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University City council delays decision on permeable‑pavement requirement for 1004 Pennsylvania Ave. site plan
Summary
Council deferred a developer's request to remove a zoning condition requiring additional parking spaces be constructed with permeable materials for 1004 Pennsylvania Ave., asking staff and technical commissions to vet alternatives and return with recommendations in April.
University City council members agreed to defer a developer's request to remove a zoning condition that requires additional parking at 1004 Pennsylvania Ave. to be built with permeable materials, sending the matter back to staff and relevant commissions for technical review.
The request came from the developer’s consultant, John Nelgis of Excelsior Engineering, who told the council the project meets the numeric parking requirement (33 stalls) but that two compact stalls are 17 feet rather than the 19‑foot standard and that a permeable pavement condition is not the best technical solution for this site. “33 is 33,” Nelgis said, emphasizing that the site plan provides the required number of stalls and that alternative stormwater measures (including amended soils) could achieve a net‑zero runoff outcome without using pervious pavement.
Why it matters: the original rezoning in 2022 included three conditions intended to control impacts from redevelopment: meeting parking counts, constructing additional parking with permeable materials, and submitting a landscape plan. Permeable surfaces are often used to reduce runoff, but council members and staff noted the parcel sits in a regulatory floodplain and has limited options for underdrains and outfalls; the Saint Louis Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) is a permitting authority for stormwater, and councilmembers wanted the stormwater commission and planning commission to review technical implications before changing a condition that the planning commission originally imposed.
Details and council action: Becky Aldon, interim planning and zoning director, summarized the three rezoning conditions for 1004 Pennsylvania Ave. Engineer Nelgis told the council his review of regulatory thresholds showed a projected increase in runoff of about 0.34 cubic feet per second (approximately 2.3 gallons per second); he argued that pervious pavement would require underdrains and regular vacuuming maintenance, would clog during flooding, and could be a poor fit where there is no available storm sewer outlet. Nelgis proposed an alternative — amended soils — and presented calculations he said would meet a net‑zero runoff requirement without pervious pavement.
Council members questioned whether the city council was the appropriate venue to resolve a technical zoning‑condition dispute and suggested further vetting by the planning commission and the stormwater commission, which have technical expertise and MSD connections. The mayor proposed tabling the item for two weeks so staff and commissions could review alternatives and place the item back on the agenda; the council agreed and directed staff to return the item after commission review, with a likely return in April following the planning commission meeting on March 25.
What was not decided: council did not grant the developer’s request to remove the permeable‑pavement condition and did not adopt an alternate design. Council action was a procedural deferral to obtain additional technical review.
Next steps: staff will coordinate with the planning commission and the stormwater commission, and council expects the item to return after those bodies provide input and any recommended modifications to the zoning condition.
