Concordia Seminary & Washington University Proposal

On March 27, 2024, the City of Clayton hosted a second community meeting at the Clayton High School Auditorium to present an update on the proposed draft overlay district regulations and the Big Bend Blvd traffic analysis. A recording of the information can be viewed below. City staff has drafted proposed overlay regulations for the South 40 Campus and the proposed athletic campus. The regulations strive to address the concerns voiced by residents and the community through the process so far. We encourage the community to view the recording and read through the proposed regulations. Any questions or comments can be submitted to using the feedback or questions tabs or via email (see the "Who's Listening" on the righthand side). The next step is to set neighborhood level meetings, similar to the previous round of neighborhood engagement, to allow for more detailed discussion of the concerns and priorities of each neighborhood. As feedback is submitted, City staff will continue to refine and revise the proposed overlay regulations. To download and view drafts of the overlay regulations and conceptual traffic analysis, please see the "Documents" tab on the righthand side of the webpage.

The City of Clayton has continued to analyze the proposed projects for Washington University in St. Louis and Concordia Seminary. We are now ready to present an update to the community regarding the proposed overlay zoning districts for the portion of Washington University’s campus known as South 40 and the western portion of Concordia Seminary’s campus. This presentation will cover what we have heard from the community during engagement activities as well as professional analysis related to traffic and zoning. The presentation will take place in the auditorium at Clayton High School on March 27^th from 7pm – 8:30pm. Staff will present information and there will be an opportunity for members of the community to ask questions and make comments. A recording of the presentation will also be posted on the website the following day. The project scope has not been amended to include the Fontbonne campus. Representatives of the institutions have been clear that the Fontbonne acquisition does not change their intentions for the western portion of the Concordia site (athletic fields) or the South 40 (student housing) and therefore, the City intends to move forward in establishing the protections and guidelines of the overlay districts as previously presented. Below is the official community meeting notice that has been mailed to property owners of the surrounding neighborhoods.

We appreciate everyone who has continued to follow this process and provide comments. The City of Clayton's traffic engineering consultant is progressing with the preliminary analysis of potential traffic impacts to Big Bend Boulevard. We hope to have results of the traffic analysis completed in a few weeks. Once the analysis is complete, it will be reviewed by City staff and St. Louis County, who controls and maintains Big Bend Boulevard. City staff also continues to work on the draft regulations for the proposed overlay districts. Upon completion of both the draft regulations and traffic study, another round of public meetings will be scheduled to present both items to the community for review and feedback. We anticipate the community meetings to be late January or early February.

Based on some of the questions from the community, we have provided a brief overview of the traffic analysis and zoning overlay districts. For additional information, please submit a question through this webpage or view the recordings of the previous community meetings.

What is the goal of the preliminary traffic analysis?

• Determine potential locations for new vehicle access along Big Bend Boulevard to the proposed athletics campus at the western end of Concordia Seminary.
• Complete a preliminary analysis of traffic impacts for the proposed athletics campus on Big Bend Boulevard.
• Inform a discussion between St. Louis County and the City of Clayton.
• Address some of the community questions about vehicle safety and access along Big Bend Boulevard.

What is a zoning overlay district and how would it apply to this proposal?

• Zoning codes are a legal tool that allows local government to define what can be built on a piece of land and how the land can be used. The City of Clayton is divided into different base zoning districts, each with regulations including development standards and permitted land uses. Each base zoning district is oriented towards residential or commercial primary uses such as R-2 Single-Family Dwelling District or HDC High Density Commercial District, but some districts allow for a mix of uses. The City also utilizes overlay districts, which modify the base zoning district regulations for specific areas. The City adopted a zoning map, which delineates the location and boundaries of each base zoning district and each overlay district. The City's zoning code and zoning map can be viewed on the "Zoning Regulations" page of the website.
• In this case, City staff are proposing to create two new overlay zoning districts. One would be located over Washington University's South 40 Campus to govern the development and use of this area primarily for residential campus purposes. The second would be located over the western portion of the Concordia Seminary campus to govern the development and use of the area as an athletics campus for Washington University. Each overlay district would modify the base zoning of R-2 Single-Family Residential. The overlay districts would create the "box" regulating long-term, phased development that is oriented towards the specific university uses proposed in each location. The use of overlay districts is recommended because they will create predictability, transparency, and a better level of certainty for the community as to how the areas can be developed and used. Currently, institutional uses such as a university are permitted in the R-2 Single-Family Dwelling District with a Conditional Use Permit (CUP). The existing base zoning district regulations are clearly established to govern single-family uses and the community must react to a CUP proposal with various conditions to address concerns of the specific application. With an overlay district, regulations are provided to better address the proposed university uses prior to an application for development. With the overlay district adopted into the City's zoning code, it would take legislative action from the Board of Aldermen to change the provisions in the future.
• As the City staff draft the overlay district regulations, they are seeking to address the following concerns that have been voiced by the community:
  • Preserve neighborhood character and quality of life for nearby residents.
  • Don't want to see it.
  • Don't want to hear it.
  • Don't want traffic or parking in neighborhoods.
• To address the concerns listed above, the proposed overlay districts will contain some of the following regulation categories:
  • Development standards: lot coverage, building height, building density, layout and orientation, lighting, setbacks, transition zones, grading and drainage, accessory buildings, parking, trees and landscaping, etc.
  • Use standards: permitted primary and secondary uses, noise, etc.
  • Permitting: site plan review, architectural review, special events, etc.
• Each zoning overlay district will require a text amendment and zoning amendment. The text amendment establishes the zoning overlay district within the City's zoning code. The zoning amendment modifies the City's adopted zoning map to add the location of the overlay district. Both require a public hearing before the Plan Commission and the Board of Aldermen. Prior to the public hearing, the City will host community meetings to review the draft overlay regulations and solicit feedback, comments, and questions.

Thank you to all who have participated in the engagement process so far. The City has been reflecting on the comments and questions posed during neighborhood meetings and collected through this engagement page. Currently, there are two parallel analyses taking place related to the proposed project. City staff are working on draft regulations for the proposed overlay that seek to establish protections for the neighborhoods and community and create a framework for expectations moving forward. At the same time, the City has engaged our traffic engineering consultants to perform a preliminary traffic analysis related to Big Bend Boulevard. Upon completion of both the draft regulations and traffic study, another round of community meetings will be scheduled to present both items to the community for review and feedback.

Neighborhood-level meetings to discuss the Concordia Seminary/Washington University project occurred July 24-27. The meetings were held in the City Hall Council Chambers (10 N. Bemiston Ave.) and available for remote attendees via Zoom. Recordings of these meetings are available below.

• Hillcrest – Monday, July 24 from 7:00 – 8:15 p.m.
  
• Tuscany Park – Wednesday, July 26 from 5:30 – 6:45 p.m.
  
• Hi-Pointe/DeMun – Wednesday, July 26 from 7:00 – 8:15 p.m.
  
• Southmoor/Brentmoor Park/Forest Ridge – Thursday, July 27 from 5:30 – 6:45 p.m.
  
• Skinker Heights/Tesson/Wydown Terrace – Thursday, July 27 from 7:00 – 8:15 p.m.
  
  

  
  

  
  

To kick-off the engagement process, the City of Clayton, Concordia Seminary, and Washington University in St. Louis held a joint community meeting to present an overview of the proposed projects and highlight how each entity will be involved moving forward. The City's role is to advocate for the Clayton community and facilitate a path forward that seeks to address the needs of the institutions, neighborhoods, and residents. A recording of the original presentation from June 2023 can be viewed below. A copy of the presentation slides can be found in the "Documents" folder on the right side of the page.