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Creve Coeur approves Olive Boulevard site plan but conditions require removal of bollards blocking shared access
Summary
Planning commissioners approved a minor site development plan for 11301 Olive Boulevard (lighting, sculpture, and a maintenance shed) with conditions including removal of recently installed bollards that block recorded cross access; the decision passed 4–2 amid testimony from business owners who said through‑traffic and safety motivated the bollards.
The Creve Coeur Planning & Zoning Commission on Nov. 18 recommended approval of a minor site development plan for the property at 11301 Olive Boulevard that includes replacement and addition of site lighting, installation of a public sculpture at the corner, and a 12-by-16-foot prefabricated shed for maintenance supplies — but the approval is conditioned on removal of bollards and other changes staff identified.
Applicant representatives described three principal components: replacing aging building-mounted fixtures with LED fixtures and adding 17 new pole lights, installing a ten-foot-by-seven-foot sculpture (reviewed positively by the Arts Committee), and building a screened maintenance shed. The applicant emphasized safety concerns in the shared parking area and presented recent mitigation steps, including planters, signage and bollards that the owner said were installed to stop drivers using the lot as a shortcut.
City planner Bethany Moore reviewed the recorded condominium plat for the Olive Offices development and told the commission that the shared parking and pedestrian cross access are common elements shown on the plat. Staff recommended conditions of approval that the decorative metal grill be removed to avoid visual conflict with the proposed sculpture, that the additional shed be screened with evergreen plantings visible from Olive Boulevard, and that the non‑conforming bollards, chains and planters that block cross access be removed. "Staff recommended the bollards, chains, and planters be removed as a condition of approval with the minor site plan request," Moore said.
Multiple neighbors and tenants addressed the commission. Kevin Hampton, a tenant and on‑site witness to parking activity, said he recorded frequent cut‑throughs and estimated '30, 35 cars daily' entering the lot in error or using the drive aisle as a shortcut, creating safety concerns for tenants and elderly clients. Adjacent property representatives said their medical and testing tenants generate high volumes and that improved signage and mapping were part of the response.
The commission debated options including speed humps, alternative traffic calming and the technical process to amend condominium plats if owners want to permanently split shared access. Commissioner Patashnick observed that the 1995 plat anticipated shared access and that unilateral changes risked violating how the property was approved. Ultimately, the motion to recommend approval (including staff’s two additional conditions and a 5% site‑coverage bonus for public art) passed 4–2. Commissioners recorded specific votes during roll call; staff noted the approval is contingent on removal of the bollards that block the common access.
Staff will verify compliance with the conditions and the final site coverage calculations before issuing permits. The commission’s action was a recommendation based on the minor site development plan review; property owners remain responsible for resolving private‑party condominium disputes if they choose to pursue an amendment to the plat.
