Politics & Government

Development of Historic Kirkwood Property Headed to City Council a Second Time

The developer behind a plan to demolish a home at 750 N. Taylor Ave. and replace it with a new subdivision missed a one-year deadline to turn in all the required paperwork.

A new subdivision planned for 750 N. Taylor Ave. is going back to the drawing board despite winning council approval last year.

That’s because the property’s developer and now-owner, John Pitcher, failed to meet a one-year deadline to turn in all of the required paperwork, according to Kirkwood Zoning Administrator Ryan Spencer.

The project called for tearing down a historic, 126-year-old house and replacing it with four new residences. When it was introduced last January, the plan drew opposition from residents concerned with the large number of waivers Pitcher asked for and required, in part, due to the number of houses fit into the plat.

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The Kirkwood and Planning Zoning Commission recommended that the plan be denied, but the Kirkwood City Council gave it the go-ahead by a vote of 5-2.

Spencer said Pitcher was then given a 1-year deadline to turn in all the required documentation to receive final approval. However, the city never received paperwork from the Metropolitan Sewer District clearing his stormwater plans.

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“It just got away from him,” Spencer said, adding that he fully expects Pitcher to move forward with the development.

The result is that Pitcher now must start the process all over, so he again found himself before the city’s planning and zoning commission last week pitching the same proposal and receiving the same result, Spencer said – a 7-2 vote in favor of denying the proposal.

The next step will be for Pitcher to request that his proposal be placed on the agenda for a vote by the Kirkwood City Council.


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