Clayton Plan Commission — April 20: A new restaurant for the old Starbucks corner at Wydown and Hanley
The commission recommended that the City Council approve a conditional use permit for Gigi's Cafe to open a restaurant at 7645 Wydown Boulevard, the former Starbucks corner.
What happened
Clayton's Plan Commission met on Monday, April 20 and recommended that the City Council approve a conditional use permit for a new restaurant at 7645 Wydown Boulevard — the former Starbucks at the northeast corner of Wydown and Hanley, a 2,200-square-foot space zoned M1. The applicant sought the permit on behalf of the tenant, Gigi's Cafe. Because a conditional use permit is a recommendation to the City Council rather than a final grant, the board's vote sends the request on to the council; the motion to recommend approval carried unanimously. The commission also took up four other land-use items and two text amendments the same night.
What the board decided
The Plan Commission considered the applicant's request, on behalf of Gigi's Cafe as tenant, for a conditional use permit to operate a restaurant at 7645 Wydown Boulevard. Planner Ryan Helle presented the staff report with a recommendation to recommend approval to the City Council as submitted. Helen DiFate moved to recommend approval of the permit to the City Council as submitted, Jim Arsenault seconded, and the motion carried unanimously. The permit now goes to the City Council, which makes the final decision.
Earlier in the meeting the board approved the minutes of its March 30 meeting on a motion by Helen DiFate, seconded by Jim Arsenault, carried unanimously.
Who was there
Chair Steve Lichtenfeld led the meeting, with members Helen DiFate, Jim Arsenault, Chris Brennan, Blair Kweskin and Jeff Morrisey, and Susan Buse, the council's representative to the board. Director of Planning and Development Anna Krane, planner Ryan Helle, planning technician Hobie Kropp and City Attorney Kevin O'Keefe staffed the meeting.
What they debated
Staff laid out the basics of the proposal: a 2,200-square-foot restaurant in the former Starbucks space, with proposed hours of 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. Monday through Saturday, closed Sunday, roughly 45 interior and 12 exterior seats, and five employee parking spaces, and deliveries made in the morning through the adjacent alley. The applicant's representative described a service model built around walk-in seating rather than reservations and told the board he hoped to open in October.
Much of the discussion centered on parking and the corner's evening activity, given that the Starbucks site had sat unused at night. Susan Buse, speaking as the Ward 2 council member, said she is repeatedly asked when the corner will be activated again. On the broader parking question, a board member noted that the city's Economic Development Committee is working on parking across the business districts. The board then moved to its vote:
I move to recommend approval of the conditional use permit to the City Council— April 20, 2026 — Meeting Transcript [#qa3f0929f]
In context
The vote illustrates how the Plan Commission fits into Clayton's land-use process: on a conditional use permit it does not grant the permit itself but recommends approval to the City Council, which makes the final decision. For the Wydown corner, the recommendation clears the way for a sit-down restaurant to take over a high-visibility intersection that has been dark in the evenings since Starbucks left.
Also at the meeting
- The commission recommended approval to the City Council of a conditional use permit for Concordia Seminary's redevelopment of 801 Seminary Place, with a set of conditions covering setbacks, unit limits, lighting, building preservation and site access; the motion carried unanimously.
- The Architectural Review Board approved a request from owner Hoffman Commercial Real Estate to repaint 1 North Central Avenue, with a condition that the paint not cover the building's north-side mural.
- The ARB approved new fencing for Caliber Collision at 125 Hunter Avenue, on a vote of five in favor.
- The ARB approved a residential addition at 9 Southmoor Drive, requested for the Simanowitz John Living Trust.
- After public hearings, the commission recommended approval to the City Council of a text amendment revising the city's outdoor-dining rules and a text amendment revising the requirements and procedures for planned unit developments, each unanimously.
Public comments
The minutes record that no members of the audience elected to participate in the open forum. During the discussion of the Wydown restaurant, a resident told the board she lives on Forest Court and shares the alley behind the property, and raised parking and traffic concerns. On the Seminary Place item, a neighbor also spoke in support of the redevelopment.