The City of Clayton is considering the sale of the Hanley/Wydown parking lot to Cornerstone Development to build a high-density apartment complex. We are a group of neighboring residents and businesses voicing our concerns about the proposal to City Leaders. We support development on this property, but we feel that this particular proposal has several design elements that would be problematic for our neighborhood.
Four main concerns:
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Size/Scale of the proposed Building: Cornerstone Development would seek rezoning or variances to build a development far larger than the lot can accommodate. Cornerstone proposes a six-story building, and the area is currently zoned for a maximum of three stories. Further, the proposal would remove currently required setbacks between the building and streets on both Hanley and Wydown.
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Parking: Parking plans are inadequate in both the short and long term. Desirable businesses like I Fratellini and Bar Les Freres have concerns about the impact to their business and ultimately may be forced to relocate.
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Traffic: Non-resident parking access will enter/exit from Hanley, dramatically increasing traffic congestion, disproportionately impacting nearby residents
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Neighborhood Aesthetic: The proposed plan removes all green space and trees from a prominent corner lot and adds very little retail space (~2.5% of total sq footage or less than 20% of the first floor).
Additionally, we believe there is no pressing need for the City to divest a highly utilized asset (the parking lot) when there is the potential for a major oversupply of apartments/residential development in Clayton. Currently, more than 1,200 units are under construction or in advanced stages of planning in Clayton alone (>10% increase in total residential units in Clayton). Overall, we see the potential for the proposed Beacon to significantly detract from our neighborhood with little to no upside for the City or its residents.
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TAKE ACTION: Sign our petition