Webster Groves commission approves conditional use permit for in‑home daycare at 876 Atlanta Avenue

The Webster Groves Plan Commission voted to approve a conditional use permit for a home daycare operating at 876 Atlanta Avenue, allowing up to six children on the premises with several conditions to address safety and zoning concerns.

Staff planner Evan Winkler told commissioners that the application “in its current condition … is not substantially consistent” with review criteria and cited multiple building, fire and zoning violations that must be addressed before final approvals are issued. Winkler recommended options including continuing the hearing to allow the applicant to remedy violations, denying the request based on the evidence, or approving with conditions.

Applicant Terry Ganella, who operates the program as the Happy Homestead, told the commission she has run home daycare programs previously and said the site emphasizes outdoor, nature‑based play. “We save our milk jugs all winter long … we grow our own food,” Ganella said, describing her program’s reuse and outdoor‑learning approach and saying she is actively working to clean up the property.

Neighbors and parents who use the service spoke in support. Carolina Appy said she has been “a patron of Terry as a child care provider for about eight years” and described the program as an affordable, small‑scale option that keeps children in the neighborhood. Nearby landlord Neil Sanders said he is prepared to help make property repairs and obtain permits.

After deliberation in executive session, the commission approved the permit with amended conditions that commissioners discussed publicly: the petitioner must obtain a Webster Groves business license; comply with all building, fire and municipal codes; obtain required animal/fowl permits for chickens if they remain; limit enrollment to no more than six children between roughly ages 2 and 5; confine outdoor play to a fenced or otherwise enclosed yard area that meets the city’s fence and safety requirements; provide one off‑street parking space south of the dwelling (reduced from staff’s suggested two); prohibit signage advertising the daycare; subject the premises to unannounced inspections; and limit hours consistent with code. The commission recorded a unanimous recorded voice vote in favor of the motion.

The commission’s approval is a recommendation to the City Council in the typical Webster Groves process; staff noted that the council will take final ordinance action if and when required for the zoning change. City staff emphasized that building and fire‑safety code violations must be remediated and passed in inspection before any final business license or long‑term operating approval can be issued.

Next steps: the applicant must secure the city business license and clear the outstanding building and fire code issues identified by staff and inspectors before the permit becomes fully effective.