“Magnolia Square” To Replace St. Aloysius

Alderman Joe Vollmer on Friday introduced Board Bill 361 for first reading before the St. Louis Board of Alderman. It seems the Planning Commission gave approval to the “sketch plan” on December 7, 2005 with three conditions.

The first condition is a routine easement document. Second is the Planning Commission wants the developer to “explore the possibility of increasing the proposed 10′-long front yard setbacks.” The third items is for them to “explore ways to redesign the site’s Pearl Ave. blockface so as to enhance the vista (view corridor) of the site from Magnolia Ave. looking westward.”

The documents indicate the developer will ask for 10-year property tax abatement but at this time Alderman Vollmer has not yet introduced such legislation. The full bill is available for download which includes drawings and floor plans of the proposed construction. It is a 34 page, 12mb PDF document. Click here to view the full bill as introduced by Alderman Vollmer on Friday.

County-only Reliance Bank is listed as doing the financing for this project. The contact person is Kent Steinbrueck. I’ve already left Mr. Steinbrueck a voice message indicating my disappointment that his bank is financing a project that will destroy a small part of our history and put very suburban looking homes in its place. The bank’s phone number is (314) 842-3979 (you can use the directory to leave a voice mail), their fax number is (314) 842-3974 and finally their street address is 5401 S. Lindbergh Blvd St. Louis, MO 63123.

We can be pro-development and save these great buildings and setting for future generations to enjoy. The elected officials need to wake up and realize this or they may just find themselves joining Tom Bauer as an ex-alderman.

– Steve

Will The New Homes Be Built In 12 Months If St. Aloysius Is Razed?

Yes, another post on St. Aloysius. But this contains new information and a different take on why the Preservation Board should not authorize the demolition on Monday.

One aspect of the criteria used to evaluate demolition permits is that the new construction will be built within 12 months. How do they really determine this? Often they use a developer’s past history and financial means to make a judgement call. Here is where things, in this case, get murky.

The developer is Wohlert Company, LLC which, according to the Secretary of State, was founded earlier this year in July 2005. The builder, DiMartino Homes, LLC, was created in July 2003 (per the Secretary of State). Tax bills for DiMartino Homes are sent to the Wohlert home in Wildwood. From the DiMartino Homes website we learn a bit more about the connection between Wohlert & DiMartino:

DiMartino Homes was founded in 2004 by James and Marie (DiMartino) Wohlert and John and Julie DiMartino. Marie and John, children of the late Charles DiMartino, grew up on The Hill and appreciate the close knit community and the old world spirit that defines the neighborhood.

Okay, we have a brother and sister and their spouses. Before we get into St. Aloysius let’s look at what else they’ve got going on right now.

First is a new home at 2712 January on an adjacent site listed for $264,900 (MLS# 572232). This was built on the site of a smaller home that was razed so that two new homes could be built. The home at 2712 January is shown as being “tenant” occupied. The remainder of the site includes a sign indicating “Will Built to Suit.” This does not indicate to me a strong demand for new single family homes in this area.

At 5358 Southwest a multi-use building is being constructed. The site, which contained a single family house from 1900 and a very small 1950s commercial space, was purchased in August 2004. I do not know how long the building has been under construction. It includes a storefront space and living space above. It has a for sale sign on the front and no information on any future tenant for the storefront.

A few blocks away is an even more complicated development. At the NE corner of Reber Place and Sublette (5449 Reber for tax record search) is another two home development. In addition to DiMartio Homes LLC this development also lists AMR Homes LLC as a developer. The tax records show AMR Homes LLC as the owner of record. I happened to be at the Planning Commission meeting in the Spring when they approved replatting this single plot into what was then a proposal for three homes. LIke the house on January, a small and insignificant frame house was razed. But in the Spring it was not DiMartino that was involved. Digging through the records I found an interesting trail of property flipping. Starting in 9/7/04 Harry M. Fine Realty bought 5449 Reber from HFC Mortgage for $43,000. Two days later SJP Properties Inc bought the property. Western Continental Investments, LLC, the applicant to replat the land, acquired the property on 2/8/05 for $70,000. And finally on 5/12/05 AMR Homes LLC became the owner for a whopping $165,000. One house is under construction at this time, neither are pre-sold.
AMR Homes LLC includes James Wohlpert as an organizer but lists its address in Fenton. Follow all that?

The current ownership of the former St. Aloysius Church has been debated here and on other sites. I can now set the record straight: The City of St. Louis lists the entire city block under one Tax/Parcel Number (4054-11-0010-0) at the address 5608 North Magnolia (the postal address for the 1964 school building). Public tax records show the Archdiocese sold the property to Wohlert Company, LLC on 10/27/2005 with a recording date of 11/1/2005 (document number 51101000229). The sale price was not listed on the online tax records (not that uncommon). This information can be viewed on the Assessor’s Lookup Page (just put in 5608 Magnolia as the address).

So we know the Archdiocese no longer owns or controls the property. We also know the Wohlert/DiMartino/AMR team have built a number of homes in the area and perhaps many more over the years. What we don’t know is if they can pull off a project valued in excess of $4,600,000 (23 homes x $200,000 each = $4.6 million). This is not meant as a slight to them but it just seems to be a big leap. Unlike the Doering Mansion last month, I’ve seen nothing to indicate any attempt being made to pre-sell these homes. I think the Preservation Board should demand to see an irrevocable letter of credit from a lending institution to cover the development cost on the project or the equivalent of pre-sale contracts before giving any authorization to forever remove such wonderful structures.

