Take a Journey Through Christmas Wonderland in Alton Grandpa Gang...
Read More
Florissant Public Hearings
Plans For New Restaurant with Wine Tasting,
KFC to Remodel location on N. Lindbergh
By Carol Arnett
The Florissant City Council met last week and held two public hearings on restaurants. The first was about a remodel of KFC on Lindbergh and the second was about a new restaurant and wine tasting site on Washington Street.
The first public hearing held was about a request for a special use permit to allow for an exterior remodel for the property at 2450 N. Highway 67. This is a KFC restaurant. A representative of the company doing the renovation spoke to the council and said the remodel will include new painting and signs. One window would be removed and new lighting would be added on the exterior. The council held first readings on the bills that would approve the remodel.
The second public hearing was about a rezoning issue. Quality Assurance Group is requesting a rezoning of property at 150 Washington St. from B-2 Central Business District and HB, Historic Business Distract to allow the entire property to be zoned HB, Historic Business District.
Paul Boyer spoke to the council about the request. The owners, Jimmy and Tina White, would like to open a wine tasting business and restaurant at the site. The Whites own Quality Assurance next to the site. He said that city staff had recommended the zoning change. It is currently two lots, each zoned differently. The property includes a home, which the owners plan to renovate. They also will add more space.
“I had a chance to tour the site,” said Councilman Keith Schildroth. “I was surprised at how the building was in such good shape,” he said.
Schildroth said the owner had been a good business resident in the city. He noted that the building has been vacant for a number of years, and said he thought it sounded like a great project. The council held first readings on the bills that would approve the rezoning.
Florissant Lowers Sale of Bonds Amount;
City will Need New Clerk For City Courts
The council also passed a resolution authorizing the offering for sale of special obligation bonds for the city. The resolution authorizes the sale of the bonds on Nov. 30. The council also held a first reading that would set the terms for the bonds which will fund $9 million in improvements at the new court building and the James Eagan center. The council has to pass both the resolution setting the amount and a bill authorizing the sale of the bonds.
“I was not prepared to vote on this,” Council president Jackie Pagano said. She said she did not realize that the city needed to vote on the amount.
After discussion, the council decided to lower it to $8.2 million. The later held a first reading on the bill that would authorize the sale of the bonds.
In other action, the council passed a bill that approves the city’s budget for fiscal year 2017.
City Will Need Another Clerk for Courts under Ruling
Council president Jackie Pagano suspended the rules at last week’s council meeting to ask Judge Dan Boyle to speak about the budget meetings. There has been a new Missouri Supreme Court decision that affects the budget process.
“Under the new rule, we will be required to separate out completely so there is no overlap between what the prosecutors do and what the court does,” Boyle said. He said that is how the Clayton courts operate. “Just like Clayton, we will need to have a separate clerk and a separate staff for the prosecutor,” he said. “This is where it becomes a budget issue.” The city will need another clerk to comply with the state ruling.
Boyle apologized for bringing this up so close to budget time. He said that he tried to meet with the council as soon as possible, but the ruling was recent.
