Meeting Highlights: Council Reviews Eager Road Development

Development on Eager Road was among items discussed Tuesday by the Richmond Heights City Council.

The following are highlights from the meeting. An posted earlier.

Email questions about this report to nate.birt@patch.com.

REGULAR MEETING

8:28 P.M.: The council is preparing to enter closed session.

8:27 P.M.: Reginald Finney is addressing the council about development in Hadley Township.

8:25 P.M.: The is happy to help the city implement the climate action plan, Jan Niehaus said.

8:23 P.M.: The council is reviewing several pieces of legislation for the first time. The group will consider approving the ordinances Feb. 6. The laws address rezoning of the Eager Road land discussed in the earlier public hearing; the adoption of the 2012 International Building Code; and the adoption of International Residential Code with regard to one- and two-family buildings.

8:21 P.M.: The climate action plan has been approved.

8:17 P.M.: Greenwald said she is excited about the opportunity to educate  residents about contributing to sustainability efforts. The city's newsletter could be used to to inform people about ways to do that.

8:10 P.M.: Among the practices Hamilton said city officials can consider for cutting emissions:

• Unplugging unused appliances
• Purchasing energy-efficient appliances
• Using power strips and power-saving technology on computers
• Employee policies (such as a no-idling policy already in practice for city vehicles)

Jones said he is aware of other communities that have similar plans. He referenced Aurora, CO, as a place that has added restrictions on activities such as barbecuing. He said he wants to make sure that such restrictions aren't enacted in Richmond Heights.

Hamilton said the council would have to approve any amendments to the plan. It will only be good until 2013, she said, after which it will have to be reviewed.

8:06 P.M.: The city is using a newly formed climate action plan, City Manager Amy Hamilton told the council.

(Download the Richmond Heights Climate Action Plan.)

The city's goal is a 15 percent reduction in those gases, both internally and as a community.

8:01 P.M.: Larry Chapman of Chapman Ventures is discussing a high-rise planned near community center.

He is working with MoDOT to resolve questions about right-of-way in the area.

The council has authorized the mayor to sign an amentment to the purchase and sale agreement with Chapman Ventures for the development at Dale Avenue and Hanley Road.

7:54 P.M.: just introduced himself to the mayor and council. He indicated he is looking forward to working in an administrative capacity in the city.

7:50 P.M.: District 2 Councilman Jim Thomson said a recent district council meeting was well attended. People in Hadley Township are concerned about what will come from a .

He said he, District 2 Councilman Mike Jones and Beck encouraged them to follow progress there.

"They need to stay involved," Thomson said.

Jones said a meeting is scheduled soon to develop plans for the city's centennial in 2013. More information will be posted on Patch as it becomes available.

7:47 P.M.: The regular meeting has begun. Mayor James Beck is recognizing .

"We will miss him very much," Beck said.

He also asked those in attendance to remember Greg Steffen, a official .

PUBLIC HEARING: EAGER ROAD OFFICE BUILDING

7:43 P.M.: The building would be two stories high and 34,800 square feet in total area.

District 4 Councilwoman Camille Greenwald asked whether the developer would be able to incorporate walking paths in the project. He said that while he would like to add paths, it won't be possible because of limited space.

Councilwoman Connie Williams, also from District 4, asked whether he has studied traffic patterns.

The developer said studies have not been conducted. He said a corporate tenant with a sales force that comes and goes throughout the day is likely.

One prospective tenant that looked at the building needed 70 parking spaces, and another needed 80, he said.

7:41 P.M.: The developer wants a prominent sign for the building, which will have a "high price point," he said. The sign would be in the vein of that employed by nearby buildings such as University Club Tower.

7:40 P.M.: The building would face Highway 40 and be composed of red brick and white stone to conform with the neighborhood, a speaker told the council. The area is zoned for residential development, but it would be difficult to build in that category because of changes made during changes to the highway, he said.

7:33 P.M.: A public hearing about a proposed high-rise in the 8800 block of Eager Road is underway. At issue is whether the land should be rezoned to permit construction of the development.

7:23 P.M.: The meeting is scheduled to begin at 7:30.