It’s old news now, but in 2007-08 the firestorm over infill housing was at its peak and had the city of Kirkwood divided on how to handle its citizens’ concerns. Those who didn’t want any new development in Kirkwood were in favor of ordinances so strict, no one could build anything. Those against it wanted to “leave well enough alone”. The City Council appointed Council Member Tim Griffin as the liaison between the most ardent supporters of a new ordinance and the builders and developers.
I am a lifetime citizen of Kirkwood and a remodeling contractor – so RIGGS Company & Design understood both sides clearly. I’ve been (and remain today) a member of the Landmarks Commission, and always show my love of the historic homes in Kirkwood through my business and personal deeds. So I gained the trust of supporters. RIGGS Company’s 50 year history of remodeling here gained me the trust and understanding of the construction community working in the city. So, put that whole picture together, and I became the chosen candidate to assist Mr. Griffin in mediating the debates between the two sides.
Three meetings were held in RIGGS Company’s conference room where those for and those against, had the opportunity to voice their opinion and work toward a compromise. During those meetings, Mr. Griffin and I were able to find some common ground between both sides and an outline of the new ordinance was created and presented to the City Council. The recommendations made by Tim Griffin to the City Council were accepted as read and the new ordinances were made law.
Since then, the economy has tanked and new home construction has reached all time lows in production and sales. Yet, if you drive around Kirkwood, you can still see new homes popping up and remodeling projects are present all over town. Filling out floor area ratio and total lot coverage forms took a little head scratching and it was a little tough at first figuring out just how big a house or how much addition you could build. Some citizens have been confused and disappointed that they couldn’t build what they wanted because of the new ordinances. But surprisingly, there has been very little outcry from them or the developers that fought so hard to keep the status quo. The infill housing currently being built does fit better into the neighborhoods and the “McMansions” that were overwhelming the lot and the houses around them are no longer an issue. Is everyone happy? Probably not; but it seems the citizens and developers are both accepting of the new regulations and by in large, they have not created any undue hardship for either side.
