ST. LOUIS - The office of St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer announced the signing of a new executive order that eliminates barriers for rebuilding tornado-impacted neighborhoods.

According to the office, the city of St. Louis is also preparing to work on a major overhaul of its Zoning Code to prevent such issues.

“While all of St. Louis needs and deserves zoning reform to remove burdensome regulations, the need to move even more urgently in the neighborhoods damaged by the tornado is obvious,” Spencer said. “This executive order brings quick, localized reform to remove barriers for those who have lost so much, effective today.”

This executive order plans to prevent regulatory challenges, according to the office, by:

• Giving the Cultural Resources Office staff flexibility when reviewing and approving permits with the applicable standards of the impacted local historic districts (such as roof materials or windows) in cases of verified hardship and unusual circumstances. This flexibility will be in place for one year.

• Extending the period of validity for conditional use permits previously granted. Otherwise, businesses would only have a year to open, after which they would need another hearing, which can take several months to schedule. This flexibility will be in place for three years.

• Extending the time period and scope to repair or replace legally nonconforming structures (meaning structures that were legally built before current zoning regulations were in place, which includes many homes in the city). Otherwise, homeowners could need a special hearing, which can take several months to schedule. For example, under this executive order, a historic home that does not meet setback requirements could be rebuilt or receive an occupancy permit using the same footprint. This flexibility will be in place for three years.

• Encouraging the extension of building permits, in case it takes longer than 6 months to begin construction. This flexibility will be in place for three years.

Spencer says Executive Order 90 will expand “hot spot” hours for residents who need over-the-counter approvals for residential projects. It also will expand capacity in the Building Division to process permits efficiently.

More information about Executive Order 90 can be found here.