The first St. Louis Tim Hortons passed its first official step Monday, as the location at Big Bend Boulevard and Hazel Avenue was approved 4-0 by Maplewood Planning and Zoning, though not without objections by nearby homeowners.
About a dozen Hazel Avenue residents hashed out concerns about traffic, store hours and a privacy fence with Eric Sigurdson, the president of Show Me Hospitality, the franchisee, and an engineer on the job in a meeting before planning and zoning met at city hall.
The planning and zoning recommendation will go to city council with the noted concerns. City council is set to tackle the issue at its next two meetings: Oct. 14 and 28. A public hearing is scheduled for Oct. 28.
The proposed traffic pattern, which has been OK’d by Maplewood Director of Public Works Anthony Traxler, has a curb cut for two-way traffic to the store off Hazel Avenue. Hazel is one-way going west. There’s also another planned entrance off Manchester Road that runs on the east side of CVS pharmacy.
“Our solution is no entrance or exit at all (off Hazel), from the standpoint, that’s our residential street and it really causes a safety issue of possible traffic trying to cut through and go the wrong way down a one-way street,” resident David Ruether told the commission.
He also said it would be hard for the residents to exit Hazel onto Big Bend, “particularly in the early morning hours when traffic is high.”
Ward 3 Councilman Barry Greenberg suggested blocking off Hazel Avenue just east of the Tim Hortons entrance, though engineer, Matt Fogarty said there’s not room for a cul-de-sac for a turn-around. Traxler said it could work.
Sigurdson and Fogarty suggested the neighbors could cut through the Tim Hortons parking lot to Manchester if they have trouble getting out onto Big Bend. Traxler said there is no city ordinance prohibiting that.
The neighbors, especially John Niehaus, whose house would border the Tim Hortons on the east, were also opposed to 24-hour operation, expressing concern about noise and exhaust.
See also: Maplewood’s Tim Hortons: what’s proposed
A meeting was planned for later in the week to further discuss a privacy fence.
Planning and zoning also approved a 3-seat beauty salon at 2100 Bellevue Avenue.
Hilarious.
That lot is way to small for a fast in and out type of business. There are families that live on that street. Traffic will be horrendous! You can’t get out of CVS – only by right turns. — Not to mention that it will affect the small coffee shops. Can’t they pick another location? Say the old quizno’s on big bend?????
The sound of cash registers could be too loud. There are worse businesses that could be there. There is a business on my block in a residential neighborhood and customers frequently park in front of my house. Sometimes it’s inconvenient when I can’t park my car on the street, but I prefer that to an empty building.
I am not saying don’t put a Tim Hortons there. I’m saying some details do not work for that location. Entrance/exit onto Hazel and 24hr operation should not be allowed at all by the council. I see this as comming to a workable middle ground. If a busy drive through is being put next to our homes during the day, then we should be left at peace at night.
The more I think about this, I come to the conclusion that this is just too close to a residential area and traffic access is not conducive for a busy 24hr Panera Bread type restaurant.
Boy, that site plan looks tight!
I think the idea of blocking off Hazel east of the entrance has promise. The Council should defnitely explore that.
I think having a shop open 24 hours next to homes is a bad idea.
I really wish Tim Hortons wasn’t opening in Maplewood… Bad for small business, if you ask me. Oh well. What’s done is done.
Remember this decision when elections roll around again.
Dan. This is only step #1. The property was rezoned for a restaurant. Final decision is at the City Council. I don’t think it’s on an agenda yet but I know the Tim Hortons people want this to go to the council later this month. Talk to your council members to express your concerns.
I’m not trying to be a smarmy: but what would you prefer at this spot? When Maplewood let CVS build in it’s current form: that slot was doomed to be some sort of fast-service restaurant with a drive-thru.
What about a Starbucks that closes much earlier? The biggest problem with that is that I believe Starbucks would hurt our coffee shops even more than Tim Horton’s.
Since, as you correctly point out, this is doomed to be a chain, I would most prefer something like a Panda Express. The new free-standing ones have a small profile, and Chinese food wouldn’t compete with anything on the strip. Too bad I believe one is already opening in Richmond Heights on Hanley.
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