SPECIAL-USE PERMIT FOR PERRYVILLE ROAD STIRS CONTROVERSY AT CORNER

Bo and Dianne Shantz thought they had a simple plan to build a house on the northeast corner of Lexington Avenue and Perryville Road that could also serve as an insurance office.

That simple plan has turned into somewhat of a controversy.

City officials and planning commission members are at odds about what sort of development -- commercial or residential -- should be allowed at Perryville and Lexington. The issue has long been a debate among city officials, coming to the forefront every few years when projects are proposed.

The Cape Girardeau City Council held a public hearing Monday night on Shantz' request for a special-use permit. The council voted to continue the matter, keeping it on hold until a petition from neighboring property owners can be verified.

The ordinance requesting the special-use permit will again be considered July 17. The permits are only granted to property owners for specific uses as long as the applicant owns the property. The permits are not transferable, which is why Shantz said he had requested it. He wanted to do little to disrupt the neighborhood.

The Planning and Zoning Commission voted to approve Shantz' request last month but rejected a request to build a gas station and convenience store on the opposite corner of Perryville Road.

A hearing likely will be set in August to consider the request for the convenience store. Kevin Stanfield and Jeff Holzum had requested the rezoning of 2021 Perryville Road, the northwest corner of Perryville and Lexington, for a convenience store and gas pumps.

A Wink's convenience story exists there, and the men would not have torn it down or removed existing pumps. That property would have been used for storage, which is in part why the planning commission denied the request.

"I feel strongly that we have to look at both sides," said Councilman Richard "Butch" Eggimann.

Restricting commercial development on only one side of the street doesn't make sense, he said.

Mayor Al Spradling III said the city must be consistent with its zoning policies. He doesn't want to set an unreasonable precedent by allowing one business and not another.

Nor do neighboring property owners. Three nearby property owners spoke before the council to voice their opposition to the plan. One man presented a petition signed by property owners in the neighborhood.

John Essner of 1817 Meyer Drive said he wasn't necessarily opposed to the business but to the placement of it. Granting a special-use permit "does set a precedent for the next person," he said. "I'm against anything that leads to the commercialization of the property."