The St. Louis Board of Public Service on July 15 gave the holder of a conditional use permit for B1 Market LLC, located at 2821 North Vandeventer Avenue, up to 30 days to correct multiple zoning-condition violations identified by city inspectors.

City zoning plan examiner Sandra Long told the board that inspections on May 12 and July 14, 2025, found continuing violations of several permit conditions, including litter on the premises and other issues. Long said she supplied the conditional use holder with copies of the permit and written notices; certified letters notifying the permit holder and related parties were dated June 24, 2025. Photographs and memos from the zoning office documenting the inspections were entered into the record.

The violations listed by staff included failure to police the exterior of the premises for litter twice daily (condition 3), sales of items the permit forbids (condition 4), tobacco-sales requirements (condition 5), prohibition on temporary signage (condition 13), and requirements for signage permits and professional preparation and approval (condition 16). The zoning office also cited public-nuisance-related condition 18 (noted in one memo as condition 19 due to a prior typographical reference). The zoning administrator bears the burden to show noncompliance during the hearing process, the board noted.

Permit holder Khalid Motan and his son, Melly Moton, appeared and testified that Melly Moton would assume daily on-site oversight and take immediate steps to clean the site, remove unauthorized signage and seek required sign permits. Moton said the family had removed some promotional cigarette signage already and pledged to pursue permits and daily maintenance.

No witnesses appeared in support of keeping the revocation, and no one appeared in opposition to the permit holder. After brief discussion among board members about the role and expectations of conditional-use operators in residential areas, a board member moved to grant the permit holder up to 30 days to correct the violations. The motion was seconded and approved by roll call: Directors Days, Flake, Hayes, Patel and President Rich Bradley voted aye; Director Pearson had left the meeting prior to the vote.

The board closed the hearing and said it will notify the conditional use holder of its decision by mail in about two weeks. The zoning office had earlier circulated formal notices in the City Journal on July 1, July 8 and July 15, and issued inspection memos dated May 19, 2025 (investigation report referencing the May 12 inspection) and July 14, 2025.

Why it matters: A conditional use permit allows a business to operate where zoning would not otherwise permit it; the board said such permits carry conditions intended to protect nearby residents and must be enforced. The board’s decision preserves the permit for up to 30 days while giving the permit holder a fixed period to come into compliance.

Next steps: The board will mail its written decision to the permit holder and monitor whether the violations are corrected within the 30-day period. If the conditions are not remedied, the matter could return to the board for further action, including possible revocation.