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Webster Groves ARB approves multiple residential projects, tables FAR request for 326 East Glendale
Summary
At its combined work session and regular meeting, the Webster Groves Architectural Review Board approved several residential projects (including 236 Oakwood, 468 Hawthorne and 818 Holland) after design revisions and conditions, and tabled further review of a floor‑area‑ratio request for 326 East Glendale after members questioned the proposed scale.
The Webster Groves Architectural Review Board on April 2 approved a series of design applications and set conditions on others, while deferring action on a contentious FAR request for 326 East Glendale Road.
Chair Bob Buckman opened the meeting and led the board through a docket that included public hearings and a work‑session preview. The board approved 236 Oakwood Avenue as submitted after designer Katherine Duckworth told members the latest drawings had addressed prior comments. "You did. Great job," a board member said in support of that application.
The board also approved 468 Hawthorne Avenue, a proposal for an attached garage and living space above. Applicants said the garage is set back a car length from the main façade and that adjacent neighbors were informed; one board member nevertheless argued that front‑facing overhead doors are incompatible with the historic district’s preservation guidelines. The motion to approve carried with multiple members voting in favor, a single opposing vote and one abstention.
For 818 Holland Avenue, applicant Joe Palazol and his contractor accepted a package of conditions covering roof overhangs, stair landings, window alignment, a wider bandboard and matching mullion patterns; the board approved the project contingent on those changes. Members also approved 11 Angus Circle and 7915 Big Ben Boulevard after applicants agreed to minor revisions — for 11 Angus, the board required the gutter line be terminated at the brick gable and mitered to match the existing return.
The most contested item was a FAR increase request at 326 East Glendale Road. Developers sought relief to build a larger five‑bedroom house on a narrow 50‑foot lot, arguing site constraints and the desire for a first‑floor master justified the increase. Multiple board members pushed back, saying reductions in programmatic scope or relocating certain spaces to an unfinished basement could bring the project within the allowable FAR. One member said buyers knew the lot size when they purchased it and should design accordingly. The board voted on the FAR request and, after opposition, tabled further design review to allow for redesign or further clarification.
The board approved meeting minutes from April 2, 2026, moved 856 Gley Avenue to pre‑approval and then adjourned. Applicants were instructed to return revised drawings where the board required changes; the tabling of the 326 East Glendale house means its design review will not proceed until the applicant files revisions addressing the FAR concerns.
