Murphy Company seeks special-use permit, new lot and fenced outdoor storage at 444 E. Elliott Ave.; council schedules first reading

The Kirkwood City Council recessed into a public hearing on Oct. 16 for a request from Murphy Company to approve a major site plan and a special-use permit to legalize outdoor storage and add a new parking lot at 444 East Elliott Ave. City Planner Amy Lowry said the roughly 4-acre site contains a ~32,000-square-foot light-manufacturing building and is zoned I-1 (light industrial); the company purchased the property in 2022 and continues similar fabrication operations on-site.

Lowry said the proposal would convert the parking area south of the building into an enclosed outdoor storage compound for dumpsters, supplies, equipment and vehicles (screened by an 8-foot chain-link fence with vinyl slats) and add a new parking lot to the west of the building. The applicant proposes 44 parking spaces (including two accessible stalls) and seeks a waiver of the special‑use requirement to provide two bicycle racks. Lowry noted that outdoor storage of equipment and vehicles is an accessory use that requires a special‑use permit under the Kirkwood code and summarized Planning & Zoning Commission conditions, including a consolidation plat (three subdivision lots into one), obtaining permits within 12 months and the requested bicycle-rack waiver.

Staff said stormwater controls will be reviewed by the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD); the applicant's plan shows two bioretention basins adjacent to the paved areas and full-cutoff 2,700K lighting fixtures. Lowry also said final landscape review will confirm whether existing canopy trees are in sufficient condition to satisfy the city's landscape requirements.

During the hearing, council members and residents pressed staff and the applicant about parking and stormwater. Council asked why the site requires 44 spaces when the packet reported 16 employees; staff and the applicant explained that the city's parking requirement is driven by building square footage rather than the current employee count because future users could add shifts or expand operations. The applicant later told the council the current site staffing is 22 employees. Councilors and several residents voiced recurring local concerns about flooding in the area and asked whether the city could require pervious pavement; staff said pervious pavement is allowed for parking stalls under current code but not in drive aisles, and MSD is the jurisdictional reviewer for stormwater sufficiency. Staff advised the council that it could require additional measures only if the council had a factual basis to show the proposed design would cause a demonstrable negative impact.

Applicant representatives (architect Brian Ivy and Joe Skilljian, vice president for Murphy Company) said operations and deliveries would remain concentrated inside the building and on Clark Street respectively, and that the company does not plan to consolidate other facilities into this site. Skilljian said the company expects modest staffing increases but not a doubling of employees.

Hearing no further public comment, the council closed the public hearing. The item will appear on the Nov. 6 council meeting agenda for first reading consideration; no formal vote on the permit or site plan occurred on Oct. 16.

Provenance: First public mention of this request and exhibits entered at 00:00:30 in the transcript; the public hearing closed and staff scheduled the item for Nov. 6 first reading at 00:25:42.