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Commission recommends approval of Missouri American Water tank replacements with staff sign-off on exterior finish
Summary
The commission recommended approval of a conditional use permit for replacement of two aging Missouri American Water tanks at 9989 Old Olive Boulevard, endorsing staff’s preference for a brick-look finish but approving a fallback colored/textured coating with final color/material/texture to be approved by staff; commissioners raised questions about burying tanks, construction access and costs.
The Creve Coeur Planning & Zoning Commission recommended approval of application 25-025, a conditional use permit to replace two existing steel water storage tanks at 9989 Old Olive Boulevard with new prestressed concrete tanks.
Danny Richardson, the project engineer representing Missouri American Water, told the commission the existing early-1960s steel tanks form a critical choke point in the St. Louis County distribution system and are reaching the end of their useful life. Richardson described alternatives considered — rehabilitation of the existing tanks (requiring an inner ring) and new steel tanks (higher maintenance) — and said the selected approach is new prestressed concrete tanks placed in the same footprint to preserve operations and avoid broad system changes.
Richardson said the contract is being run as a construction manager at risk procurement and the project is currently between roughly 60–90% design completion. He estimated engineering-level project costs at about $24,000,000 and said a brick masonry facade option would add roughly $1.3–1.5 million per tank (about $3,000,000 total) compared with a colored EIFS/coating adder that staff presented as a lower-cost alternative. Richardson said the brick option will appear as a bid addendum and Missouri American Water will evaluate adders when bids are returned.
Staff noted a 2019 conditional-use discussion that anticipated future coordination on tank appearance and recommended a condition that final approval of color, material and texture be delegated to staff, with a stated preference for the brick-look option if feasible. Commissioners asked multiple operational and construction questions — including why the tanks cannot be fully buried, how much of each tank is currently buried (roughly 10 feet), whether one tank can keep the system running during construction, which roads will carry construction traffic (Old Olive and on-site staging), and whether cranes or truck movements would require off-site closures. The engineer responded that tanks must remain above the pump duty point for gravity and system operations, that work could be done with one tank online, and that the brick finish is feasible but adds significant cost.
A commissioner moved and the commission voted to recommend approval of the conditional use permit and associated site development plan for replacement of two water tanks at 9989 Old Olive Boulevard, subject to the draft ordinance conditions and final approval of color, material and texture by staff. The vote carried, with one commissioner recorded as opposed on the roll call; staff said the application will be forwarded to the City Council with the commission's recommendation.
Next steps: staff will transmit the commission’s recommendation and the draft ordinance to the City Council for consideration; final tank appearance will be determined by staff in consultation with the applicant and the selected contractor/manufacturer.
