Moto, Inc. v. Board of Adjustment of St. Louis

88 S.W.3d 96, 2002 Mo. App. LEXIS 1752, 2002 WL 1968292
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedAugust 27, 2002
DocketED 80346
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 88 S.W.3d 96 (Moto, Inc. v. Board of Adjustment of St. Louis) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Moto, Inc. v. Board of Adjustment of St. Louis, 88 S.W.3d 96, 2002 Mo. App. LEXIS 1752, 2002 WL 1968292 (Mo. Ct. App. 2002).

Opinion

PER CURIAM.

The Board of Adjustment of the City of St. Louis (“Board of Adjustment”) appeals from a judgment of the Circuit Court of the City of St. Louis reversing its denial of a conditional use permit sought by Moto, Inc., doing business as Moto Mart (“Moto Mart”), for construction of a facility that would include a tractor-trailer and automobile fueling station, convenience store, and restaurant. Because we find that Moto Mart has not satisfied the standards for issuance of a conditional use permit, we reverse the circuit court’s judgment and remand for entry of a judgment affirming the Board of Adjustment’s decision denying the request for a conditional use permit.

Moto Mart owns 2.88 acres of undeveloped land located at the intersection of Riverview Drive and Dunn Road in the northeastern most part of the City of St. Louis. The land is zoned as an H area commercial district. Moto Mart sought to construct a 24-hour tractor-trailer and automobile fueling station, convenience store, and restaurant.

The business would include six diesel fuel dispensers designed to refuel tractor-trailers. The project would also feature eight gasoline dispensers. Each dispenser would be double-sided such that 16 automobiles could be accommodated at any one time. The store would offer typical convenience store items including groceries, refreshments, an ATM, money orders, automotive parts, and medications. The facility would include a Hero’s Restaurant offering fresh, made-to-order food, pizza, and sandwiches along with seating for customers.

*98 The proposed business would be one of Moto Mart’s largest in terms of traffic count and diesel dispensers. The diesel dispensers were a key component of the project as a Moto Mart representative testified that they made the project “economically viable,” and the company was not interested in building the facility without them.

Moto Mart’s parcel was attractive for the proposed facility as Riverview Drive is the first exit in Missouri after crossing over the Mississippi River from Illinois on Interstate 270 (“1-270”). This area is largely undeveloped and contains many nature areas open to the public, including the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, the Columbia Bottoms Conservation Area, the Riverfront Trail, the City of St. Louis Waterworks, the Lewis and Clark Monument, and the historic Old Chain of Rocks Bridge.

This area is also the site of numerous proposed scenic developments, including a major visitors and interpretive center to highlight the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers in conjunction with the Lewis and Clark bicentennial celebration. The center is to be built by the state of Missouri. In addition, there are plans proposed by civic groups and state entities to promote and extend hiking and biking trails through the area, to construct a linear park on both sides of the Mississippi River from downtown St. Louis to the Chain of Rocks pedestrian bridge, and on to the Columbia Bottoms, and to preserve the Columbia Bottoms as a conservation area.

The administrative proceedings in this case began in early 1998 when Moto Mart filed an application for a building permit. The zoning administrator and the Board of Adjustment both denied the building permit on the basis that fuel stations were prohibited uses in the H area commercial district if the station dispensed fuel to tractor-trailers. Moto Mart filed a petition for writ of certiorari in the Circuit Court of the City of St. Louis.

The circuit court found that Moto Mart’s proposed business was a conditional rather than a prohibited use in an H area commercial district. Moreover, it determined that Moto Mart’s proposed business, including the dispensing of fuel to tractor-trailers, fell within the definition of “motor fuel pumping station.” The circuit court remanded the case to the Board of Adjustment with directions to entertain an application from Moto Mart for a conditional use permit.

Upon remand, the zoning administrator held a hearing on Moto Mart’s application for a conditional use permit. After taking testimony and evidence, the zoning administrator recommended that the Board of Public Service deny the conditional use permit as the standards for its issuance, set out in City Zoning Ordinance section 26.80.010, were not satisfied. Contrary to his recommendation, the Board of Public Service granted Moto Mart a conditional use permit to construct its business.

James and Sharon McGuire, property owners adjacent to the proposed site, and the Riverview Drive Improvements Association, a group representing nearby property owners, appealed the issuance of the conditional use permit to the Board of Adjustment. The Board of Adjustment, in three separate hearings, received testimony and evidence resulting in a 1200-page legal file, including transcripts, exhibits, and demonstrative evidence. 1

*99 In support of its position, Moto Mart presented the testimony of its former attorney, Michael Lazaroff; its current attorney, John Meyer; its president, Robert Forsyth; its vice-president of facilities, Dan Duncan; appraiser Ann McReynolds; and three area residents. In opposition to the proposed business, testimony and letters were received from Missouri State Representative Timothy Green, whose legislative district is adjacent to this site; Milton Svetanics, former member of the Board of Alderman and resident of the area; attorney John Connelley; City of St. Louis Alderwomen Dionne Flowers and Nancy Weber; Missouri State Senators Betty Sims, Paula J. Carter, and John J. Schneider; St. Louis County Councilman Jim O’Mara; City of St. Louis engineer Ron Brendel; the Missouri Tourism Commission; the Missouri Department of Conservation; the Confluence Greenway project; representatives of the Riverview Drive Improvements Association; and seven nearby residents.

After reviewing this evidence, the Board of Adjustment reversed the decision of the Board of Public Service and denied issuance of the conditional use permit. The Board of Adjustment specifically found that Moto Mart’s use: (1) would not complement nor be compatible with the surrounding uses; (2) would have a negative impact on adjacent uses and community facilities such as conservation, recreation, and tourism; (3) would not contribute to, enhance, or promote the general welfare and convenience of the specific location; (4) would create a noticeable increase in noise, traffic, and litter; and (5) would establish a new standard by which other development in the immediate area would be measured in the future.

Moto Mart again filed a petition for writ of certiorari with the Circuit Court of the City of St. Louis. The court reversed the Board of Adjustment’s denial of the conditional use permit, finding that it “grossly abused its discretion, acted contrary to law, and acted without substantial and competent evidence to support its actions.” The court directed the Board of Adjustment to enter an order granting Moto Mart a conditional use permit. This appeal follows. 2

On appeal, we review the findings of fact and conclusions of law of the Board of Adjustment and not the circuit court. State ex rel. Sander v. Bd. of Adjustment of Creve Coeur,

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
88 S.W.3d 96, 2002 Mo. App. LEXIS 1752, 2002 WL 1968292, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/moto-inc-v-board-of-adjustment-of-st-louis-moctapp-2002.