Commission limits curb cut at 250 Saint Louis Street to one‑vehicle width

The Planning Commission approved a variance allowing an existing curb cut on Saint Louis Street to remain as the exit for a proposed drive‑through, but the board limited the curb cut width to 12 feet and added conditions intended to deter vehicles from entering the lot from Saint Louis.

Casey Pipes, the applicant, said the curb cut currently exists and that keeping it allows the building to be placed at the corner and avoids surrounding the building with drive aisles. He told the board the exit onto Saint Louis would be exit‑only and that the proposed design places parking and customer entrance off North Joachim Street rather than the primary frontage.

An area resident, Kelly Baker (254 State Street), raised concerns about wrong‑way traffic and pedestrians crossing a wide curb cut. Board members and the applicant discussed reducing the curb cut width from an earlier two‑lane depiction to a single 12‑foot lane and adding landscaping or other engineered features to discourage drivers from using the exit as an entrance. Doug Thomas, representing the project team, said the current plan is for a single drive lane and that the applicant would work to minimize the curb cut.

A board member moved to approve the variance with the condition that the curb cut on Saint Louis Street be limited to 12 feet; the motion was seconded, all voted aye, and the motion carried. During discussion staff reminded the board that downtown development rules require structures to be located near the street frontage (within 12 feet of front property lines) and that placing the building closer to the sidewalk would prohibit re‑siting the drive‑through to Joachim Street.