Scooter’s Coffee is Set to Glide into Ellisville Location

 (Here are two restaurant pieces I did a week ago for West Newsmagazine.)

How can one deny the request for an establishment that sports the slogan "Amazing People, Amazing Drinks … Amazingly Fast?" Ultimately, the city of Ellisville did not.

At its Dec. 15 meeting, the City Council gave the green light for a conditional use permit granted to Scooter’s Coffee for a drive-thru facility adjoining a kiosk in a Commercial Zoning District at 16006 Manchester Road.

Some follow up questions and comments regarding that bill (No. 3732) was preceded by a rather lengthy public hearing. It began with City Attorney George Restovich rattling off a list of 16 exhibits in the petition. Next, Wilson Waggoner, a civil engineer working on Scooter’s plans spoke and fielded questions.

“It’s very similar to a Starbucks,” Waggoner said. “This particular location will be drive-thru only with no indoor or outdoor seating. It was preferred by the franchisee that there would be no walk-up business.”

Waggoner mentioned that Scooter’s primarily serves hot and cold drinks and breakfast sandwiches to some 400 locations in the U.S. in 33 states. Those locations include ones in St. Charles County (O’Fallon and Dardenne Prairie, which opened last month).

(Source: Scooter's Coffee/Facebook)

The building will be just 654 square feet. Waggoner showed slides for the projected site plan and also possible signs for all sides of the building plus a 12-foot-high "monument sign." The city code only allows for ones 10-foot-high. The idea of cross-access to Valvoline and Economy Car Care Center was also discussed.

“This is a really small lot, so I appreciate you have some really tough spots to work with,” council member Rob Compton (District 1) said. “As far as cross-access is concerned, we’re not looking for that to be applied immediately, but down the road. So, I don’t think removing that requirement is beneficial to us even if it’s not being used at this time.

“Also, we’re looking at an awful lot of signage on a tiny little building here. And on the sides of that building, you’re not sitting up very high. So, I don’t think those signs will even be seen, and one isn’t necessary in the back, either.”

City Planner Ada Hood reminded Compton that both the signage and cross-access would be discussed at an ensuing Architectural Review Board meeting. But both Compton and council member Mick Cahill (District 2) thought the cross-access issue should be settled prior to that meeting. Citizen Marilyn Niebling reiterated the immediate need for cross-access with regard to potential increased traffic issues on Manchester Road.

Per council member Vince McGrath’s (District 1) inquiry, Waggoner said the developer would have to revise its lighting plans to comply with the city’s specs. He also mentioned that there would be just one 6-foot high, wooden, dog-eared fence in the back of the property. Regarding employees, there would be three per shift and the hours of operation would likely be 5 a.m.-8 p.m.

With the assistance of council member Dan Duffy’s (District 3), Mayor Mike Roemerman added an amendment that would connect easements from the west to the east.

Cahill added a second amendment that there would be no sign on the back of the property that would be too visible to the people in the apartments directly behind it. That also passed as did the overall bill, which became Ordinance 21-3501.

“I’m happy and I believe the council is happy to see this come here to Ellisville. I think it’s a great plan. I like having a Starbuck’s alternative; hopefully, a little more economical. But I like the breakfast sandwich option, I like the look and I’m really not going to miss the current structure that’s on that property. I’m sure the staff at city hall will be coming by to get some coffee. It might be an upgrade from what they have at city hall,” Roemerman said. 

Ellisville grants Chick-fil-A extended hours for canopy work

On Feb. 9, it will be five full years since the grand opening of the Ellisville Chick-fil-A. And at the Dec. 15 Ellisville City Council meeting, nothing but upbeat comments were uttered by both its operator Tony Johnson and city council members.

Johnson appeared at the meeting by Zoom to petition for extended work hours in association with the construction of new canopies for the restaurant and its drive-thru at 304 Clarkson Road. The property is within a C-3  Commercial Zoning District. 

“What we’re looking to do is complete some of this construction with the heavy lifting, of which some has already been done, on the last two Sundays,” Johnson said. “There’s a group that comes from out of state to do the final completion of the canopies. We looked at it kind of six ways from Sunday. We’ve looked at shutting down the drive-thru altogether and trying to run it through the parking lot. All those have some issues like traffic backing up onto the road which would be disrupting our neighbors.” 

