54th Street Grill Coming to Florissant; Florissant Meadows sign update

By Carol Arnett

North County residents may soon have another dining option. The Kellan Restaurant Management Corporation came before the Florissant City Council this week for a public hearing about its plans to open a 54th Street Grill and Bar in the city.

The restaurant would be located at 2895 North Highway 67. There is a Ponderosa currently on the site near the intersection of Highway 67 and New Halls Ferry.

Dana Link represented the restaurant at the public hearing. She said that a branch of the restaurant opened in Chesterfield in March 2009. She showed pictures of that restaurant and said that the Florissant location would look very similar. Other locations in the area include Wentzville and Arnold in Missouri and Shiloh and Edwardsville in Illinois. The chain is based in Kansas City.

Link said they planned to demolish the Ponderosa and build a new building. The restaurant would have approximately 6,100 square feet. The building would meet the city’s standards for all brick construction. It would include a patio for outdoor dining.   The restaurant is family-friendly, offering a kids menu.

Mayor Robert Lowery welcomed the restaurant into the city. He said that he and his administration had been working with the chain to get a location in Florissant, and he felt this would be a good addition to the city.

The council held a first reading on the bill that would allow the restaurant.

Florissant Meadows Wants to Update Two Signs at Center

In a second public hearing, the council heard from Bianco Properties regarding the signs at Florissant Meadows shopping center. The center is located at 492-790 North Highway 67, and includes Las Fuentes restaurant, Culpepper’s and Dollar Tree, as well as several other shops.

Mike Modarelli spoke for Bianco Properties. He said they would like to update the two signs on the property. One has a reader board, which they would like to keep. They will remove the wood trim from the sign and replace it with metal.

“It’s quite a bit dated and getting difficult to maintain,” Modarelli said.

The other sign is at the corner of the property, near the intersection of Lindbergh and St. Denis Street. Again, they would like to remove the wood and replace it with metal. As part of the beautification project on Lindbergh, they would possibly work with the city to incorporate a water feature in the sign.

Councilman John Grib said he was concerned about any increase in size to the sign. “This is a very dangerous corner,” he said. He said that in the plans Bianco had, the base of the sign was going from almost ten feet to almost twelve feet wide. He asked if they could keep the width the same and still update the sign. Modarelli responded that they could do so.

The council held two readings on the bill that would approve the sign change. Grib said he would offer an amendment regarding the width.

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