New Solution for Old Firehouse

The owner of a St. Louis-area courier service has plans to buy the former Mehlville firehouse at Lindbergh Boulevard and Sappington Barracks Road, but residential neighbors are still not happy with the proposed use for the space.

Ontime Express president Nick Kirkou said he’d like to purchase the old firehouse at 1625 Sappington Barracks Rd. from Gateway House of Prayer to relocate his business office from Crestwood. The church attempted to turn the building into a rectory last year, which was met with pushback from neighbors, who voiced concerns over who would be staying on the property and its effect on traffic.

Tuesday night Kirkou was before the Board of Aldermen to re-zone the site as a commercial property.

Kirkou believes the location will not only be sufficient for his four employees, he intends to use the fire truck garage to secure a document shredding truck. He’s also willing to eliminate an existing driveway onto Sappington Barracks Road that’s become a cut-through for local traffic since the Mehlville Fire Protection District moved out in 2012.

Residents who spoke during the meeting believe the rezoning will compromise the character of their neighborhood; others mentioned the possibility of a busier commercial business becoming their neighbor farther down the road.

"I wanted to put this again not on just the request at hand… the situation we’re faced with is not a commercial zoning for his use, and unfortunately it’s been brought up it’s what holds for the future. I don’t believe anyone here can say another use is not going to be possible there…," resident Kim Gardner said.

But by far the largest concern is for the two entrances on Sappington Barracks, which were previously used for fire fighters to access the neighborhood. Residents want to see both driveways closed permanently.

Large pots are currently being used to barricade the easternmost driveway--the one most frequently used as a cut-through.

“I want to block it off and do something that looks nice. I don’t want to just throw something there—bales of hay or something to block it…. It’s gotta look good, it’s gotta make aesthetic sense,” Kirkou said. “Those pots that are there now are just short term.”

Alderman Jan Hoffmann suggested the second Sappington Barracks access be fenced or gated. Alderman Thomas Musich said the pots could be moved to block vehicles from driving around the back of the building. Another suggestion included eliminating both Sappington Barracks drives, and connecting the two that exit onto Lindbergh Boulevard.

Kirkou seemed less amenable to permanently blocking both Sappington Barracks drives. He believes the parking lot won’t be used as a cut-through once the space is occupied.

The board approved the rezoning request unanimously with the provision that Kirkou removes concrete from the easternmost drive and replace it with green space. A super-majority was required to override neighbors' petition signatures.

Not everyone found satisfaction with that solution.

"If this remains residential, what are you going to do when nobody’s monitoring the cut-through?” Alderman Art Havener asked Gardner. “I just want to be clear that you’re comfortable with Gateway House of Prayer maintaining this property as a residential, and you having no control over it. Those two driveways remain open. I mean, that’s the practicality of this. They don’t have to sell.”

“If I had the choice today to decide whether to leave it as residential R-2 in its current shape, or allow commercial access even with one single drive on there, I think residential is the better way to go there for the long term,” Gardner said.

A request to re-zone 4615 S. Lindbergh—the property next door— as a commercial property was not met with any objections. That request also passed unanimously.

The board also approved a request to re-zone 9455 Rott Rd., the former Judevine School, as a residential R-2. Owner Anthony Garavaglia hopes to divide the property into three parts: two for new homes, and to convert the old school into his residential home.

Previous stories:

• Sunset Hills Church to Sell Former Mehlville Firehouse
• Sunset Hills Residents Want Restrictions Set on Proposed Rectory
• Sunset Hills Church Responds to Resident Concerns About Rectory Proposal
• Letter to the Editor: Postpone Action on Church's Request to Convert Firehouse Into Rectory