Schnucks Neighbors Get 10-Foot Tall Plastic Fence

Homeowners' lots backing up to a Schnucks store under construction at the border of Chesterfield and Ballwin saw a 10-foot high plastic fence installed at their backyards and side yards this week. (See photos accompanying this article.)

The fence separates commerical and residential real estate on a pie-shaped wedge of property bounded by Clarkson and Kehrs Mill roads. It sits diagonally .

The formerly wooded property with one house was demolished  The lot was rezoned by Ballwin to commercial status, despite resident opposition.

Numerous residents in the Clarkson Crossing subdivision whose lots border the grocery store have vowed to boycott the store, saying it has de-valued their property or made it unlivable, for example.

Chesterfield Patch users commented that nearby residents also opposed the building of in the past decade.

Eagles Glen Court resident Allegra Firestone said she has little option but to stay put in her home of 24 years, despite living within just feet of the parking lot. 

"I can't move. Who's going to buy this house now?" Firestone said. She said the bedrooms and "everything" are at the back of the house, where the store sits.

Another result of the construction Firestone said was her house has suffered major damage from high winds, including the roof. Insurance companies suggested the clearing of the trees from the lot behind were to blame.

And glass patio furniture was upended by the winds, and shattered, she said, for the first time ever.

Construction is still under way, despite the heat wave. (See photos accompanying article.)

Firestone, who has a teen attending nearby Marquette High, said she worries about students dashing across the busy intersections to Schnucks when school is in session. 

Schnucks revamped the intersection, adding a second turn lane, sidewalks and other improvements to the busy intersection that already had a traffic signal.