St. Louis Officials Condemn Urban Farm After Neighbors Complain
But even if the farm no longer smells, neighbors said they still want it closed.
By Kayla Drake
St. Louis Public Radio
August 21, 2020
Excerpt:
Kiefer blamed the city for failing to give him clear guidance on what permits he needed to reopen.
“I’ve been in and out of three different division offices,” he said. “No one within the building division was able to help me with the ordinance violation that I’d been given.”
Since July 2019, several neighbors have sent in numerous complaints to the Citizens’ Service Bureau about the farm’s foul-smelling compost. The complaints attracted the St. Louis Health Department’s attention, which found double the number of chickens allowed on a property during inspection.
City zoning officials said Thursday that they have told Kiefer he cannot operate without a permit and have given him information on how to apply. A health inspector also said he told Kiefer he could not operate without a small farm animal permit.
Keifer said that since the farm is an educational facility, he should be exempt from certain ordinances. But many of the farm’s neighbors on Windermere Place said Kiefer’s business is largely a commercial operation, selling compost.
