A gas station just outside the Festus city limits is hoping to redevelop its convenience store and fuel canopy.
The Jefferson County Planning and Zoning Commission on Nov. 14 unanimously approved a petition from Midwest Petroleum, which operates the gas station.
The P and Z board advises the Jefferson County Council on land-use issues in unincorporated areas. The County Council, which has the sole authority over rezoning, likely will consider a resolution to approve the rezoning request at a meeting this month.
If approved, the petition would rezone a portion of the property to non-planned community commercial.
Currently, the 3.87-acre property on which the gas station is located has a 2.93-acre portion zoned for residential use and the remaining portion zoned for commercial use.
The gas station is at 11845 Hwy. CC, near the intersection of Hwy. CC and Hwy. 67. The Faith Baptist Church directly to the north of the gas station falls within the Festus city limits.
The portion zoned residential is undeveloped, but Thomas Ley, a representative of Cochran Engineering for Midwest Petroleum, said the company hopes to change that soon.
“The split zoning of this property is delaying any kind of redevelopment for the property, this is why we’re requesting the rezoning from the residential part to match the commercial zoning,” Ley said. “The site currently has an existing lagoon, and we want to do away with that and then tie it to the public sewer. Long term, we would like to do a redevelopment for the property with a new convenience store building and new fuel canopies.”
In a report to the commission, the P and Z staff recommended approval of Midwest Petroleum’s petition.
“The current split zoning of this property could be considered unreasonable, which is evidenced by the lack of development within the residential zoned area,” the report stated. “There will likely not be any adverse effects to surrounding properties as this site has been utilized as a commercial use for decades.”
Once the rezoning is approved, Ley said Midwest Petroleum will add a wastewater lift station and force main.
“The rezoning is holding up that process,” Ley said.