Clayton Plan Commission — August 17: Café Napoli wall continued again, bank CUP forwarded to Council, and five other items decided
The commission continued the Forsyth Boulevard screen wall for a third time, approved a pool-house CUP at 6349 Ellenwood, and acted on five additional applications.
What happened
The Clayton Plan Commission and Architectural Review Board met on the evening of August 17, 2026, working through seven applications ranging from a long-running dispute over a screen wall at a Forsyth Boulevard restaurant to a rear addition on a Tudor Revival home in the Hillcrest neighborhood. The board continued the 7754 Forsyth Boulevard wall item to its next meeting, forwarded a conditional use permit for 6369 Clayton Road to the City Council, and approved four other applications outright.
What the commission decided
- 7754 Forsyth Boulevard (Café Napoli pergola and screen wall) — continued to the next Plan Commission and ARB meeting, with the applicant directed to provide more information on the pergola and planting, screening, and an accurate site plan showing the property line and location of all improvements.
- 6369 Clayton Road (bank exterior alterations — architectural review) — approved as submitted with the staff recommendation (requiring two medium or large deciduous canopy trees in the lawn between the street and the parking lot) and an additional board condition that the belt or soldier course in the existing brick be continued into the new stone so that the relief pattern wraps around the building.
- 6369 Clayton Road (bank reoccupancy — conditional use permit) — recommended for approval to the City Council as submitted by voice vote with no opposition.
- 122 North Bemiston Avenue (front facade revisions — architectural review) — approved as submitted with the stipulation that if French doors to the south of the front door are added, they may be approved administratively by staff without returning to the board.
- 6349 Ellenwood (pool house — conditional use permit) — recommended for approval to the City Council with staff condition one (deed restriction to be recorded with St. Louis County Recorder of Deeds and submitted to the city prior to building permit issuance) and a modified condition two directing the front yard pop-up emitter to be moved further north into the mulch area rather than to a more central front-yard location as originally proposed by staff.
- 6349 Ellenwood (pool house — architectural review) — approved as submitted by voice vote with no opposition.
- Arundel Drive residence (site plan review) — approved as submitted with the staff recommendation (landscape plan to meet the native species requirement) and an additional condition that a native-species tree be added on the east side of the property.
- Arundel Drive residence (architectural review) — staff recommended approval as submitted; the transcript records the board moving into architectural review discussion following the site plan vote.
Who was there
The chair called roll at the opening of the meeting. Present were Steve Lichtenfeld, Helen DiFate, Jim Arsenault, Jeff Morrisey, Chris Brennan, and Susan. The transcript does not record the last name of the member identified only as "Susan" at roll call; see editor notes. No absences were noted on the record.