There is a good article by Matt Murphy about the “Blairmont” project in the current print edition of Arch City Chronicle.
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Category: Northside Regeneration
A concerned reader who lives in St. Louis Place created a Google Earth map of Paul J. McKee Jr.’s holdings in north St. Louis, and sent it in for publication on Ecology of Absence. The map, showing 500 parcels, seems to be short a few parcels (a closer number may be 540). However, seeing the satellite image of the landscape is much more vivid than any of our prior attempts to document the extent of the holdings. It’s linked here.
by Michael R. Allen
A Kinder tax break – St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 17, 2007
Read today’s editorial in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch if you want your heart broken. Decades of progress on the near north side are threatened by a proposal that does not prohibit the use of eminent domain, even in rehabbed areas like Old North St. Louis.
Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, posing as some sort of urban hero, and Mayor Francis Slay have not once addressed letters, phone calls or emails from residents or community leaders afraid of the impending attack on the near north side’s fabric. Yet they find the time to let the editorial board know they support a policy proposal designed to benefit one developer that has not been reviewed by St. Louis city planning officials, neighborhood organizations or St. Louis legislators.
Here we see that our region’s lack of leadership on development issues is staggering. As painful as it is to admit, the only “leader” here is Paul J. McKee, Jr., who assembled the land on his own according to a very well-developed plan. After ignoring citizen complaints and growing media coverage of the debilitating effects of McKee’s plan, Slay now quietly jumps on board for this tax credit proposal. Republican Kinder has watched his party attack the poor and urban residents of the state without helping, but now acts as if he is enacting a grand gesture that is in fact a reactionary proposal.
Meanwhile, McKee’s companies are still acquiring properties at a fast pace and phony eminent domain letters are circulating in some parts of St. Louis Place, although the source is unknown. The near north side is wounded and suffering, and the leadership needed to heal those wounds is hard to find. Even if such leadership emerged, the Kinder proposal is a blueprint for unending pain and community-busting.
Here is a challenge: Lt. Gov. Kinder and Mayor Slay should come meet with residents of the near north side in a public forum to hear their concerns, fears and hopes. So far, these leaders have not countered the rhetoric of this being a “unpopulated area” nor have they responded to the citizens whose lives they affect. What we on the near north side assume as a result is that we do not matter to them as constituents, and our removal is their end goal. After all, not once has the full text of Kinder’s proposal circulated around here where it will have its biggest impact. Not one letter has been answered. Not one statement has come from these men that shows respect for the largely poor, African-American near north side population.
Our assumption may be unfair, but we will never know without communication.
by Michael R. Allen
Paul J. McKee Jr.’s north side holding companies own somewhere between 100-400 acres of the JeffVanderLou, St. Louis Place and Old North St. Louis neighborhoods — not over 1,000 as has been often stated. That’s just bad math with no source.
However, 100 acres is a huge amount of land in an urban area. The two largest vacant sites in the city are the 40-acre Carondelet Coke site at the southeast corner of the city and the 33-acre Pruitt-Igoe site near the intersection of Cass and Jefferson avenues. Those sites are just about the right size for large urban development.
Perhaps the urban land acquisition tax credits now part of the pending Quality Jobs Act in the Missouri legislature could have reduced the minimum size from 75 acres to 30, with a cap of 75 acres. That seems like a reasonable change given the confusion and fear over the size of McKee’s project. That range would guarantee smaller projects where community consensus would be easier to build. McKee’s assemblage effort shows the difficulty of achieving consensus for projects on the scale that he apparently envisioned when he started.
by Michael R. Allen
Yesterday, amid the local smokescreen of “land trust”, the Griesheimer amendment to the Quality Jobs Act (SB 282) unanimously passed the Economic Development, Tourism & Local Government Committee of the Missouri Senate.