 Chick-fil-A Ellisville in snow in 2017 (Source: Chick-fil-A Ellisville/Facebook)

Mayor Mike Roemerman expressed concern about the possible decibel level associated with the project, especially since some of the work is slated to be done late at night.

Council member Rob Compton (District 1) had the same concerns. He questioned how that might work for a neighbor who had to be up early for work the next morning.

“If there is a complaint, is there a certain sound level that we can’t exceed?” Compton asked. 

City Manager Bill Schwer noted that there is an ordinance for acceptable sound levels.

“My understanding is that most of the concrete work … the bigger pieces with the concrete … have been done on the previous two Sundays during the daytime,” Johnson said. “What this group would actually be doing is the columns that go down with the flat roof. Most of that work will just be them putting the columns together and running the electrical, plumbing and wiring.  So, I think the only tools out there at night will be two lifts and a palette piece to help them move the steel.”

In response to a comment by council member Vince McGrath (District 1), Johnson said Sunday hours and extended daytime hours works best for the restaurant's business and also keeps from impeding on open hours of fellow businesses and creating traffic nuisances on Clarkson Road.

“I think you guys do a great job,” council member Dan Duffy (District 3) said. “My entire extended family is very happy with your restaurant and I’m in favor of anything that makes it easier to get in and out of there.”

The petition passed unanimously, and just as he had been at the start of his presentation, Johnson was both genuinely gracious and grateful for his opportunity to address the council.

“Thank you all for your time again, and also for a lot of the pre-COVID work that allowed us to stay in business; especially when we were kind of shut outside,” he said. “You let us put up temporary structures, and I can’t tell you how great that was, and I really appreciate you.  I think the support we felt from a business perspective and the flexibility you all shared with us, including not to have to close down for even one day, was awesome. It’s great to be part of the community!”

Public hearing on rail and truck facility draws ire from Chesterfield residents

 (West Newsmagazine)

The initial public comments segment of the first of two public hearing topics at the Nov. 23 Maryland Heights Planning & Zoning Commission, lasted well over an hour. Nearly a dozen Chesterfield residents showed up to voice concern over a proposed rail/truck facility proposed for 149 River Valley Drive.  A subsequent parcel at 860 Hog Hollow Road would be added should an overflow venue be required.

Precision Vehicle Holding, LLC is seeking to purchase that Maryland Park Lake District property, measuring nearly 4 million square feet, with an initial request to have it rezoned from Non-Urban District to Planned District-Manufacturing.

As noted in a proposal sent to the city of Maryland Heights, the purpose of the purchase is to “permit marshalling, storage and distribution by rail and car carriers of new production vehicles originating from the General Motors assembly plant at 15 E. Route A in Wentzville.”

The River Valley parcel is currently agricultural.

Under the proposal, it is set to feature an administration building of some 3,500 square feet and a truck repair facility of 9,500 square feet. Missouri American Water Company has a treatment plant just south and west of the entire proposed development while Chesterfield residential subdivisions are just south of the site.

The public hearings began peacefully as city planner Erin Lorusso presented the details of the project’s concept development plan. 

Lorusso offered slides regarding the land use and stormwater for the property. The site’s location is noted as “within the Creve Coeur Creek watershed and drains to the south and east to the State Route 364 mitigation area per the Maryland Park Lake District.” Several bioretention basins for water quality and a wet pond are being proposed to help with flood protection.

(Source: Google Maps)

Brett Griffin and Darrin McElroy, who founded Precision Holdings in 2014, shared a video that showed the process of loading passenger vehicles on rail cars from Wentzville and unloading them at the Maryland Heights site.

The 10-hour employee shifts of 6 a.m.-4 p.m. and 4 p.m.-2 a.m. were met with some resistance by residents. 

There would be two delivery loads each day. One would be in the morning, but far larger protests were lodged regarding any noise from evening train runs between 4:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. However, the applicants noted that, unlike other rail traffic, noise levels would also be limited to those associated with a 15 mph speed. Still, a resident complained that the noise from the connecting and disconnecting of couplings would be far too loud, especially at night when sound travels farther. 

