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leave Spanish Lake. unique to Spanish Lake nor severe in nature,
vigilance will be required to keep problems from
Economic Development worsening and intervention will be needed to
The direction that the Spanish Lake business improve current traffic and public safety
community is heading has several implications for problems.
the future of the area. Fewer shopping and service
choices force residents to leave the area for Land Use and Future Development
shopping and other services. This continues a Traditional commercial land use and zoning
spiral which negatively affects existing patterns are exhibited in the Spanish Lake
businesses. If the appearance and variety within Community. Commercial land uses and zoning
the business areas continues to decline, it will are prevalent adjacent to major arterial (Highway
impact the ability of Spanish Lake to attract and 367 and Dunn Road) located around the periphery
retain not only businesses but residents as well. of the community. Smaller commercial nodes are
located at major intersections within the
Services community, i.e. Bellefontaine Road and Parker
Although traffic is not dramatically increasing as Road. Offices and service uses are turning into
a result of new housing, without intervention more intense uses, such as fast food and retail
traffic problems are likely to continue or increase, along the major arterial. A small number of non-
as the number of trips per household has increased traditional commercial uses, such as child care
regionally. Physical improvements such as turn facilities and a historic site bed and breakfast, are
lanes and reconfiguration of intersections would being located in previously residential areas. As
be necessary to improve the present conditions. is prevalent in most areas of St. Louis County, the
Unless sidewalks are installed at least along major loss of small retail and service uses could
roads, pedestrian safety will continue to be a potentially affect the general character of the area
problem. The present level of bus service will not and allow for other less desirable uses to be
likely attract additional riders due to its limited established.
routes and hours of operation.
With the future development of the Columbia
The level of crime is currently tempered by good Bottom Conservation Area, in addition to the
participation in Neighborhood Watch programs existing parks in the area, a large portion of the
and community involvement, but maintaining that Spanish Lake Community will be devoted to park,
level of involvement is a constant need. Adequate preservation/conservation and nature areas. Due
fire service will be dependent on maintaining an to the large amount of vacant land and industrially
appropriate real property tax base in the future. zoned property in the general area and the
Flooding, sanitary and storm water sewer economic uncertainty of the area, the impact of
problems will also require additional investments this trend is unclear at this time.
to improve. While these problems are neither
COMMUNITY PREFERENCE SURVEY
When talking about what design standards should order to focus on what appeals to the community,
be required in a community, it is sometimes a series of slides were shown to three of the task
difficult for people to describe what they think is forces. The slides were taken of commercial
desirable or appropriate. Sometimes their developments located in St. Louis County. Staff
comments are affected by what they think they attempted to include a variety of established as
“should” like, not what they find pleasing. In well as newer developments including shopping
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centers and individual buildings located in various much higher.
communities in the county. The slides were not
identified as to location. Participants were asked Commercial areas with garish color schemes
to rank each slide from “minus 5" to “plus 5"; the received low marks, as did those with excessive,
higher the number, the more they liked it. The uncoordinated signage. The committees gave
individual scores were averaged and the slides properties with monument signs and more muted
were ranked by score. or traditional color patterns higher scores.
Buildings with generic corporate architecture and
The community preference survey slides showed signage ranked very low.
a wide variety of commercial properties including
retail, office and industrial/warehouse land uses. For industrial/warehouse properties, newer
Although the commercial buildings varied widely properties in business parks with a campus-style
in age and type, several overall themes could be design rated much more favorably than older
detected once the sites were ranked by score. properties. The newer business parks generally
had green space, landscaping and attractively
Pedestrian scale buildings of two stories or less designed parking areas, as opposed to older
were high in the ranking. Across all types of industrial areas which were largely utilitarian in
structures, properties with extensive landscaping appearance and devoid of greenery.
and green space were rated favorably by the
committees. Unique architectural details were preferred by the
committee members. While ornamental designs
Parking lots which received high scores were were more typical on older commercial buildings
typically those with landscaped islands which in the slide presentation, there were also newer
provide breaks in the asphalt paving. It was also properties with features such as clock towers,
noteworthy that properties which had parking lots cupolas and dormers. These properties with
which were separated from the street right-of-way residential-style design elements ranked much
by grass and landscaped areas were more higher than properties with long, featureless
favorably viewed than those separated with only facades. Properties with solid building materials,
curbs or asphalt. such as brick, were rated above those with less
substantial construction.
While some attractive older commercial areas
with no parking space in front of their structures Inviting streetscapes featuring decorative street
received high marks, for the most part residents lighting, street furniture, awnings, and wider
appeared to prefer commercial developments with sidewalks ranked most highly. All of these
front parking areas. Properties with smaller elements create a pedestrian-friendly atmosphere
parking areas ranked higher than those with vast and in many ways conform to the concept of
amounts of continuous asphalt parking. The returning the focus to pedestrian, as opposed to
lowest ranking image was that of an older automobile, traffic.
commercial property with a “roll curb” which
allowed unimpeded access from any point in the In summary, the following design elements were
street, but also required patrons to back out preferred by community participants in the visual
directly into street traffic when leaving the retail preference survey:
center. Participants noted that this was a safety
hazard in addition to being aesthetically C Pedestrian scale buildings - 2 story
unappealing. Properties with more controlled maximum height
egress and adequate drive aisle widths scored C Attractive landscaping including a variety
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of trees and shrubs (evergreen and deciduous) ornamentation
C Green space or lawn areas C Traditional colors for building exteriors
C Parking areas with landscaped islands and and signage
green buffers from street rights-of-way C Avoidance of garish color schemes and
C Moderately sized parking areas in front of generic corporate architecture for chain
retail properties retail
C Durable building materials, such as brick, C Limited access points to commercial
for exterior elevations properties to enhance vehicular safety
C Regulated signage with uniformity of size; C Campus-style design for business parks
monument signs with industrial/distribution facilities
C Architectural details such as clock towers, C Inviting streetscapes which include
cupolas and dormers sidewalks, decorative street lighting, street
C Residential-style architectural furniture, awnings and landscaping
VISION STATEMENT
An overall plan for a great community must T An effective transportation system
answer the question what do we really want this connects residents with activities, school,
community to be? The essential aspiration for the work and businesses. The mobility of
Spanish Lake community is to improve the quality Spanish Lake residents must be enhanced
of life for its residents. The residents must face a through multimodal transportation to meet
number of challenges today if they expect the this aim. Transit for motor vehicles,
community to remain a livable and attractive place bicycles and pedestrians should be
in the future. The following is a vision for included .
Spanish Lake:
T To develop a sustainable economic base
T To develop a strong community identity by retaining and attracting business while
and a sense of pride among its residents. balancing the needs of both the business
Spanish Lake should have a strong and residential communities. The effects
aesthetic appeal in both the commercial of economic development on the character
and residential areas. These of the community should also be
characteristics should be publicized within considered.
the St. Louis region.
T Our neighborhoods should be livable
T The safety and health of Spanish Lake places with well-maintained homes.
residents is of utmost importance. The Residents should be able to take advantage
well being of community members should of beautiful parks and numerous
be ensured any time of day or night. This recreational activities.
encompasses protection from crime, fire
hazards and maintaining a high quality of
utility services.
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