BY CAROL ARNETT<\/p>\n
Florissant may soon have a bigger Target, a new Starbucks, and a new condo\/townhome subdivision, but the future of a proposed business incubator is not so certain.<\/p>\n
The city council held several public hearings at the last council meeting. In one, the Target store on Lindbergh proposed a 9,500 square foot expansion. The expansion would include a reworking of the entrance, new fitting rooms, a new food area, and a pharmacy. The store would also be updated throughout, especially in the pantry area, and new ceiling and floor tiles would be installed. No one spoke in opposition to the plan.<\/p>\n
The council held another public hearing on a request by Starbuck\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s to put in a coffee shop at the old Fazoli\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s restaurant at 1261 Graham Road. Starbuck\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s representative Mark Chanitz said that Starbuck\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s will “extensively remodel” the existing building and add a new outdoor patio and new landscaping. The coffee shop will have outdoor seating for 16. <\/p>\n
Councilman Tom Schneider asked about the drive through. He wanted to know how many cars could be stacked, or waiting. Chanitz replied that five cars could be stacked, and said that was enough for Starbuck\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s, since the restaurant generally moves people through drive-throughs very quickly. <\/p>\n
Another public hearing was held about a new condo gated community that Mark Behlmann is proposing. Fleurissant Parc Place would be located at 1475 Carla Drive, at the north end of New Florissant Road. The project will have 53 units. Most will be condominiums, but twelve will not be. The project will cost an estimated $16 million. <\/p>\n
Behlmann explained that his project was the first in the metropolitan area that the Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) has required using new clean water rules. “MSD has made me the guinea pig,” Behlmann said, adding that the new rules have caused some changes to the project, but he was happy to be the test project for the new rules.<\/p>\n
Fatima Purchase Delayed————-<\/p>\n
In other news, the city\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s plan to purchase the former Our Lady of Fatima convent has been put on hold. Mayor Robert Lowery announced several months ago that he wanted to purchase the building and had worked out a deal with Johnny Londoff Chevrolet, which owns the Fatima complex, to buy the building for $1,000. The city would then use it as a business incubator, a place where new businesses can get support as they start. <\/p>\n
Five of the council members said they would vote against the purchase of the property. “We are not HGTV; we are not in the business of flipping property,” Councilwoman Karen McKay wrote in an email to the council.<\/p>\n
Councilman John Moran said that inspectors had many concerns about the building. He said that the executive summary the council was given says that repairs should cost approximately $35,000. He said that sounded very low based on the inspections. “It seems like there are still a whole lot of questions that we need to ask ,” he said.<\/p>\n
“I also took a tour of the building and have seen the report and the figures, and my personal belief is that the cost will be twice as high to renovate this building,” Councilman Ben Hernandez said. He also said that the city needed to take care of city hall, noted that the room in which the council meets has asbestos in the ceiling. <\/p>\n
Councilman Keith English also toured the building. He noted that he had 20 years experience as an electrician. He said that even minor renovations would cost more than $35,000. “Whenever you have a building, you have to have smoke detectors, fire alarms, ADA compliance, “he said. English also listed several electrical problems, including two prong receptacles throughout, which cannot be used for computers. “I could see a big, big dollar bill here,” he said.<\/p>\n
“This is not a good project for us to get involved in,” Councilman Dan Sullivan said. “It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a white elephant.” He said a resident of Fatima Court who had spoken earlier in the meeting had the best idea, which was to level the building. “I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s worth $1,000,” Sullivan said.<\/p>\n
Schneider compared the situation to a previous one faced by the city, when the owner of the property that became the IHOP on Lindbergh donated a landlocked portion of the property to the city. “A few years later, we sold it for $50,000 to a condominium developer,” he said.<\/p>\n
“I just don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see the worse case how we can lose on this,” Schneider said. “We can decide what to do with it later,” Schneider said that owning the property would give the city control over what went into the site.<\/p>\n
English noted that he could support the bill if the city had someone ready to lease the property or purchase it from the city, but he could not support the bill as written. <\/p>\n
Councilman Keith Schildroth noted that a similar situation existed at the former St. Thomas Aquinas property. He noted that if a non-profit group bought the property, the city would have little control over what they did with it. <\/p>\n
“I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve made no deals with Mr. Londoff,” Lowery said. “I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m concerned about what may go in there,” Lowery said. “I beg the council not to turn this down tonight,” Lowery said. <\/p>\n