Clayton City Council — April 14: 18 campus permits folded into one, and a busy contract night
The board gave Washington University a single conditional use permit for the former Fontbonne campus, adopted five public-works contracts, and marked the departure of a Ward I member.
What happened
The Clayton Board of Aldermen met on Tuesday, April 14 — a heavy contract night. The board consolidated 18 campus permits at the former Fontbonne University site into a single permit for Washington University, adopted five construction- and services-related ordinances, postponed a sixth, and took up a technology-services agreement with the city of Maplewood. The meeting also marked the departure of a Ward I member.
What the board decided
After a public hearing, the board approved Resolution No. 2026-08, granting Washington University a single conditional use permit for the 6800 Wydown Boulevard campus in place of the 18 separate permits that governed it. The Plan Commission had voted unanimously on March 30 to recommend approval, and the board adopted the resolution on a unanimous (7-0) voice vote.
The board also worked through a long slate of public-works and services contracts, each introduced by Alderman Buse and seconded by Alderman Patel, and each adopted the same night by unanimous roll call:
- An intergovernmental technology-services agreement with the city of Maplewood (Bill No. 7147), adopted as Ordinance No. 7006 on a 7-0 roll call.
- A contract with Blink Signs for exterior signage at 10 S. Brentwood Boulevard (Bill No. 7148), adopted as Ordinance No. 7007.
- A contract with Gamma Tree Experts Tree Care LLC for the 2026 stump-grinding project (Bill No. 7149), adopted as Ordinance No. 7008.
- A contract with The Harlan Company for fiscal-year 2026 monument maintenance (Bill No. 7151), adopted as Ordinance No. 7009 — described as the second and final phase of work on 11 city-maintained monument locations.
- A professional-services agreement with CDG Engineers, Inc. for the street-lighting restoration design (Bill No. 7152), adopted as Ordinance No. 7010.
One related item did not move: the board postponed Bill No. 7150, a design agreement with LJC Design and Engineering, Inc. for the Wydown median restoration, on a unanimous voice vote. The board also approved its consent agenda on a 7-0 roll call. A liquor license for Zensia Coffee, a coffee business on Maryland Avenue, rode the consent agenda.
Who was there
The minutes record that the board met on Tuesday, April 14, with all seven seats filled — Mayor Bridget McAndrew and Aldermen Susan Buse, Becky Patel, Gary Feder, Rick Hummell, Jeff Yorg, and Kami Waldman.
What they debated
On the Fontbonne campus item, staff explained that Washington University bought the property in 2024 and Fontbonne continued operating through the end of 2025, and that the request consolidates governance of the campus into one permit rather than adding new uses or construction. During the hearing, resident Ann Martin asked about activity levels on the campus, and Assistant Vice Chancellor Joanna Schooler said the site would be used as a temporary location and would conform to the city's Dark Sky standards.
On the Maplewood technology agreement, staff told the board the deal would extend Clayton's existing service model while reducing shared costs across its partner cities:
Each partner city will realize annual savings in excess of $40,000, with Clayton saving an estimated $51,000 annually— April 14, 2026 — Meeting Transcript [#q0da02f37]
On the Blink Signs contract, staff said the signage was needed to comply with a Missouri Supreme Court monitor's directive separating the Municipal Courts from the Police Department, and that the cost was not in the FY26 budget. Staff also reported that 287 larger stumps remained from trees lost in the 2025 tornado, providing the context for the stump-grinding contract.
Members also returned to the city's Flock Safety cameras, a topic raised in the open forum. Staff said Clayton had turned off data sharing with out-of-state agencies and with federal agencies, limiting sharing to agencies within Missouri, and several members asked for a fuller discussion of the cameras at a future session. On the legislative front, members noted state action reverting Missouri's building energy code toward the 2009 IBC standard.
Also at the meeting
- Director of Planning Anna Krane presented the 2025 Plan Commission / Architectural Review Board report; she told the board the city saw 80 land-use applications in 2025, just below its 20-year and five-year averages.
- Public Works Director Matt Malick was on hand to answer questions on the stump-grinding, monument-maintenance, and street-lighting contracts.
The meeting closed with the board marking the departure of Ward I Alderman Rick Hummell. In his own remarks, recorded in the minutes, he framed the timing:
I view tonight as the marking of the end of my term, and the 28th as the beginning of Betsy’s term— April 14, 2026 — Meeting Minutes [#q009c3b25]
Hummell, who recounted decades on Clayton boards, commissions, and the Non-Uniformed pension board, drew tributes from the mayor and his colleagues. The minutes record Ward I Alderman Rick Hummell, whose term ended that night ahead of his successor’s seating at the April 28 meeting.
The board adjourned at 9:32 p.m., closing with tributes to the departing Ward I member.
Public comments
Three residents spoke during the meeting's open forum, all per the minutes. Natalie Dowd raised concerns about the city's Flock Safety cameras — security, misuse of information, and data sharing with federal agencies; Pam Haas asked the city to mark National Native Plant Month and encourage planting native species; and Sasha Kweskin spoke in support of the city's sustainability efforts and native plantings. The Flock cameras returned later in the meeting when members discussed the city's data-sharing limits with staff.