The St. Louis city Planning Commission has agreed to consider whether Saint Louis University should be allowed to tear down three buildings at the old Pevely Dairy site in midtown to build a new ambulatory care center.
The university appealed the December decision by the city's Preservation Review Board that denied a demolition permit for the main office building at the corner of Grand and Chouteau, which is topped by the red Pevely sign. The board gave its approval for the demolition of a garage and the milk plant, but only if SLU got a building permit for the new medical facility. The university has agreed to save the smokestack.
SLU officials argued they could not build the medical offices without being allowed to take down the office building. They'll now get a chance to make that argument to the Planning Commission.
The university issued the following statement:
"We are pleased that the Planning Commission has agreed to consider our appeal as we continue our efforts to build a state-of-the-art Ambulatory Care Center in Midtown St. Louis. This a critical project for SLU and the citizens of St. Louis, and we look forward to presenting our plans to the Commission."
The Commission typically meets on the first Wednesday of the month, which would make its next regularly-scheduled meeting March 7.