Home Businesses, Kettle Corn Approved By Planning and Zoning Commission

After filled with public debate, Wednesday’s Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting was a brisk, quiet affair.

Clocking in a shade under an hour, the March meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission featured little drama and little debate. Cases were presented to the commission and decisions were made in a quick fashion.

The first items up for discussion dealt with home occupations. The commission heard four residents request to use their homes as a place of business.

Two businesses, Schaffer Lawn Care Co. and National Lawn Service, were approved with contingencies. The lawn care and maintenance businesses requested to use their homes as offices for billing practices only. The board requested the businesses agree to store all equipment inside, not have employees meet at the residence, not clean any equipment outside and make sure all tools and equipment is out of plain sight when in vehicles.

Both businesses agreed, with National Lawn Care making a small change. Owner Zachary Goldberg’s brother-in-law is a coworker and lives across the street. The two were planning to meet daily, so his proposal was amended to say employees couldn’t park at the residence.

The other two home operation businesses were Conner-Holmes Design Group, LLC and Java In A Cup. Conner-Holmes Design Group is a computer-aided drafting business making floor plans and other things of that nature. Java In A Cup sells coffee and herbs either by delivery or over the Internet.

All four home businesses received thumbs up from Planning and Zoning Commission. The approval recommendations will be presented to the Board of Aldermen who will vote on the issue at a later March meeting.

Next up was other business. First on the agenda was Hackman Lumber Co., but no one from the business was in the crowd. The Commission pushed this item to the end of the meeting, but still no one from Hackman showed up. The Commission debated approving the matter since it was similar to something they had approved in years past. Commission member Bill Yoffie objected to this idea.

“It’s the wrong way to go,” Yoffie said. “… I think they need to be here.”

Not wanting to appear biased, the Commission pushed back the item until the April meeting.

The three other pieces of other business were all approved. Walmart was given an approval by the Commission to use parking spaces for an outdoor home and garden center. was approved to go forward with a remodel.

Kettle corn was the final piece of other business the Planning and Zoning Commission heard. Shane Cox requested permission to make his kettle corn for his future business—The Kettle Corner—outside.

Board chairman Keith McNames wondered if Cox was going to get a permanent canopy cover for the cooking area. He said he was worried that a simple tent and tarp could get very dirty very fast.

“Next thing you know, we’ve got Hooverville, and we don’t want that,” McNames said.

Cox said he was planning to build something and that it would be well maintained.

“I’m glad you have other plans for something permanent,” McNames said.

Following the approval of The Kettle Corner, the Commission approved the resubdivision of Lot 2 of Woodstone Place. After that, the Commission sent to the Board for approval an update to Title IV Land Use (Chapter 405) of the St. Peters Municipal Code.

The next Planning and Zoning Commission meeting will take place on April 6, 2011.