An iconic – some may say notorious – motel just south of Arnold may get a new life.
The new owners of the Pleasantview Motel, 4301 Jeffco Blvd., which dates back to the 1950s, are asking Jefferson County officials to rezone a portion of the motel’s 7-acre lot and accept a development plan that would allow the addition of 15 rooms to the 22-unit motel.
The Jefferson County Planning and Zoning Commission voted 6-0 Feb. 25 to recommend approval of the request. The P and Z board advises the County Council, which has the authority to rezone property in unincorporated areas of the county.
The County Council likely will consider the issue at a meeting in March.
David Vonarx of VonArx Engineering of Hillsboro, who represented the new motel owners – Jeffco Properties in Festus – said the company recently acquired the site.
“The new owners are interested in upgrading the facility,” Vonarx said. “They’re renovating the existing units.”
He said one of the partners in Jeffco Properties is a child of the former owners.
The plan calls for the demolition of Mac’s Tire and Auto, 4317 Jeffco Blvd., to make way for the new units.
Vonarx said the plan calls for parking for the motel, two apartment units above the motel office and for Sunrise Restaurant, which will be surrounded on three sides by the motel once it is expanded, to have a single entrance and exit off
Jeffco Boulevard, rather than uncontrolled access across the entire front part of the property.
“This will make for a much safer situation,” Vonarx said, noting that restaurant patrons will park in the back of the diner and walk around to the front but will not be backing cars parked in front of the building onto oncoming southbound traffic on Jeffco Boulevard.
Four residents sent emails in advance of the meeting, which was held by Zoom videoconference, and those messages were read into the record.
All four opposed the plan, largely because of what they considered to be unsavory activities on the part of the motels’ clientele.
“There are apartments, a mobile home park, houses and a subdivision (nearby), many with children,” wrote Laurie Eisenmann. “These are not the kind of people we want in our neighborhood.”
Vonarx said the motel of late has catered to construction workers who stay on weekdays and leave to go home on the weekends. He also said churches sometimes give homeless people vouchers to stay at the motel until they can find a permanent home.
He said whatever may have occurred at the motel in the past, the new owners want to run a respectable business.
“No legitimate business ever wants to attract (criminal activity),” Vonarx said.
Planning commissioner Tim Dugan was absent from the virtual meeting.