CHAPTER 4, PART 2: THE SITE (ZONING ANALYSIS & UTILITIES)

ZONING ANALYSIS

The Lemp Brewery is located in the City of Saint Louis within the Cherokee-Lemp Historic District.  This poses challenges to a project such as this thesis proposes.  The ordinances from the City must be followed only where they fill in the gaps that the Historic District ordinance does not cover. 

Map of Cherokee-Lemp Historic District (district shown in light orange).  (Courtesy of StLouis-MO.gov)

Through the City of Saint Louis’ zoning ordinance, the Brewery is categorized as “H-Area Commercial District”. However, many of the City’s ordinances do not apply as they are superseded by the historic district ordinances. 

Zoning map of the City of Saint Louis, Courtesy of StLouis-MO.gov

The following is a summary of the Cherokee-Lemp Historic District Zoning Ordinances that pertain to this thesis project:

PERMITTED USES: 

• Use of Commercial Areas: A building shall be utilized only for the use permitted in the zoning district within which the building is located.  None of the following uses shall be permitted except as provided by law: trucking terminals; open storage yards; junk yards; service stations; garages and used car lots; and any use that causes the emission of noxious odors or that presents a high potential for hazard to the general public.

DEMOLITION/REMOVALS:

• No building or structure in the district shall be demolished and no permit shall be issued for the demolition of any such building or structure, unless the Heritage and Urban Design Commission shall find either that the building or structure is in such a state of deterioration and disrepair as to make rehabilitation impossible, or unless such rehabilitation is found to be economically unfeasible, or unless the building or structure is architecturally inconsistent with other structures to such an extent that it detracts from the historic character of the neighborhood.

• Except for substitution of deteriorated materials as provided in these standards, no original architectural detail or ancillary structure shall be removed.  The Heritage and Urban Design Commission shall make the final decision concerning demolition and removals, subject to applicable law or ordinance.

BUILDING HEIGHT:

• All structures to be rehabilitated shall conform to historical precedents of structures in their original forms.

SETBACKS

• Location and spacing of new or reconstructed buildings shall be consistent with the existing patterns in the neighborhood respecting depth of front yards, width of buildings and width of side yards.  If there is a uniform setback on a block, new buildings shall be positioned along such setback.  These standards encourage all structures to conform with sidewalk lines.

EXTERIOR MATERIALS:

• Materials for new or rehabilitated structures shall be compatible in type, texture and color with the original building materials used in the neighborhood.

• The use of raw concrete block and imitations or artificial materials are not permitted.  Aluminum or other types of siding are permitted only when they are used in place of wood siding and are similar in detail and design to the original siding.  Mill‐finished aluminum is not permitted.  Previously unpainted brick surfaces shall not be painted.  Any variance from this paragraph should be submitted to and approved by the Cherokee‐Lemp Standards Committee and the Heritage and Urban Design Commission.

ARCHITECTURAL DETAIL

• Architectural details on existing structures shall be maintained in a similar size, detail and material. Where they are badly deteriorated, a similar detail may be substituted.

• Doors, windows and other openings on rehabilitated structures shall be of the same size, and in the same horizontal and vertical configuration as in the original structure.  Exterior shutters, when used, shall be made of wood and shall be of the correct size and shape to fit the entire opening for which they are intended.

• Storm doors, storm windows and window frames shall be made of wood, or of color‐finished material.  Mill‐finished aluminum or similar metal is not permitted.

• Renovated dormers, towers, porches, balconies or cornices shall be maintained in a similar profile, size and detail to original construction.  Similar new construction shall complement the design.

• New ancillary and satellite structures shall conform in design to the architectural style of the period in which the principal structure was built.

• Awnings and canopies where visible from the street are not generally appropriate; but when approved, shall be of canvas or canvas‐like material.

ROOF SHAPE AND MATERIAL:

• In neighborhoods in which a roof shape, angles and lines are dominant, new or renovated structures shall conform to such shape, angles and lines.

• Roof materials shall be slate, tile, copper or asphalt shingles.  Roll roofing material, corrugated sheet metal, shiny metal or brightly colored asphalt shingles are not permitted where visible from the street.

