Ellisville Planning and Zoning OKs Walmart Project

In a packed meeting that lasted close to three hours, the Ellisville’s planning and zoning commission approved Walmart and the Sansone Group’s petition for a conditional use permit to allow the store to be built.

Gregg Sanborn and Dan Duffy voted against the project, commission member Skip Adams was not present, and the rest of the commission voted in favor.

Walmart and the Sansone Group, the developer of the construction, needed the conditional use permit because of the characteristics of the store:

• The store would exceed 50,000 square feet. (The store’s size would be approximately 155,000 square feet).  
• The store would have multiple-tenant space, such as a possible Blimpie or eye care facility.
• A portion of the storefront would raise above 30 feet.
• And the store plans on selling liquor, including Sunday sales.

Ada Hood, city planner, presented the commission several recommendations she and other city staff made to the Walmart development, which is set to be built on a location denominated C-3 Commercial Zoning.

Hood said the developer was not seeking any variances to the zoning laws. Hood explained that the project complied with all of the city’s codes, MoDOT’s traffic recommendations and would also comply with environmental and Missouri Sewer District requirements.

Hood, however, did present more than 20 recommendations to the original plan, which ranged from the material of the fencing to the truck’s loading and unloading times. Walmart representatives agreed to the majority of the recommendations, with a couple left up for discussion.

The board approved the city’s recommendations and moved the project forward to its next step, which would be approval by the architectural review board and by the city council.

Because of planning and zoning’s favorable vote, Walmart only needs a simple majority vote from the city’s council in order to be approved.

A majority of the residents who attended the meeting were against the development. The planning and zoning commission conducted a show-of-hands vote of the audience to see who was in favor or against the project.

Of those present, six property owners were in favor of the Walmart project and 28 against it.

“We don’t need the traffic. We don’t need the crime. We don’t need this development,” said John Hoffman, who has lived in Ellisville for more than 30 years.

Stay tuned to Ballwin-Ellisville Patch for more updates on this meeting.