Circle K Expansion 2.0

Alderman Joe Vaccaro posted this morning (June 8th) to the closed LPNA facebook group, that Circle K will again begin the process of purchasing and rezoning the residential unit adjacent to the existing property with the intent of building a massive facility in its place.

Per his post (see image), there will be a meeting held in Timothy Lutheran Church (6704 Fyler Ave, 63139) on June 18th at 6:30pm.

Highlights of the Dec 5 LPNA General Assembly Meeting

Lindenwood Park Neighborhood Association President Janet Desnoyer began the evening promptly at 7:30pm by thanking Annette Bridges, the Neighborhood Improvement Specialist for Ward 23 who will be retiring this month after six years of service. Vaccaro (23^rd Ward Alderman) and Kratky (82^nd Districted State Representative) presented both city and state proclamations for her dedication and service.

Alderman Vaccaro spoke to the gathering about a December 16^th court date for a person of interest who has been charged with several burglaries and drug volations over a significant period of time. He (and later Officer Stehlin) said he would be asking for neighbors to write letters and/or attend the date to show that the neighborhood is interested in seeing the law enforced.

Alderman Vaccaro also said that Chick-Fil-A will be moving into what is currently For Your Entertainment (FYE) on Hampton. He then answered questions and concerns from the audience including a concern on the negative impact of potential tax breaks for developments related to Ballpark Village, a new professional soccer team interested in moving to St. Louis, and the Scott Trade center. Another attendee asked about speed bumps and traffic calming measures that were discussed several months previous. Vaccaro said that research is still being conducted but Lindenwood Park should start to see some of those traffic calming measures implemented in the Summer of 2017.

Darlene Green, Comptroller for the City of St. Louis then spoke briefly on the Green HELP home energy-efficiency loan program her department is currently managing. For more information and/or to apply visit https://www.greenhelpstlouis.com/.

After a few LPNA committee reports, Public Safety Officer Vince Stehlin spoke about a number of items.

First, the suspect for the armed robbery committed at the Circle Kat Jamieson and Fyler on Nov. 26th is still at large. SLMPD have a few leads and are perusing them. Officer Stehlin sympathized with neighbors who were concerned that crime reports aren’t always made public (such as the armed robbery of Sep 7^th which also took place at the Circle K at Jamieson and Fyler, but was never publicly reported), but that sometimes his superiors make him withhold information when releasing it may contaminate the investigation.

Officer Stehlin also announced that the trio who had been shooting windows out of cars all over St. Louis city and county for a number of months have finally been apprehended.

On Wed. Dec 7^th from 8a to 10a, Chris’s Pancake and Dining (5980 Southwest Ave, St. Louis, MO 63139) will be hosting the next Coffee with a Cop event.

Next, he stressed that the most frequent crime in Ward 23 is petty larceny. He cautioned people against leaving their cars and garages unlocked, against leaving their vehicles unattended when they are warming them up in the morning, and when expecting packages to take steps to be present when deliveries occur or arranging for someone to pick up their packages. An unattended package or an unattended running car is an invitation for theft.

Then, he pointed out a concern the SLMPD has been having with the frequency of calls to commercial entities. These calls use valuable time and resources, and potentially delay responses to resident emergencies. To emphasis the point, he issued a handout that revealed 873 calls for service in 2016 to six Walgreens stores in and around our neighborhood. The Walgreens at 3920 Hampton carried the bulk of the calls with 352. Not all of these were superfluous, but enough were that the Police Department is trying to leverage Walgreens to provide their own security.

In opening questions from the floor, an attendee asked about the new gun laws that are due to go into effect January 1. Officer Stehlin replied that he was genuinely concerned about the new gun laws, but the state is still trying to finalize what they will be. Until then, we can only stay tuned.

Officer Stehlin thanked everyone for the words of support and concern for Sergeant Lake who had been shot while on duty in the Lindenwood Park neighborhood.

Finally, he encouraged people to signup for his email alerts (send your request to vstehlin@slmpd.org) and also encouraged people to reach out to Captain Deeba at madeeba@slmpd.org with police-related questions or concerns.

Last, but not least -- 

Molly Pfeiffer, the manager of the SLPL Machacek Branch spoke briefly about two upcoming events:

On Thu. Dec 8^th from 6p to 8p, the SLPL Machacek Branch will have a telescope and members from the astronomers club on site (clear weather permitting)

On Wed, Dec 14^th from noon to 6pm, the SLPL Machacek Branch will also be hosting a holiday open house with light refreshments, and storytelling and crafts for kids.

Janet then closed the meeting at 15 minutes to 9pm.

Respectfully submitted,
Seth

Jamieson and Fyler News: June 7, 2016

Vaccaro announces Circle K liquor license nearly done

“Unless something radical changes,” Alderman Vaccaro said Monday night at the General Assembly of the Lindenwood Park Neighborhood Association, the Circle K’s application for liquor at their Jamieson and Fyler location will not have enough signatures to move forward.

For those against liquor sales it is still too early to breath easy. Hurley&Hurley has until the end of the day Monday, June 13th to turn in petition signatures. After that, the current application lapses.

I thank all of our neighbors for being active one way or the other regarding this issue. Many neighbors have put a lot of their personal time into this. Once the liquor license application is off the table, there are still several matters to attend to such as

• Circle K’s lack of compliance regarding their conditional use agreement, 
• Other Circle K ordinance violations, 
• What if anything can be done to help or work with Rich if Circle K doesn’t go through with the purchase of his property, and 
• What to do about the nearly chronic problems associated with Circle K’s business such as trash, loitering, light pollution, and traffic congestion. 

