Crestwood Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting – August 6, 2026

The Crestwood Planning and Zoning Commission met at 6:03 p.m. in the Aldermanic Chambers at the Crestwood Government Center, 1 Detjen Drive, Crestwood, Missouri. (The agenda and transcript list Wednesday, August 5, 2026, as the meeting date; the meeting timestamp provided indicates the meeting occurred on August 6, 2026, which is the date used here.) A quorum was present. The commission approved the July 1, 2026 minutes, reviewed a final development plan for an interim parking lot, heard two public hearing items, discussed comprehensive plan progress, and received an aldermanic report.

Call to Order & Approval of Minutes

The meeting was called to order at 6:03 p.m. with commissioners present. The minutes of the July 1, 2026, Planning and Zoning Commission meeting were approved.

Public Comments & Testimony

• General public comment: one member of the public asked a question about the new business item on the docket. The chair responded that the item would be open for public comment when the commission reached it.
• Ridgewood Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District public hearing: Neil Chase, a Ridgewood-area resident, said he was happy to see progress, noted he had missed the prior meeting while out of the country, and indicated he might offer more comments after reviewing the materials. He stated that, based on neighborhood discussions, approximately 20% of the Ridgewood neighborhood supports the overlay as proposed.
• No other verbal testimony is captured in the provided record for the public hearings.

Discussion Items

Final Development Plan – Crestwood Crossing Outlot #5 Interim Parking Lot

• Staff (Danny) presented the final development plan from Dierbergs' Crestwood Crossing, Phase 3-2 of the redevelopment plan, for an interim parking lot expansion on Outlot 5, described as the one undeveloped lot at the center of the district. The interim lot would serve existing and future tenants of the shopping center.
• The applicant requested a modification to the landscaping standards to omit interior landscaped islands in the center parking spaces. Staff found the interim plan satisfactorily conforms with the preliminary development plan and recommended approval, anticipating that the approval would help the developer proceed to the ultimate development of the site.
• Commissioners raised concerns: one commissioner said they did not like seeing a lot more parking if it is not needed; another commissioner stated that if the parking lot becomes a more permanent fixture on the site, the appropriately required landscaping should be provided; another recalled that the commission previously granted a variance to increase the parking ratio for the Katie's and the Mexican restaurant tenants and noted the same franchisee is building a second location in the center.
• A commissioner also noted potential economies of scale for the developer in installing the row of parking lots at the same time as the future building work.
• The chair indicated the commission was positioned to entertain a motion to approve the final development plan; the vote outcome is not captured in the provided record.

CUP-4-26 – Junkun Gao Massage Establishment (9919 Watson Rd.)

• Staff presented a conditional use permit application for a massage establishment within an approximately 1,000-square-foot tenant space on the east end of a small retail center alongside the Circle K, in the C-1 Local Business District. The application was submitted under the name Jun Kun Gao (also rendered Junkun Gao), while the floor plan provided was labeled JK Spa and the licensing materials referenced JK Spa LLC.
• Staff recommended that the Planning and Zoning Commission make a recommendation on the application to be forwarded to the Board of Aldermen, which would hold an additional public hearing and make the final decision. Staff stated that a massage establishment would be consistent with the city's land use plan recommendations.
• Commissioners discussed the name discrepancy between the individual applicant and the JK Spa LLC business and suggested the application should consistently use one name or the other. Staff confirmed the LLC is valid on the Missouri Secretary of State's website.
• The commission's recommendation is to be forwarded to the Board of Aldermen for final action.

Ridgewood Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District

• The public hearing on the proposed Ridgewood Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District was continued. Staff explained that the draft ordinance would apply to new home construction and to exterior building alterations involving one or more specified factors, such as an addition or alteration visible from the public right-of-way. A 350-square-foot rear addition that is not visible from the public right-of-way would not be required to meet the new standards.
• Staff confirmed the overlay district would not have authority to prohibit or restrict demolition of existing homes, and it would not require changes to existing features such as exterior chimneys cut off at the roofline, though new construction would need to comply.
• Commissioners discussed survey methodology, suggesting that any survey go to property owners based on tax records rather than also to tenants. Approximately 70 to 80 residents have signed up for the email list and have received meeting summaries and materials after each meeting.
• Commissioners expressed concern about over-restricting property owners who otherwise meet normal city code requirements and may want to improve their property, particularly as homes approach 100 years old and develop maintenance needs; one commissioner said such a requirement might not be popular in 30 years.
• Staff stated they would take the comments and questions into consideration in drafting the ordinance and would work with the city attorney. The commission voted to formally continue the public hearing, with a survey potentially included in a future mailer ahead of a Board of Aldermen hearing.

Comprehensive Plan Progress Update

• Staff provided an update on key comprehensive plan topics. Progress on housing production includes allowing two-family housing in the R5 district as part of the 2021 development code update and allowing narrow-lot, denser home development in places such as the Villages at Crestwood Crossing.
• Staff noted the comprehensive plan recommends adding a housing diversity requirement for large-lot development in the zoning code, a measure the city has not yet studied or considered and that may not be popular.
• The plan recommended studying a local historic district for the Ridgewood area or other neighborhoods, but staff said the city is not interested in pursuing that at this time.
• The commission discussed whether a full comprehensive plan update is needed, noting some cities update on 10-, 15-, or 20-year cycles and that the previous major effort took about two years. One commissioner commented that the city is not scrapping the current plan and starting over.
• The alderperson noted that, under state law, the planning commission approves and decides how often and how to update the comprehensive plan.
• Staff will prepare an 'A/B/C' set of models, from a middle-of-the-road to more substantial approaches, to help the commission decide what to request as part of the city budget. The decision is scheduled for the next meeting.

Aldermanic Report

• The alderperson reported that the Board of Aldermen strategic planning session included discussion of a citywide overlay, aligned with the comprehensive plan.
• The city is hoping to receive a parks grant to replace the main playground next year, which would be year 20 or 21 for that playground, around the expected replacement time.
• The alderperson noted that the Board approved a plan, but after engineers provided cost estimates and additional items were identified, the cost changed; those items will be revisited at the next meeting.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the July 1, 2026, Planning and Zoning Commission minutes.
• Positioned to approve the Final Development Plan for the Crestwood Crossing Outlot #5 interim parking lot, consistent with staff's finding that the plan conforms with the preliminary development plan.
• Forwarded a recommendation to the Board of Aldermen on conditional use permit CUP-4-26 for the massage establishment at 9919 Watson Rd. (Junkun Gao / JK Spa LLC), with the Board to hold an additional public hearing.
• Voted to continue the Ridgewood Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District public hearing and directed staff to draft ordinance language incorporating the commission's comments, with a possible property-owner survey and mailer before the Board of Aldermen hearing.
• Scheduled a decision for the next meeting on the budget request for comprehensive plan work, with staff to present 'A/B/C' option models.