Koman Group Faces City Opposition In Fresh Market Bid

Creve Coeur City Council members did not tip their hands much during discussion this week about a request by the Koman Group seen as critical to bringing The Fresh Market grocer to town, but the city's Community Development Director reiterated his opposition to a request that could lead to having buildings along Olive Boulevard set back away from the street.

The developer is asking the city to grant city council the ability to allow for a setback from Olive greater than 80 feet, to accommodate the Fresh Market project at around 100 feet off Olive. 

Earlier this month, the city's Planning and Zoning Commission gave the request a negative recommendation.

"You're not giving up anything," Koman Attorney Garrick Hamilton told council members as the ordinance was introduced Monday for a first reading, while also citing other developments in the area which were past the 80 feet threshold, but added that a 'no' vote was pretty important. "It will stop this process," he said.

If the ordinance changed and the project was ultimately approved, Koman's representatives said the North Carolina-based "luxury grocer" could be open in October 2014.

Paul Langdon, the Director of Community Development, said the request amounted to something for one site in the city, something rare for a text amendment in Creve Coeur.

Langdon pushed back, arguing that several buildings off the 80 foot threshold were done before the city even established the standard, in part as a way to be more pedestrian-friendly.

"Most of these buildings either come very close to or are within that 80 foot distance," Langdon said, noting that each time a building doesn't, the overall standard gets weakened. He also cited The Koman Group's support of keeping buildings close to Olive as recently as 2007.

"If we don't stand our ground at some point and try to defend the purpose of these standards, then really, the standard doesn't exist," Langdon said.

The issue will be taken up for a vote, likely at the next Creve Coeur City Council meeting next month.