Here is the available summary (full text has not been publicly released):
This act creates the distressed areas land assemblage tax credit program, administered by the department of economic development. Tax credits issued under the distressed area land assemblage tax credit act, are non-refundable, fully transferrable [sic] income, corporate franchise, and financial institutions, tax credits. Tax credits issued under the act will be equal to fifty percent of the acquisition costs for the land, and one hundred percent of the interest costs. The tax credit program is capped at one hundred million dollars and the total amount of tax credits issued annually is limited to twelve million dollars.
Numerous St. Louis citizens sent letters and made phone calls urging senators to delay the vote until there could be more local discussion, especially in the areas of north St. Louis currently affected by the “Sheridan Place” (or “Blairmont”) land acquisition project Sen. John Griesheimer used to justify the new credits.
As far as this writer knows, the only reply came from the office of Sen. Wes Shoemyer (D-18th), who inserted a citizen letter in the floor book for the bill. The St. Louis delegation was unusually silent on this very local matter.
Comments in the press from Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder and Mayoral Chief of Staff Jeff Rainford made no mention of the hurry to pass this bill and the lack of citizen input, or the silence of St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay in the face of impending physical and social upheaval hitting the near northside of his city.
by Michael R. Allen
Expect much discussion of the near northside and “land trust” development in the next few weeks. This discussion could draw attention to the failure of our city’s current charter to handle large-scale redevelopment in a responsible and compelling manner. The discussion might point to the wonderful development opportunities inherent in vacant land. The discussion could lead to a plan for action acceptable to many parties.
However, don’t be sidetracked to the point that the facts become overwhelmed by rhetoric:
– This is a discussion started by the news that in the last four years Paul J. McKee, Jr. has accumulated over 400 parcels in a concentrated section of north St. Louis.
– Many of the properties of the project are in violation of city ordinances.
– The city of St. Louis fronted thousands of dollars to board up, demolish and otherwise maintain property owned by McKee. While the fees are reimbursed, due diligence for maintenance and security have been lacking.
– The agents working on the acquisition project utilized secretive and questionable means, did not conduct due diligence in answering concerns from neighboring property owners and did not disclose the name of the actually responsible parties to community leaders and property owners.
– The property acquisition has included multiple cases where properties sought by other developers were purchased — including properties in known redevelopment areas.
– City officials have not yet responded to concerns of citizens and community leaders who have asked “why has this been allowed to happen?”
– Hundreds of mostly poor African-American residents have been relocated from Old North St. Louis, JeffVanderLou and St. Louis Place. (Some of this may have been inevitable, given housing conditions under prior owners.)
– Historic properties like the James Clemens, Jr. House (in danger of roof collapse) and the Brecht Butcher Supply Company Buildings (under demolition) have been allowed to deteriorate under this project.
– No legal policy directed the purchase of these properties.
Obviously, the language used by Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder and mayoral chief of staff Jeff Rainford in today’s St. Louis Post-Dispatch article is encouraging as far as development of the Griesheimer amendment is concerned.
As far as dealing with “Blairmont,” that work has yet to be done. McKee’s ambitious project may turn out to be a mixed blessing from which good can come. Hopefully a full discussion of developing a “land trust” will include the facts of record in the “Blairmont” matter. Only then can everyone work together to create sensible policy for the near northside and for large-scale land acquisition.
Tax credits could revive land trusts – David Nicklaus (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 14)
Kinder says the tax credits won’t work for a developer who wants to displace residents. No more than 5 percent of the acreage in a targeted area can consist of owner-occupied homes, and Kinder said he’s willing to consider language that will protect renters, too.
Jeff Rainford, Mayor Francis Slay’s chief of staff, says he’s excited about the proposal. “This would be a bold stroke,” he said. “We are cobbling together a lot of cool stuff in this city already. This would allow for something really innovative and imaginative and comprehensive.”