Other fervent residential complaints focused on the fact that those homes in Chesterfield that are high on the bluff would be just several hundred feet from the proposed site. Residents mentioned flooding issues even during a period or two of heavy rain, environmental issues and the fact that, despite a selling point being jobs, there would be a maximum of just 25 employees on the site.  

One resident claimed that the constant trips between Wentzville and Maryland Heights make no sense due to ever-increasing fuel costs. Another said the proposed two-year construction alone would add a great deal of noise and destroy property values. It also was noted that most comparable facilities in the U.S. are built in manufacturing areas, not agricultural and residential areas. 

Whereas all the dissenting comments met with thunderous applause from the huge gathering, there was far less acknowledgment of comments by those in favor.  Those included the fact that municipalities have a right to develop their own land as long as doing so is within all guidelines of municipal, state and federal laws.

After additional vetting, the commission voted 4-2 in favor of approving the conceptual development plan with conditions. Lorusso noted that the applicants need to focus most on conducting a noise study and on the building design, which currently features corrugated metals that are not allowed by city standards.

Commission chairman Darrell Baker voiced hope that the applicants will reach out to the property owners regarding the issues they mentioned in the meeting.

An open meeting on the project will be held on Dec. 14.

Boardwalk Pizza is granted adjacent microbrewery

(Ran Nov. 19 in West Newsmagazine)

Famed author and humor columnist Dave Barry once wrote, “Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza.” 

That pretty much matches the sentiment of Boardwalk Pizza owner Virgil Avanzado and his brew master Jake Mantz.

Through a Planning & Zoning Commission recommendation, followed by a Nov. 17 public hearing, the city of Ellisville council members voted unanimously to grant a liquor license and permission to open a microbrewery next to the restaurant at 15636 Manchester Road.

                                      Facebook image

City Attorney George Restovich rattled off 19 different exhibits regarding the paperwork involved, starting with a certified copy of the municipal code and ending with the city planner’s memo, dated Nov. 11, 2021. In between were several items offered by those submitting the petition for changes and additions.

“I’m the architect working with Virgil on the renovation of his pizzeria, and expansion into the neighboring facility which will house a microbrewery, tasting room, additional restroom, some additional seating and a storage area,” Mantz said. “The renovation includes an upgrade to the existing Boardwalk Pizza and some interior upgrades for the customer seating area. It will continue to operate as it currently does, but with these additions we will be expanding into the vacant tenant space next door. I never heard so many exhibits, but this was just a very basic summary of all those exhibits Mr. Restovich mentioned.”

In response to Mayor Mike Roemerman’s questions, the brewing will be handled on site with Mantz utilizing his own recipes. He currently has design space for up to eight taps.  

Council member Vince McGrath (District 1) inquired as to how this microbrewery would differ from most others.

Mantz answered that it’s going to be different from your normal, stand-alone microbrewery. They will not necessarily be catering to the regular beer enthusiasts, but are gearing toward beers that can easily be paired to the food Avanzado’s been serving. There will be light ales, lagers and maybe a couple darker nut-brown porters.

He added that they’ll have growlers that customers can buy, take home, and return them for refills at a reduced price. Mantz also mentioned having ‘crowlers,’ which he described as purchases in cans that are considered single serving sizes.

“I’ve done a little bit of research, and we’ll possibly be the smallest brewery in the United States,” Mantz said. “So, it will be very small and very specific.”   

McGrath also asked if sales would cover their rent. Mantz said that they crushed the numbers. Based on the cost of brewery equipment, supplies, cleaning, the modest expansion (about 150 square feet for this segment) and great margins for beers brewed on the premise, they will do just fine.  He added that they would be eliminating the middleman unlike bars that purchase beers from a distributor.

Looking at the pizzeria at 15638 Manchester, the microbrewery will be on the left side. Outside dining tables will be added inside the current walkway.   

Speaking to Virgil, council member Mick Cahill (District 2) said, “Seeing you start the place up, and appreciate that you’re trying to grow it, I know you’ve done a great job. It’s a vacant spot next to you.  So, you’ll be filling that spot and bringing some revenue into our city.”

Cahill subsequently made an amendment regarding expanding the areas in front of both addresses for the potential of covered outside seating for that entire area.