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Politics & Government

Aldermen to Hold on Talk of Davis Place Parking Restrictions

The Clayton Board of Aldermen will wait to discuss the issue further until the board of trustees of Central Presbyterian Church and members of the neighborhood have the opportunity to develop a possible solution.

An ordinance that would revise Clayton's traffic code regarding no-parking zones in the Davis Place subdivision will likely be updated and reintroduced in the future once residents and the trustees of have the opportunity to discuss a possible solution. The decision came Tuesday night during a meeting of the city's Board of Aldermen.

Ward 3 Alderman Steve Lichtenfeld made a motion to postpone further discussion of Bill 6262, which would have modified parking restrictions in the subdivision to create one-hour residential parking zones from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday on Davis Drive, Mohawk Drive, North Biltmore Drive and West Biltmore Drive. Current restrictions do not address Saturday parking in that area. 

The city's public works department surveyed residents before in the eastern portion of Davis Place. A survey of residents after the trial period found that residents favored the parking restrictions.

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“( and I have been talking with the trustees of , and we have found that both the neighborhood trustees and the church are planning to either reconstitute or expand their committees to work with each other,” Lichtenfeld said. He also said the groups are working to come to an agreement on parking issues.

Ed Rader told the aldermen on Tuesday that he's not satisfied with the proposed ordinance. He has lived on Davis Drive since 1966.

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“The probem is quite frankly not one of parking availability," Rader said. "The problem is utilization of existing parking.” The church already has an available parking lot with 182 spaces, he said.

Rader said that starting in December, he conducted his own survey to measure use of the parking lot.

“They don’t use it very well at all,” Rader said while passing out copies of his daily survey of parking use. He said the congregation has made Davis Place its parking lot.

The aldermen unanimously voted to postpone further discussion of the bill. Lichtenfeld said an election for the church's board of trustees is planned in the near future. Aldermen are not expected to discuss the parking issue at their next meeting in two weeks. Instead, the city will wait to introduce a new ordinance regarding parking restrictions after new board of trustees members are installed and the trustees have the opportunity to meet with residents on a possible solution.

In other business, the aldermen heard about a proposed a resolution from Centene Center to install a series of metal poles known as bollards along Forsyth Boulevard between Hanley Road and Bemiston Avenue, and along Hanley between Forsyth and Carondelet Avenue. The structures would act as a barrier in the event that a wayward vehicle were to leave Forsyth or Hanley and head toward the building.

Centene Center representatives on Tuesday displayed pictures of a bollard to illustrate the style and height of the safety device during a question-and-answer session with aldermen. The proposed bollards proposed are stainless steel, approximately 3 feet tall and would be spaced 5 1/2 feet apart. The foundation of the bollards would be 12-inch thick concrete.

Centene Center representatives agreed to a hold harmless and indemnification agreement as part of the proposal.  The agreement would protect the city of Clayton from any liability stemming from the bollard installation.

The aldermen passed the measure unanimously.

Before the board began its executive session, City Manager Craig Owens presented the board with a motion to dispose of specified city records.

“As the board is aware, it is the recommended guideline of the (Missouri) Secretary of State to formally approve the disposition of records at the Board of Aldermen level,” Owens said.

Among the documents proposed for disposal: Salary surveys from 1991 to 2006, duplicates of employee newsletters, staff meeting minutes and comprehensive annual finance reports from 1999 to 2010.

In a voice vote, the measure passed unanimously.

OTHER NOTES:

  • The board went into executive session at 8:15 p.m.
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