Apartment builder eyes Eastgate property

Developer Sam Coryell Jr. presented a rezoning request for a 3.5-acre parcel at 802 S. Eastgate Ave. Coryell, who has the land under contract contingent on rezoning, plans to build a 58-unit multifamily residential development.

The land is a remnant tract, created because the neighborhoods to the north and east did not connect streets to the land.

Brent Stevens, the H Design Group architect working on the project, said the development's exterior is designed to resemble large single-family homes rather than apartment units.

Stevens also said that the development would have no buildings more than two stories tall facing either neighborhood; three three-story buildings would be on the south section of the land, where the land quickly drops to the railroad tracks below.

Several upset neighbors said that despite the pleasing aesthetics of the project, apartments were not appropriate for the single-family-zoned land.

Neighbor Terry Speake said the development would lead to decreased adjoining property values, an increase in crime and more traffic on an already busy Eastgate Avenue.

Council will vote on the proposal at its Jan. 23 meeting.

JVIC work

Meanwhile, Council approved an emergency bill to close sections of Boonville Avenue and Phelps Street to accommodate demolition work at the site of the Jordan Valley Innovation Center.

The bill allows for closure of one street or the other Jan. 30-March 17, and again June 15-July 31.

Missouri State University Vice President of Administrative Services Fred Marty said construction work has already begun at the former MFA Mill, but closing the streets will be necessary during the major demolition work.

He added that construction crews would be finished so that the street would be open for the city's St. Patrick's Day parade, scheduled for March 18.