Board of Adjustment (BZA)

The BZA meets on the 4th Thursday of the month, but only if there are Variances or other issues to address.

Board of Adjustment (BZA)--The Board consists of five residents of the City and three residents who serve as Alternate members.  All are appointed by the Mayor and approved by the Board of Alderpersons.  The BZA hears appeals from City residents who have a unique property adjustment request.  When a resident wants to build a new building or add on to an existing building and the property does not comply with the planning and zoning code, the person may file an application for a Variance.  The Board meets on the fourth Thursday of the month, when a Variance request has been submitted.

Members are appointed to five-year terms by the Mayor with confirmation by the Board of Alderpersons.

The standards for granting variances are: the variance requested arises from a condition which is unique to the property in question and which is not ordinarily found in the same zoning district, and is not created by an action or actions of the property owner or the applicant; the granting of the variance will not adversely affect the rights of adjacent property owners or residents; if the variance is not granted, the property owner may suffer extreme hardship or severe practical difficulty; and the variance desired will not adversely affect the public health, safety, order, and convenience, or general welfare of the community.  The BZA will not grant a variance unless an application is filed addressing, in writing, all of the variance standards.

The Board of Adjustment is scheduled to meet on the fourth Thursday of the month; however, there will be no need to meet until there is a request for a Variance from our current building codes.  The City Administrator or Communications Coordinator will advertise the hearing in the St. Louis Countian fifteen days in advance and post announcements and Agendas on-line, on the community bulletin board, and by community e-mail when a meeting is scheduled.  This is documented in Resolution 2017-1--"A resolution establishing a reasonable notification policy for applications coming before the Board of Adjustment" enacted on June 22, 2017.

The process is described in the brochure Variance Request Process, which was mailed to residents with the April 2011 Newsletter. It is posted on the Forms/Permits page. To schedule a Variance Hearing, please fill out the Board of Adjustment (BZA) Application, which is also posted on the Forms/Permits page.  

For information regarding the BZA please contact the City Planning Consultant, Ellen Rottjakob (314-488-6043).

Training materials can be found via the following links:  Board & Commissions Overview,  Board Policies & Procedures Training. 

For more detailed information about the Municipal Code, go to:

http://www.ecode360.com/CR3278