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Committee backs PUD for 78 townhomes on former Hubert Wheeler State School site
Summary
A St. Louis City committee recommended a due-pass for Board Bill 129, a planned-unit development to convert the former Hubert Wheeler State School at 5701 Wilson Avenue into 78 attached townhomes, with planning-commission conditions including a continuous sidewalk, accessibility measures and screening for adjacent residences.
St. Louis — The Housing, Urban Development and Zoning Committee on Jan. 27 recommended Board Bill 129 for passage, endorsing a planned-unit development that would allow McBride Homes to build 78 single-family attached townhomes on the former Hubert Wheeler State School campus at 5701 Wilson Avenue.
Alderman DeVote introduced the bill and turned the presentation over to James Pfister of the Planning and Urban Design Agency, who told committee members the parcel (City Block 4022) is vacant and was cleared after the longstanding state-school buildings were demolished. Pfister said the site’s underlying K zoning currently prohibits residential use and that a PUD provides flexibility the old zoning code cannot. He said the Planning Commission approved a sketch plan on Nov. 12 by a vote of 9–2 and attached three conditions that must appear in the final development plan: construction of a continuous sidewalk along Wilson Avenue, a plan ensuring accessible connections between units and on-site amenities, and landscaping or screening between the site and adjacent residences.
Developer Jake Heilerman, CEO of McBride Homes, said the company won an RFP for the property, worked with the state and the Department of Natural Resources on environmental remediation and site cleanup, and has addressed soil and demolition challenges to make residential use viable. “We worked through a lot of soil issues, compaction issues,” Heilerman said, describing coordination with state agencies and removal of hazardous materials.
Neighborhood leaders who spoke to the committee supported the project. Jennifer Giannino, president of the Hill Neighborhood Association, said the developer had been transparent at neighborhood meetings and made revisions after community feedback. Alderman Browning and Vice Chair Sonnier praised the project’s community engagement and accessibility commitments.
Pfister and McBride representatives acknowledged geological constraints from prior landfill use and said significant piers and other foundation work will be required. Pfister also noted that staff and the developer had negotiated site orientation changes so at least one building would front Wilson Avenue rather than the interior parking, and that no parking would be placed between structures and the public right-of-way.
Vice Chair Sonnier moved the committee recommendation; Alderman Browning seconded. The clerk recorded four aye votes and the bill earned a due-pass recommendation to the full Board of Aldermen.
The measure now moves to the Board of Aldermen as an ordinance; the developer will return to the Planning Commission for final development-plan approval before permits are issued.
