St. Robert Planning and Zoning Commission members voted Wednesday evening to approve combining three lots on Old Route 66 where the Sonic drive-in restaurant is located and also approved a final plat for a new residential subdivision of 19 homes off Dogwood Drive.
Those recommendations go before the city council on Monday, and if approved, will clear the way for the owners of Sonic to tear down and rebuild the restaurant on its current site and for Dave Harbaugh, owner of Woodlane Apartments, to begin construction of the new houses on lots that are generally about a quarter-acre in size.
Land Use Administrator Alan Clark told commission members that while they don’t have the authority to approve most items about the exterior appearance of the new Sonic restaurant, they’ll be pleased by what they see.
“You’re going to be relatively pleased with this because they are demoing the Sonic drive-in and building a new state-of-the-art Sonic,” Clark said. The new restaurant will be a “fancy” exterior design similar to the Sonic in Rolla, Clark said.
Planning and Zoning Commission member Jeff Dowdy asked if the existing restaurant will be closed before or after the new restaurant is built. Clark said there would be a period when the restaurant is entirely closed, and said some work has already begun on the property.
“There used to be an old feed store behind it and they’ve already (demolished) it,” Clark said. “They’ll be doing a lot of dirt work to build that up, and then they’ll demo and rebuild.”
Clark said the Sonic remodeling is only the first of several improvements to St. Robert businesses.
“You’ll be surprised about the Dairy Queen, too,” Clark said.
Improvements come with a price, and while commission members were pleased that several businesses should soon look better, they weren’t as happy about the temporary disruptions.
“You can’t be going around closing both ice cream places!” exclaimed Alderman Ralph Cook, who serves on both the planning and zoning commission and the city council.
“Will we have to go all the way to Lebanon to get a milkshake?” asked Planning and Zoning Commission chairman Larry Jackson.
That won’t be a problem. Clark said except for Sonic, most of the planned improvements to area businesses don’t involve demolition of the existing businesses. The Dairy Queen owners plan to refurbish, not demolish their existing restaurant.
Even Wal-Mart plans to “get away from that gray battleship look” and will redo its St. Robert store in earth-tone colors, Clark said.
“It’ll look real good; they’re doing a lot of good things over there,” Clark said.
Dowdy also asked about the new Chubby’s car wash on the corner of Marshall Drive and Vicky Lynn Lane by Papa John’s Pizza; Clark said the car wash is intended to be a detail shop and would “probably be the fanciest one I’ve ever seen.”
Another car wash is also planned near Lowe’s Home Improvement, he said.
Planning and Zoning Commission member Larry Bateman was glad to see that.
“I’ll tell you, this place needed a car wash,” Bateman said.
Dowdy also wanted to know what’s happening with a parcel of land next to BP Gas south of Old Route 66 where he said a road was quickly built several years ago but little has been done since. Clark said someone is considering buying the land and putting several businesses there.
“So there is something going on, it’s not just sitting there collecting dust?” Dowdy asked.
“Yes, there are a lot of things about to blow up here,” Clark said.
Cook asked Clark about his opinions on the compliance of developer Gerald Harris with water drainage regulations for a new development off Highway Y. Commission members postponed approval of his final plat last month until he completes water drainage work.
“It wasn’t a matter of things not being put in, it was a matter of things not being maintained,” Clark said. “He knows what he needs to do now, because I went out there and walked it with him.”