Decaying Buildings Postpone Vote on Towed Car Yard

The dilapidated nature of the empty buildings at the southeast corner of Weber Road and New Hampshire Avenue unsettled the St. Louis County Planning Commission enough to postpone the vote to approve .

The commission will now vote on the towed car yard in two weeks, at 7 p.m. on Monday, July 23, at 41 South Central Ave. in Clayton.

For up-to-date news, subscribe to the Affton-Shrewsbury Patch Newsletter.

The site of the proposed business—a yard to park towed cars and do minor repairs and oil changes—contains three buildings constructed in the 1940s formerly used by Kirkwood Materials for storing landscaping supplies.

Planning commission members were concerned that the buildings, already in need of repair, would continue to deteriorate on the towed car yard.

"I'd hate to see them move in there with their cars stored and the buildings still standing," said chairman Wayne Hilzinger. "We'll give them usage, but they can't make it an eyesore with parked cars."

The site's owners, Jason Oppermann and Squires Holdings, L.L.C.—who were not present at the meeting—have said previously the buildings would be used as offices, storage and a vehicle service facility if their petition is approved. One of the buildings would get a new roof.

The site owners would also be required to build an eight-foot fence—taller than the standard six-foot fence—and provide landscaping to ease the appearance for neighbors in the homes backing up to the proposed lot.

The 1.73-acre area is technically zoned for residences, but since the lot backs up to railroad tracks, the commission agreed to consider the land for a commercial use.

Even if the planning commission votes to approve the proposal in two weeks, the County Council will still need to approve the plan.

If approved, the towed car yard would hold no more than 50 cars at one time, each car for no more than 72 hours. Tow trucks will be permitted access to the site at all times of the day and night, but car owners looking to pick up their car or get repairs would be limited to 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday.

For more, check out our stories on this issue: