Department of Planning
The St. Louis County Department of Planning consists of three divisions:
- Current Planning
- Comprehensive Planning
- Community Development
The Department provides both countywide services as well as municipal-type services to the unincorporated areas of St. Louis County. The three divisions work in conjunction with each other, as well as independently, to meet the changing demands and needs of St. Louis County.
For more information about the Department of Planning, please see our 2012 Annual Report.
Current Planning
The Current Planning Division has two primary responsibilities: Zoning and Subdivisions. The Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Ordinance are enforced by this division.
The applications for zoning changes, special procedures, and other forms and checklists are available in .pdf format at the forms page.
The Current Planning Division enforces the County's Zoning Ordinance by processing and analyzing petitions for changes in zoning, special procedures, and variances to the zoning regulations. The Zoning Ordinance is a tool for regulating land use and flood plain management. The Current Planning Division also researches and proposes ordinance amendments to ensure that the Zoning Ordinance is effective in regulating land use.
The Current Planning Division also oversees the division of land for unincorporated St. Louis County. The Subdivision Ordinance regulates the orderly division of land. In addition, the Division is responsible for the calculation, collection, monitoring, and management of escrow accounts for public improvements in subdivisions.
We are staff to both the Planning Commission and the Board of Adjustment.
For more information on zoning and subdivisions, click here.
Comprehensive Planning
The Comprehensive Planning Division oversees long-range planning, coordinates community planning initiatives and special projects, and promotes public outreach activities for St. Louis County.
Countywide Planning & Policy
The Division is responsible for carrying out and participating in a wide variety of planning and policy initiatives throughout St. Louis County and the St. Louis metropolitan area with the goal of developing and promoting plans and policies that ensure a high quality of life for those who live, work and visit St. Louis County.
Projects include creation of the St. Louis County Strategic Plan, analysis of boundary changes, annexations and incorporations, and other specialized efforts such as the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy, the Consolidated Plan and the Meramec Greenway Plan.
The Division also partners with local and regional agencies on regionally significant initiatives such as the Regional Sustainability Plan lead by the East-West Gateway Coordinating Council and the Livable St. Louis Network hosted by Trailnet.
Community Planning & Revitalization
The Division prepares plans and studies to address a wide range of issues including land use, community revitalization, economic development and redevelopment, housing and service delivery. Additionally, the Division is focused on keeping citizens informed and involved in County government through town hall forums, booklets and newsletters.
Subdivision Trustee Resource Center
The Division provides technical assistance and support to subdivision and homeowner associations and trustees in unincorporated St. Louis County. A variety of resources are provided, including maintenance of a voluntary roster of subdivision trustees, events and workshops, a speaker’s bureau, a toolbox of helpful documents and templates, publications and guidebooks for trustees, a reference library and links to other St. Louis County resources.
Community Development
The Office of Community Development (OCD) is charged with coordinating housing and community development activities for St. Louis County. OCD works in partnership with local communities, non-profit agencies, other County departments and businesses to strengthen family, economic, social and cultural foundations of the community. In addition, funds are also targeted to carry out programs and activities benefiting low-and-moderate income households to eliminate slums, blight, address urgent needs, and provide safe, sanitary and decent housing.
OCD administers the federal Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG), Home Investment Partnership Program (HOME), Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP), and Lead Hazard Control Funds. For more information on these and other housing programs, click here.