One immediate question:
Does “innovative and imaginative and comprehensive” include Paul McKee’s plans for the near north side?
by Michael R. Allen
The People for John Griesheimer, campaign committee for State Senator John Griesheimer (R-Washington), on November 6, 2006 accepted a $650.00 contribution from O’Fallon-based McEagle Properties LLC. (This is found in the committee’s 30 Days After Election filing dated December 2, 2006.)
Griesheimer has introduced an amendment to the Quality Jobs Act (SB 282) that would create a $100 million state tax credit for land acquisition projects of more than 75 acres in the city of St. Louis. According to Griesheimer, a developer from St. Charles County is interested in the credits for a project in north St. Louis.
McEagle Properties has ties to an acquisition project in north St. Louis that already controls over 100 acres in the JeffVanderLou, St. Louis Place and Old North St. Louis neighborhoods.
by Michael R. Allen
No St. Louisan that I know has seen the text of Sen. John Griesheimer‘s amendment to the Quality Jobs Act (SB 282), scheduled for consideration by the Economic Development, Tourism & Local Government Committee on Wednesday. According to an article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the amendment would create a $100 million subsidy for land acquisition related to development projects larger than 75 acres in the city of St. Louis. The amendment also has the backing of Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder, who is credited with making the proposal.
Supposedly, the subsidy is sought by a St. Charles County developer for a project in north St. Louis. While this developer knows about the amendment, neither my state senator nor my alderperson knows a thing about a proposal with huge ramifications for the city of St. Louis and its residents.
We need to know exactly what is being proposed — and why it is being proposed hastily without input from St. Louisans. A program like the one proposed potentially could be beneficial to the city, with proper input from seasoned urban developers, citizens and St. Louis elected officials.
City residents, please contact your state senators:
Harry Kennedy, D-1st: (573) 751-2126
Jeff Smith, D-4th: (573) 751-3599
Maida Coleman, D-5th: (573) 751-2606
You can send email using this form.
Also, here are the current members of the Economic Development, Tourism & Local Government Committee:
John Griesheimer, R-26th, Chair: (573) 751-3678
Chris Koster, R-31st, Vice-chair: (573) 751-1430
Jason Crowell, R-27th: (573) 751-2459
Kevin Engler, R-3rd: (573) 751-3455
Jack Goodman, R-29th: (573) 751-2234
Carl Vogel, R-6th: (573) 751-2076
Victor Callahan, D-11th: (573) 751-3074
Harry Kennedy, D-1st: (573) 751-2126
Ryan McKenna, D-22nd: (573) 751-1492
Wes Shoemyer, D-18th: (573) 751-7852
Again, emails can be sent using this form.
Lt. Gov. Kinder can be contacted at (573) 751-4727 or ltgov@mail.mo.gov.
by Michael R. Allen
Two weeks ago, the A.G. Mack Contracting Company began wrecking the Brecht Butcher Supply Company Buildings at the northeast corner of Cass and Florissant avenues in Old North St. Louis. The historic buildings, owned by Blairmont Associates LC (30% owned by developer Paul J. McKee, Jr.), have sat empty since their purchase by the current owner in 2005. On October 6, 2006, a large fire struck the buildings and caused extensive but not insurmountable damage.
On October 31, 2006, the city’s Building Division issued an emergency demolition permit for the eastern two buildings of the three-building group. According to demolition inspectors, the two-story western building was to be spared while the other buildings would be wrecked with city money.
Then, suddenly, salvagers removed the cornice from the two-story section beginning January 8. Demolition started on the two-story section, and a complaint to the city led to information from Demolition Supervisor Sheila Livers stating that all three building would be wrecked.
The city’s Geo St. Louis website shows that the original wrecking permit issued October 31, 2006 was replaced by a new one issued January 12, 1007.
The reason for the change is unknown. Obviously, the loss of the two larger buildings would have diminished the visual impact of the two-story building. Yet leaving some part — a part not at all damaged by the fire — of the historic row would have been better than nothing.
(Photograph from February 8, 2007. Most of the two-story section is demolished now.)