Florissant County Considers 2 Requests From Restaurants

By Carol Arnett
The Florissant City Council met via Zoom Monday for their second February meeting. They held two public hearings for special use permits for two restaurants, one with live entertainment plans. Several bills were also passed.
The council gave a Certificate of Appreciation to Linda Rose for her work as president of the Parks and Recreation Commission. They also passed a proclamation for Supermarket Employee Day on Feb. 22.
The first public hearing was about a request for a special use permit to allow for a carry-out restaurant at 2170 N. Waterford. Kayla Bailey spoke to the council about the restaurant. She and her husband would like to open a franchise of Nephew’s Grill restaurant at the site. There are Nephew’s Grills in downtown St. Louis and Berkeley. The restaurant will open at 9 or 10 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. daily. There will be no seating or alcohol sales. The council held a first reading on the bill that would approve the project.
Restaurant Seeks Nightclub Use
The second public hearing was about a request to amend a special use ordinance for Shade Restaurant at 1752-1756 N. New Florissant to add a nightclub use with live performances and cover charge.
Maurice Rankin spoke to the council about the plan. “We will still be a restaurant; we will not be a nightclub.” He said that the restaurant would like to have bands and comedians in.
He said that they currently have acts, but they pay the performers without a cover charge. He also has to go to the city to approve performances. The requested amendment will allow him to have acts at any time.
Police Chief Timothy Fagan said that the police department had several concerns about nightclubs. He said that the city of St. Charles has had problems with their nightclubs.
Councilman Joseph Eagan said he would vote against the amendment. He said in his years as a police officer in Maryland Heights, he has seen how nightclubs can cause problems.
“I don’t want to be a nightclub,” Rankin said. He said that he wants to be a restaurant that occasionally offers shows. He said the nightclub designation was a city term.
“I think this is a great idea,” said Councilman Andrew Harris said. He said that the city could use more entertainment options.
Fagan said that his objection is not due to Shade specifically. He said that once the restaurant received the nightclub designation, it could do more than what Rankin intends. They could, he said, have entertainment nightly. Also, if the business changed owners, the model could change.
Councilman Robert Parson asked Rankin if they could restrict the numbers of events on the permit.
City Attorney John Hessel said that the city could put restrictions on the permit and if Rankin sold the business, the permit could transfer with council approval and would have the same restrictions. He also said that the permit could be revoked if any conditions were not met.
The council held a first reading on the bill that would approve the project.
In other matters, the council:

Passed a bill amending the code with a list of non-native plants declared a public nuisance. Councilwoman Jackie Pagano said that she was behind the bill. She said she had been working on it for a while, mostly as a way to deal with bamboo. She said she had heard from several residents because their neighbor’s bamboo was invading their yard.

• Passed a bill authorizing an appropriation of funds to repair the gates at the dog park.
• Passed a bill transferring money to pay for a pool vacuum at the Eagan Center.
• Passed a bill that transfers money from various account to pay for the Koch Park Splash Pad Enhancement project.

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