Board denies special exception for bank drive‑through at 250 Saint Louis Street after residents and advocates oppose precedent

The Mobile Board of Adjustment voted to deny Riverbank & Trust's request for a special exception to permit a bank drive‑through at 250 Saint Louis Street, after residents and neighborhood advocates argued the drive‑through would undermine downtown walkability and the city's Saint Louis Street redevelopment.

Riverbank representatives—including Doug Thomas of Riverbank & Trust—said the bank is a community bank with low drive‑through volume and argued the facility would be compatible with downtown. "I don't see a backup or congestion issue ... we're 19 years old ... we really need a drive through," Thomas said, adding that a drive‑through can serve customers with mobility issues.

Opponents—including longtime downtown property owner Pete Burns and Bill Boswell, Senior Advocate for the Government Street Collaborative—urged denial. Boswell called a drive‑through "archaic and an impediment to pedestrian friendly neighborhoods" and warned granting the exception would risk unwinding the city's efforts to make Saint Louis more walkable. Multiple residents raised concerns about traffic routing onto Joachim (a one‑way street), backups and the effect on nearby new residential developments.

Staff explained why the downtown development district code (adopted 2014) requires a special exception for drive‑throughs: the downtown code was written to encourage walkability and to restrict drive‑through uses unless reviewed individually. The applicants did not apply for a separate variance for a curb cut on Saint Louis; staff noted any curb cut or other variances would require separate review and public notice.

A board member moved to approve the special exception with conditions (limit to one lane adjacent to the building and no drive‑through operations after 5 p.m.); the motion had a second but the board ultimately voted to deny the exception. "K. Motion fails. The application for the exception fails. So you have 6 months," the chair announced.

Why it matters: The denial preserves the downtown development district's restriction on drive‑throughs in this location and keeps the City's walkability goals central to decisions on Saint Louis Street redevelopment. Staff told the board that, if a drive‑through were later constructed and the bank vacated, subsequent occupants could use an existing drive‑through unless substantial alterations were made to the structure (special exceptions are site‑plan specific).