Creve Coeur hears first reading for Key Cannabis drive‑through; neighbors, council raise access and screening concerns

The Creve Coeur City Council on first reading considered a conditional‑use permit request from the new owners of the dispensary at 105 North Lindbergh Boulevard to reopen a former drive‑through window as an express pickup for preordered cannabis products.

Jason Daggi, director of redevelopment, introduced the request and framed it as a conditional‑use permit to allow a drive‑through pickup lane. "This is a request for a conditional use permit," Daggi said. Applicant representative Nico Pinto, head of government affairs for Elevate and Canvas, described the proposal as an express pickup window where orders would be placed online and customers would pick up and leave; he said the site once operated as a bank and the drive‑through infrastructure largely remains.

Pinto told council the company has worked with nearby neighbors and proposed a dense hedgerow of trees and additional landscaping and signage to address sight and light concerns. "As long as nothing's changed since last week, they are supportive of the project now," Pinto said, describing a negotiated approach with adjacent residents. He added the local Creve Coeur operation employs nine people now and could grow to 15–17 with expanded hours.

Council members asked how identity verification would work at the pickup window and whether the drive‑through would increase loitering or on‑site consumption in nearby lots. Pinto said ID checks and scanning would be performed at the window and that the operation functions more like a pharmacy express pickup than a fast‑food drive‑through: "Orders are placed online ... We see anywhere from, like, a 15 to 20% increase in sales volume, based out of the convenience," he said when asked about sales impacts.

Several council members and staff raised concerns about an adjacent AT&T parking area that is privately owned and in poor condition; they discussed whether access from that lot could increase opportunities for off‑site consumption. City staff said code enforcement has issued violation notices for the neighboring lot and that the city is dealing with that property separately. The police chief said the city has had no complaints related to existing dispensaries and said he did not anticipate the pickup window would change public‑safety outcomes: "To date, we've had absolutely no issues at these marijuana sites," the chief said.

Staff outlined site requirements the city applies to non‑food drive‑throughs (minimum queuing for three cars, landscape buffers and signage) and noted the applicant's plan meets those standards; hours proposed for the drive‑through match interior hours (9 a.m. to 9 p.m.). Because this was a first reading and members of planning and zoning and the public had already reviewed the matter, the council did not vote tonight and will take the item up at the next meeting.