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Olive Crossing progress and neighborhood complaints on construction traffic, fencing
Summary
City Manager reported Olive Crossing leasing and construction milestones, including retail leasing activity and planned appraisals for financing. A Hilltop resident asked the council to ban construction cut-through traffic and requested the developer place a privacy fence on the property line.
City Manager Miss Yackley updated the Olivette City Council on Aug. 13 about progress at Olive Crossing and related city planning matters, and a nearby resident urged tighter construction traffic controls and different fencing alignment.
Yackley said Lot 4 (The Clover) is "about 83% leased and 70% occupied," and Lot 3 (retail) has begun early construction work (pier holes and staking). She said Paris Baguette and Smoothie King are among the planned tenants and the owner is seeking refinancing; two appraisals (one for the value of the TIF and one for the retail building) are being obtained to support a construction loan, with construction anticipated to begin after appraisals and financing are secured.
Yackley also reported Lot 1 and 2 will host an Aldi location on schedule for early 2025 and that there were no significant updates for Lot 5 (office) and Lot 6 (hotel). Separately, she noted Great Rivers Greenway will construct the next segment of the Centennial Greenway through Indian Meadows Park and more than 300 mostly native trees are expected to be planted this fall in that corridor.
In public comment, Hilltop resident Larry Koenig said heavy construction trucks previously used Hilltop as a cut-through when the project began and asked the council to adopt an ordinance banning construction traffic on Hilltop, proposing a $500 fine and that contractors post signs at key intersections (e.g., Hilltop and Olive) saying "construction traffic prohibited on Hilltop." He also asked the city to require the developer to move a proposed privacy fence back to the property line instead of landscaping a narrow strip between fences that residents would not see or maintain.
Council members did not take immediate action to amend the approved plans in the meeting; Koenig asked the city to "sit down and really get a tough ordinance" and to pursue changes with the developer to address his concerns.
Next steps: staff indicated they will review resident requests and the city will follow normal permitting and enforcement channels to address construction traffic and site plan compliance.
