Letter from Maryland School Town Home Developers

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)