ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Someone bought a big mansion overlooking the Mississippi River in south county and now some neighbors and a St. Louis County Councilman are outraged to learn it’s going to be a group home for adults with eating disorders.
Neighbor Judy Clark says there should have been some public discussion before it was approved.
"I had to get permission to put 4-foot extensions on my deck. A lady down the street had to bring all kinds of pictures to extend her driveway because there are too many driveways on Christopher (Drive)," Clark says. "We have to jump through all sorts of hoops. They can put a group home in, in the guise of a group home without doing anything."
Councilman Ernie Trakas says he’s "livid" about a proposed group home because no one told him in advance that it was coming to the area he represents.
He says it was known about in some parts of county government as long ago as last summer and the County councilor and planning offices approved it without telling him.
A spokesman for the company, Monte Nido & Affiliates, says no public hearing was required because group homes for the disabled are allowed in a residential area, and eating disorders are considered a “disability.”
Other neighbors say they're concerned about their privacy, a flow of patients going in and out, and a parking lot that is being added to the property.
The home is in Oakville, Mo. in the 7100 block of Christopher Drive.
The eight-bed facility is scheduled to open early next year.
The company has nine other "Residential Treatment" facilities and eight "Day Treatment" in states across the U.S., including New York, Illinois, California and Oregon.
But neighbors in St. Louis are fighting it. They’re talking with a lawyer, and say the facility is technically a “business,” and should not be allowed in a residential area.