 SIGNS:

• Except for neighborhood entrance markers for the Historic District, no signs shall be permitted, except for advertising or for informing the public of services, or the business, or profession conducted in or about the premises, except that in no case will the following be allowed:

  • Roof top signs

  • Billboards

  • Flashing or animated signs or signs with any moving parts

  • Large projecting signs which block windows or other signs

  • Loudspeaker music or announcements for advertising purposes

• In addition, no sign allowed by this ordinance shall be permitted if the Heritage and Urban Design Commission finds such sign to be incompatible with the historic and/or architectural character of the Historic District.

• In the event an element of these proposed uses, construction and restoration standards is not consistent with the zoning ordinance for the City of St. Louis, or other City codes or ordinances, the more restrictive shall apply.

LANDSCAPING:

• Trees  and  lawns  must  be  maintained  and  street  plantings  are  encouraged  approximately  35  foot  intervals  on  all  streets. 

Per the City of Saint Louis Zoning Ordinance, permitted uses in the “H” District include bars and taverns, restaurants, art galleries, and florists.  It can be concluded that the uses of this proposed thesis project will be deemed acceptable by the city as the intended uses either match or are similar to what is explicitly stated.   City ordinances specify rules for building heights, but in this case the Historic District ordinance will be followed which limits construction to around the same height as the original building.  Typically, setbacks would dictate the available building area on a site, but the city’s zoning ordinance allows no front or side yards for many commercial buildings situated similarly to the Malt Kiln.  Furthermore, the overriding historic district ordinance simply requires that new construction follows the existing patterns of setbacks adjacent to the site. 

Providing ample parking at community gathering spaces is important to ensure users can easily access the space by vehicle.  The historic district zoning ordinance merely suggests that rear alley parking be provided at residential buildings, but has no requirement for parking at commercial establishments due to the large amount of available street parking.  This thesis does not include a new, dedicated parking lot but anticipates having multiple options available on a situational basis.  For those who are visiting the Malt Kiln for leisure, street parking should be utilized.  When public or private events are scheduled and are expected to draw large crowds, the large open area of the brewery complex, directly to the west of the Malt Kiln, can be opened for parking.  There are several street access points into the brewery that can be controlled by contracted parking coordinators, so that visiting vehicles could be guided directly to the parking area.  This method is already employed by the Lemp Haunted House during their operational season, and the Malt Kiln could adopt the same plan.  The graphic below demonstrates the generous amount of free street parking available surrounding the brewery, and the significantly low amount of metered parking.  The areas highlighted in magenta are inside the Lemp Brewery Complex, and the area shown with blue is across the street.  It is unknown if this “blue” lot could be utilized for overflow parking, but would be explored if needed. 

Map of various types of available parking within a ten-minute walk of the Malt Kiln

UTILITIES

As many buildings in the brewery complex are occupied in some fashion, it is assumed that there will be little difficulty adapting current services to the new Malt Kiln.  According to maps available from the Metropolitan Sewer District, sewer and water lines run alongside the Malt Kiln under the street, as well as underground in other parts of the complex.  It is expected that any digging at the Malt Kiln will not interfere with these lines.  If new plumbing service is required to be run to the Malt Kiln, it will be installed underground and will tie into the nearest line.  Further investigation is needed to determine the least invasive way to deliver plumbing services so that adequate service is available, but destruction of the existing building is minimal. 

Map of known utilities, compiled with information from the Metropolitan Sewer District and photographs.

It is evident in photos that there is an electrical meter and service bank near the center of the rear wall of the block of buildings that includes the Malt Kiln (photos below).  It is assumed that this service has already been brought to the Malt Kiln as it was previously occupied by a tenant before the collapse, but it will likely need repairs inside of the Malt Kiln to be safe and functional.  If necessary, the existing service will be upgraded to meet the needs of this project.  With only photos to analyze the electrical service, a more thorough analysis of the electrical service would be required in order to figure out the exact modifications needed.

Photo showing electrical wiring running from the meter bank in Figure 55 towards the Malt Kiln (Courtesy of Sublunar Photography, https://sublunarphotography.blogspot.com/)

Close-up photo of existing assumed meter bank/electrical service (Courtesy of Sublunar Photography, https://sublunarphotography.blogspot.com/)