffic islands with a 70% neighborhood signature threshold and transfer non-buildable city-owned slivers to adjacent property owners; council and neighborhood groups discussed outreach and next steps.
Webster Groves city staff presented two draft policies June 17 that create a formal path for neighbors to maintain small traffic islands and for adjacent property owners to accept city-owned, non-buildable slivers of land.
City staff described an “island policy” that would allow residents within 180 feet of an island to sign an agreement to maintain that island. “If any neighbors within a 180 feet, 70% of them signed on to it, then they can fill out the agreement,” Scott, a city staff member who led the presentation, told council. The agreement would run year to year and automatically renew while the neighborhood continues maintenance, staff said.
The second policy covers “abutting properties” — small, non-buildable parcels the city owns next to private lots. Under the draft, the city would perform required survey and title work and transfer those slivers to adjacent homeowners. “The city would do the survey, do the title work, any other necessary legal documents, then the adjacent homeowner would accept that property,” Scott said. Staff said the parcels would be returned to the property tax rolls; they emphasized the policy excludes buildable lots, which require a different legal process.
Staff showed plant and maintenance examples and explained how native grass mixes would be used to make islands stormwater-beneficial and wildlife-friendly. “They are certainly stormwater beneficial. They all have deep roots, which really capture a lot of stormwater,” Scott said while showing vegetation options. Staff said contractor maintenance would include establishment-year care (planting and weed control in years one through three) and that the city would assume routine maintenance after year three.
Council members and staff discussed outreach: staff said the policy documents and the island agreement would be posted on the city website and that Mr. Boyd has a list of people who contacted the city; staff will email those residents. “We will reach out to them personally to say these are the new policies,” Scott told council. Council asked staff to consider a follow-up community meeting model similar to the one that was held with Webster Gardens rather than treating the item as council time.
Council and staff also answered questions about potential tax and subdivision implications if a parcel enlarged an adjacent parcel: staff said transfers would make that land taxable but reiterated that buildable-lot transfers are handled separately under code. Staff said each island’s plant mix and final appearance will depend on size, tree cover and site conditions, and that different mowing regimes produce different looks.
Next steps include posting the policies online, notifying interested residents, and allowing neighborhoods time to secure signatures for island agreements. Webster Gardens residents at a prior meeting asked for several weeks to collect signatures; staff said they planned to check back in early July.
The draft island and abutting-property policies will return to staff and council after outreach and neighborhood follow-up.
