Board Passes Site Plan for Lake Saint Louis Huck's

The Lake Saint Louis Board of Aldermen unanimously approved a special permit for a new Huck's convenience store and gas station in the Schnuck's development off Civic Center Drive.

A representative from Martin and Bayley—the company behind Huck's—described the new Huck's as "one of the best-looking convenience stores in the area," and described the 15-foot landscaped barrier that will encircle the store.

The Lake Saint Louis Huck's will also have LED lighting, a brick facade and planter boxes. It also features a drive-up window, and is the first Huck's in St. Louis to offer one.

READ MORE: Lake Saint Louis Huck's Could Have a Different Look

Huck's also had to agree to special conditions, including special lighting requirements, limits on outdoor speakers, window signage limited to 25 percent, and having colors and materials approved by the Development Review Board.

Unlike other 24-hour Huck's, the Lake Saint Louis location will be limited to the hours of 5:30 a.m. to midnight.

The store will have no access from Lake Saint Louis Boulevard or Civil Center Drive. Instead, access will come from the Schnuck’s parking lot and permimeter road.

At a public hearing earlier in the meeting, residents of the neighboring Moorings expressed their concerns.

"We do not want a gas/convenience store next to us," one speaker said. "We didn’t want Schnuck’s . . . What we residents want is our residential lake community."

"I'm pro business, but against Huck’s," another resident said. "I'm concerned about the  landscaping and view." He then listed off the locations of several Huck's stores that had closed. "If it closes, what are we going to do with that site afterwards?" he said.

Other residents talked about additional traffic and potential issues with gas spills ending up draining to the lake.

When the issue came to a vote, Mayor Ralph Sidebottom asked for an amendment to prohibit the use of the drive-up window for liquor sales. The developer also promised to work with the city's arborist to alter the landscaping to provide more screening.

The board voted unanimously to approve the permit.

Alderman John Pellerito added a few last words before casting his vote, saying that he had been asking people about the new Huck's.

"Some people are excited," he said. "They like that they don’t have to go all the way across (the highway), but you get different responses from different people. The site plan looks terrific."

"I don’t think you can get a much better development at this location," he said.