Fencing, Setback Changed at Site of Possible CVS Development

The site targeted for a future CVS Pharmacy development gained further attention from Maplewood City Council on Tuesday night.

City council approved an ordinance to amend required parking and drive setbacks along Hazel Avenue, and to install a new transitional yard fence along Big Bend Boulevard and Hazel. Setbacks, a term used to describe the distance from a building to the road, will be changed from 10 to 8 feet.

St. Louis County requires the extra street space for additional right-of-way along Big Bend Boulevard for future lane-widening purposes, Ward 3 Councilman Shawn Faulkingham said.

The transitional yard fence will surround businesses in the Auto Plaza Ford space. City council recently approved rezoning the area as a planned unit development, which gave the city more control over potential changes like the fence.

A CVS Pharmacy is in negotiations to take over the Auto Ford site, which covers just more than two acres of developed land and a little more than half an acre of undeveloped land east of Big Bend.

The potential redevelopment has drawn criticisms from nearby residents, who voiced concerns at a previous council meeting about litter and inadequate barriers between the CVS and their homes.

Additional changes, such as setbacks, could produce more concern, though City Manager Marty Corcoran said letters were sent to residents living on Hazel that explained the purpose of the change. Neither residents nor council members have the power to veto setback changes.

Residents will likely appreciate the fence, however, which will be made of wood and stand 6 feet tall. The fence was included in the council's amendment as a direct response to residents' concerns, Faulkingham said.

Residents will have the opportunity to voice their opinions on both the setbacks and the fence at a public hearing during the next scheduled city council meeting on Feb. 28.