This developer/builder is also clearly all about building single family homes. That is made clear on their website:

By purchasing homes and businesses in need of repair and transforming them into modern single-family dwellings, they are helping to assure that Southwest Gardens and The Hill are among the most desired areas in the city to live for generations to come.

Simply because a single family home builder purchased the property does not obligate the city to grand a demolition permit. I’ve yet to find anything to show this developer/builder has any experience with adaptive reuse projects in the city. On the surface it seems they proposed what they know — single family houses.

I strongly urge the Preservation Board not to approve the proposed demolition on Monday. I would hope they’d postpone a decision until such time the developer can document (from an engineering, architectural and financial viewpoint) why the properties cannot have some combination of adaptive reuse on the East and new construction on the Western portion, and document they have the financial means to see their project to completion either in the form of a lender commitment or pre-sales. This information should be present for a true public hearing.

The meeting will be held Monday at 4pm at 1015 Locust, 12th Floor. If you wish to speak you will need to sign up prior to the meeting. This item is second on the agenda.

– Steve

SW Garden Neighborhood Association Didn’t Know About Preservation Review Process!

The Southwest Garden Neighborhood Association, where St. Aloysius is located for now, was unaware the City’s Preservation Board would make a decision on wether to grant the demolition permit or not. The association was told the Archdiocese was insisting the buildings be torn down. Some time back they gave their approval to the new home proposal.

I see this all too often, a volunteer association gives their approval for a redevelopment only because they think no alternative exists. Today they are realizing the process was not as it was explained to them.

First, we have the idea that it would be too painful for the neighbors if the church was reused. This is partially true, the neighbors don’t want any sort of institutional use on the site (either in the existing buildings or in new). This has some validity due to parking & traffic concerns on the narrow streets. But the question of Eastern half of the site being renovated with the Western half receiving new construction was never discussed as an option.

If the church really wanted the buildings razed why didn’t they apply to the City of St. Louis for a demolition permit? They didn’t do that, instead they sold the land and buildings intact to a private developer. This is now a former church owned by a private company.

The whole mess leading up to this smells of business as usual backroom politics. This is because the players involved know the proposal cannot stand on its own against the criteria of the City’s 6 year-old Preservation Review Ordinance. To get their way they had no choice but to manipulate the process in their favor. The staff recommendation to the Preservation Board for Monday’s meeting is not the staff recommendation they’d give without political pressure. This is the ugly St. Louis politics that disgusts me.

When it comes to renovating and attracting new residents to St. Louis we are our own worst enemy.

[UPDATE 12/17/05 @ 7:30PM – It seems the SW Garden Neighborhood Association gave their approval not recently, but back around April or May of this year. Those who have followed the church closings will note this and other churches weren’t “suppressed” until the end of June. The properties were then put up for sale. But the deal for the new homes was already done prior to the sale process. Basically, the opportunity for a rehab-minded developer to buy the properties never existed.]

– Steve

City Posts Agenda Regarding St. Aloysius Gonzaga

The City’s Cultural Resources office has posted the agenda for Monday’s Preservation Board meeting. This includes an application to demolish the beautiful former church complex known as St. Aloysius Gonzaga. Click here to see the detailed review of this loved complex and how the applicable Preservation Review Ordinance applies (including drawings of proposed houses and site plan).

Couple of facts to keep in mind:

From the enabling legislation: “Sound structures with apparent potential for adaptive reuse, reuse and or resale shall generally not be approved for demolition unless application of criteria in subsections A, D, F and G, four, six and seven indicates demolition is appropriate.”Subsection “A” & “G” are not applicable in this case. Subsection “D” does not warrant demolition because reuse potential does exist for the structures and the developer has not demonstrated any financial hardship. Subsection “F” also does not make demolition appropriate as the new project does not exceed the quality of the existing structures.
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Preservation Board to Determine Fate of St. Aloysius Gonzaga Complex

Last month the St. Louis Preservation Board, appointed by the mayor, rubber stamped the demolition of the Doering Mansion on the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River. That same rubber stamp will likely be pulled from the political desk drawer to approve the razing of the St. Aloysius Gonzaga complex for 23 single family homes.

From the Suburban Journals on 9/28/2005:

Father Vince Bommarito, the priest of St. Ambrose Parish, said there was a conscious decision to not have the buildings of St. Aloysius remain intact.

“That church is actually older than St. Ambrose. People are committed to the brick and mortar. To turn that over to somebody else would be difficult for the people to handle in the long run,” Bommarito said.

St. Aloysius Parish was made part of St. Ambrose Parish when the archdiocese closed St. Aloysius at the end of June.

Huh? It would be difficult to see someone else reuse their old church so leveling the site is somehow better? The neighbor I spoke to is glad the area will be used for residential but likes the old buildings and trees. When I spoke to her today she was under the impression it was a done deal. With that pro-demo rubber stamp awaiting the preservation board it might be a done deal. But I’ve never let political pressure stop me from speaking my mind before.

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