In addition to those, in the weeks and months ahead I plan to re-position this website beyond this Circle K issue so that it may continue to serve the Jamieson and Fyler area as a resource for information, keeping our community strong and informed.

Thanks for reading,
Seth

Jamieson and Fyler News: April 27, 2016

Circle K Informational Meeting is Tonight (Apr 27)

Lindenwood Park Neighborhood Association (LPNA) is helping to organize an informational meeting where Circle K will present their development proposal and answer questions. The meeting will be moderated, and is open to the public.

Neighborhood Meeting - Circle K Development Proposal

Wednesday, April 27th at 7:00pm

Timothy Lutheran Church (6704 Fyler Ave) 

If you are among the property owners, business occupants, and registered voters within the 350' petition circle for the liquor license, I strongly urge you to attend, hear what is being proposed, and be part of the discussion. I would just as strongly ask you to not sign the liquor license petition until attending the closed meeting.

The Liquor License Application is Active!

On Earth Day (Apr 22), Hurley & Hurley submitted the liquor license application on behalf of Circle K's company (Mac's Convenience Stores LLC). The mandatory public notification postcards were issued the same day. It is my understanding they must wait five days after the mailing to begin canvassing. That would mean today is the first day Circle K representatives may start canvassing for signatures.

Remember it is illegal to give or accept any form of compensation in exchange for a signature. If you suspect that has occurred please alert the Excise Division.

The Letter of Protest has been Submitted

We were ready for the liquor license application. Gerry Everding initiated the Letter of Protest on the same day. Gerry and I toured our neighborhood on Sunday, speaking with property owners in the Petition Circle. The Excise Division filed and accepted the Letter of Protest on Monday with the signature of 14 property owners within the Petition Circle.

If you would like a 'Say No' sign for your yard, 
please email Neighbor Brian Alcaraz.

What's next?

Reading through the Protest Rules & Regulations (PDF), the next step will be for neighbors to attend the Application Hearing (date TBD), giving evidence and testimony that the issuance of a liquor license would be detrimental to the neighborhood. Following that hearing the Excise Commissioner "will issue Protest Petitions sheets to the Protest Representative and Petition Signature sheets to the applicant, for the purpose of obtaining any additional signatures." It will be critical to get the voice of every property owner, registered voter, and business occupant in the Petition Circle to vote with their signature.

What can I do to voice my concerns?

1) Attend the meetings. Plan to attend the April 27th meeting. Definitely plan to attend the Application Hearing.


2) Catalog, photograph, and report infractions. Is Circle K violating City Ordinances? Is Circle K violating their Conditional Use Agreement? Let the Citizens' Service Bureau know. Reach out to your paid city officials and let them know how you feel.

Citizens' Service Bureau

Hours of Operation: M-F 8:00 am to 5:00 pm

Phone: 314-622-4800

Fax: 314-622-4310

Twitter: http://twitter.com/stlcsb

Email: csb@stlouis-mo.gov
Alderman Joseph Vaccaro
City Hall, Room 230
1200 Market Street
St. Louis, MO 63103
Phone: 314-622-3287
Fax: 314-622-4273
Email: carwashdaddy@sbcglobal.net

Annette Bridges, Neighborhood Improvement Specialist
Hours of Operation: M-F 8:00 am to 5:00 pm
Neighborhood Stabilization Team
1520 Market Street, Rm 4000
St. Louis, MO 63103
Phone: 314-657-1352
Fax: 314-613-3120
Email: bridgesa@stlouis-mo.gov

3) Talk to your neighbors (especially if you are in the Petition Circle).  Believe it or not, some neighbors aren't on social media or email lists and don't know about the project. See if they know. What do they think about it? Try sharing your experiences (both good and bad) regarding Circle K and what it means to live in Lindenwood Park. Discuss what you think could happen when the project goes forward, or what could happen when it doesn't.

4) Avoid ranting on social media. It's easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of toxic emotion. It's better to turn off the monitor, go outside, and talk with a neighbor face-to-face.

Be well,
Seth

Jamieson and Fyler News: April 12, 2016

Update on Circle K Expansion and Liquor License

Not much has happened since the previous update. As of yesterday (April 11), we are still waiting word from the Excise Division that the liquor license application has been filed. The application will trigger needed actions and meetings to follow.

Lindenwood Park Neighborhood Associaiton (LPNA) is planning an informational meeting where Circle K will present their project. Currently it is scheduled to be near the end of April. Yesterday, LPNA President Janet Desnoyer and Alderman Joe Vaccaro were meeting to work out the details. Hopefully information will be announced soon.

The rezoning bill (B.B.305) is expected to die at the end of the 2015-2016 Aldermanic Calendar (April 18th). If that happens and if Circle K wants to continue with the project, Alderman Vaccaro will need to re-introduce the bill.

Reminder: If you are a resident within the expected Petition Circle and are not registered to vote, your voice will not be counted with regard to the liquor license application. As long as the application hasn't been filed, there is still time to submit your Voter Registration.

Other News

LPNA's next Board Meeting is Wednesday, April 13th from 7:00pm to 9:00pm in the Epiphany Assumption room located at 3164 Ivanhoe Ave (directly across the hall from Epiphany Lanes). I do not know what is on this month's agenda, but the meeting is open to the public.

Also, the 2016 LPNA Flea Market is Saturday, April 16th from 8:00am to 1:00pm in the Timothy Lutheran Gym located at 6704 Fyler Ave.

Finally, Kati Guerra and I have been approved as LPNA block captains for 68XX Fyler. We are looking forward to connecting with our neighbors and helping LPNA continue its tradition of strong neighborhood involvement.

Thanks for reading,
Seth