Susan Ryan, on behalf of the Maryland School Town Home Developers, requested the opportunity to share the following open letter with the neighborhood to help keep us informed.
April 25, 2014
Dear Neighbors:
Recently, several Hanley Place neighbors met with the Maryland School Town Home development team of Clayton resident Larry Schiffer, architect Gyo Obata and me so we could debut information about the new neighborhood proposed for the Clayton area.
If you haven’t already visited the Maryland School Town Homes website at www.marylandschooltownhomes.com, we encourage you to do so. Members of our team will be available in the coming months to talk with folks about the Maryland School Town Homes and its progress. It is our goal to provide the community with valuable information as we work through the zoning process that we are required to follow by City of Clayton. This process includes several opportunities for public hearings and community feedback, in addition to the meeting we held in late March.
We are encouraged by the strong interest in these new homes, and we have received both support and constructive feedback from Clayton residents and those who wish to live in this beautiful community.
A neighbor recently emailed us some questions, and we wanted to share following information in response.
We believe these homes will be most attractive to empty nesters and professionals, although they will certainly be welcoming to families.
We have been working with a few members of the City of Clayton staff to ensure we are properly moving through the established city process. No assurances have been given to us by any staff member or elected official regarding the future of this project. As residents and fans of the Clayton community, we believe this project would be good for the city, for the people who desire to live in Clayton, and for future property values in the area.
The City of Clayton requires developers to conduct a traffic study. Once that study is completed, it will be available to the public through the city. Parking for residents will be underground, which will free up parking for guests and workmen. Any additional guests and workmen will have access to the streets just as current neighbors do when guests and workmen visit. While we are pleased to have the support of many former elected and city officials, none of them is working on behalf of the development team.
The average roof height of the Maryland School Town Homes is 32 feet, which is consistent with many of the homes in the neighborhood. The Westmoreland setback is 20 feet; the Jackson setback is 10-12 feet; and the Maryland setback is 17 feet and 10 feet. These setbacks have been designed to blend into the current look and feel of the neighborhood.
New drawings of the development including driveway, garage, trash and utilities will be available on the website when they are completed. The City of Clayton requires developers to conduct an environmental impact study, tree replacement plan and storm water study as part of the established process. Once those are completed, they will be available through the city.
We understand that landscaping is important to the charm of the neighborhood. The trees that are on city or city-maintained property can only be removed with city approval. Trees on the property dedicated for the development will be removed only as needed. Landscaping will be designed to blend into the established trees and plantings of the current neighborhood. All of the landscaping requires the approval of the City of Clayton. We will keep the community informed of our plans as we move through the City of Clayton approval process.
For more information, please visit the website or email us with your questions.
Regards,
Bruce Korn
Co-Developer Bruce Korn and the Maryland School Town Homes, LLC Team
www.marylandschooltownhomes.com
info@marylandschooltownhomes.com
If you have questions, please contact Susan C. Ryan of SC Ryan Consulting, LLC at 314-304-6800 (phone) or 314-983-0998 (fax) or susan.c.ryan@att.net (email)
April 30, 2014
Letter from Maryland School Town Home Developers
April 24, 2014
April 4, 2014
Mayor Sanger Issues Statement on Postcards about Ballot Proposals
April 2, 2014
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Mayor Sanger Issues Statement on Postcards about April 8 Ballot Proposals
CLAYTON, MO (April 2, 2014) – Over the past week, Clayton residents have received mailers from a St. Charles based organization about the April 8 ballot proposals. “The Board of Aldermen and I are sorely disappointed that someone has resorted to sending misleading information to Clayton residents and know you may have questions about inaccurate “vote-no” postcards you may have gotten in the mail. They have a St. Charles return address, and the treasurer is listed as Brad Harmon. Not only is Mr. Harmon not a Clayton resident, he has never contacted anyone within our city government to check any facts,” says Mayor Harold Sanger.
“Our canvassing, community outreach and day-to-day interactions with our neighbors throughout the city indicate that Clayton residents know how important these proposals are to the future of our community,” says Sanger.
“While some of our citizens may disagree with one or more the ballot proposals and choose to vote no, we respect differences of opinion among all members of our own community, regardless of current or future decisions as we move forward together to keep Clayton strong,” says Sanger.
“Clayton is a community that places a high value on transparency and the honest and open discussion of issues. The Board of Aldermen and I are unanimous in our view that, there is no place in our democracy for secrecy and anonymity – or misinformation - in referendum campaigns. We think you deserve to know the facts about the proposals on the Tuesday, April 8 ballot,” says Sanger.
Six percent. This is the increase if both ¼-cent sales tax increases are approved. “This small increase will help us maintain our current level of fire and EMS services and allow us to remain competitive in recruiting and retaining businesses. With the increases, Clayton’s sales tax rate will still be lower than many of our neighboring communities,” says Sanger. The increase will be the city’s first sales tax increase in 16 years.
The Math:
Current Rate: 8.36%
Add .50
New Rate: 8.86%
.50/8.36= 6% increase
Three-percent. This is the proposed increase in property taxes from both bond issues. One will support improvements to more than half of our city’s neighborhood streets and street lighting. The other will replace Shaw Park’s deteriorating 53-year-old ice rink and building with a new, year-round, open-air, multi-purpose, recreational and cultural venue. Together, these proposals will result in a 3 percent increase in the property tax rate. The average homeowner will pay less than $20 a month in additional property taxes, based on average $500,000 home.
The Math (for a $500,000 home)
Current property tax investment, $7,273
Additional $219 (for both proposals) = $7,492
$219/$7,273 = 3% increase
Clayton receives only around 2.25% of the total city tax rate of 8.36%, and around 11% of a resident’s total property tax bill because sales taxes and property taxes are shared with other entities such as the State, Special School District, Metropolitan Zoo Museum District and the Metropolitan Sewer District.
“I encourage you to visit www.ClaytonForward.com to learn more about these important proposals. Take a few moments to become fully informed and vote in a way that you believe will best protect our property values and keep the quality of our community. I am available to personally answer any questions anyone may have. I can be reached 314-290-8470,” says Sanger.
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This content is intended only to inform residents about the issues to be presented on Election Day and to encourage everyone to fully inform themselves and participate in the election process. While I [we] feel strongly that each of the ballot issues has merit, this content is not intended to advocate how anyone should vote or to support any outcome of the election. I [We] have confidence that Clayton residents can make informed judgments without campaign advocacy.
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