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Resident asks council for help after mixed messages from staff on garden high tunnel permit
Summary
Longtime Creve Coeur resident Kelly Hackman told council he received inconsistent guidance from building and zoning staff about installing a high tunnel for a 1,700 sq ft garden and said $3,500 in NRCS reimbursement is at risk; he asked council to consider resolving the dispute or allowing his installation as a trial case.
Kelly Hackman, a Creve Coeur resident who said his family has lived in the city since 1858, used his three minutes of public comment to describe a permitting dispute over a USDA NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) cost-share high tunnel he ordered for his garden.
Hackman said he completed NRCS eligibility steps and signed a five-year agreement for a high tunnel. He told council that on July 31 he contacted the building inspector Gregory Tate, who directed him to a staff member named Jason. Hackman said the staff person initially told him the structure would likely be permissible as a temporary accessory structure and would be inspected when installed, but that later both Gregory and Jason said they had no recollection of that conversation. "I have $3,500 sitting in limbo right now," Hackman said, and added that if he fails to complete the NRCS contract he may lose future program eligibility.
Hackman asked council to help resolve the conflict or consider using his case to establish clear local rules. He described the structure as a five-year, removable greenhouse-like cover intended to protect produce from pests and extreme weather, and said he has been gardening for decades and relies on the operation for family nutrition.
No immediate council action was taken during the public-comment segment; staff later addressed permitting processes in other agenda items but did not provide a direct ruling in Hackman’s public-comment time.
