Any residents interested in finding out more should contact Paul Taghert, Treasurer of PCN at taghertp@pcg.wustl.edu or Laura Bryant at 202 N Brentwood Blvd Apt 1B Saint Louis, MO 63105-3903 or visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/KeepClaytonGreen/ or http://keepclaytongreen.webs.com/
Press Release from Citizen’s group, ” Protect Clayton Neighborhoods”
For Immediate Release
Clayton, MO, January 30, 2014—A group of concerned citizens has established a grassroots coalition, “Protect Clayton Neighborhoods” (PCN) in response to threats of property rezoning and higher density development in their community’s single-family neighborhoods.
PCN supports healthy development of commercial and residential properties in Clayton, but strongly opposes the inappropriate or arbitrary rezoning of residential neighborhoods. For example, the Clayton School District (the District) has just announced that it intends to sell the Maryland School property to the highest bidder, a developer that proposes to rezone the entire parcel and build 48 condominiums surrounded by single-family homes.
In fact, the proposed development by Love Investment Company would require rezoning to a 400 percent increase in density. Furthermore, the City of Clayton’s current Land Use Plan recognizes the parcel as green space and anticipates it to be used as "Public or Quasi-Public" green space for the long term.
The City of Clayton’s Master Plan, zoning ordinances, and land use plans have all been carefully researched and adopted over time to ensure proper and fair land-use decision-making -- and to prevent inappropriate and/or arbitrary proposals like this one. Unfortunately, the Clayton School District has placed the City of Clayton in a position whereby it must spend time, money and effort to review an unacceptable proposal that is not in accordance with the City's land-use plan, the neighbors' wishes or the community's well-documented needs.
In an attempt to validate its actions, the Clayton School District has stated that “Love’s proposal was selected because it provides both the highest and best use for the property as well as a long-term revenue stream of additional property taxes." It is not clear why the School District is touting a revenue-stream argument, since the City of Clayton never allows "economic concerns" to justify even small property variances, much less residential rezoning.
As a result, members of the PCN coalition are publicly and adamantly opposing any such effort to arbitrarily alter or revise current zoning and land-use plans.
