When Good Tools Go Bad: Eminent Domain & TIF

Eminent Domain & TIF (Tax Increment Financing) are supposed to be good things – mechanisms for serving the greater good. However, both have been abused. From a recent Post-Dispatch story:

The City of St. Peters blighted cornfields. Since when is open land blight? Hopefully we will see the courts narrow the definition to prevent such broad application of the term. It was bad enough when affluent suburban shopping mall West County Center was blighted because it wasn’t as new as competitive malls.

Related to this is the abuse of eminent domain. We’ve seen eminent domain used mainly to take people’s homes, businesses, churches and schools for highways, housing projects, and big box developments. Where is the public good? Please tell me when eminent domain was used to take deteriorating properties away from speculators that were sitting on properties simply for profit. I can’t think of any examples.

St. Louis will join other communities in protesting this abuse with a rally from 11:00am to 1:00pm – St. Louis City Hall (north side of building) on Tucker and Market. I hope to see you there.

– Steve

The Significance of Corner Storefronts

Corner storefronts are the centerpiece of urban neighborhoods. At one time, before big box retailers, they were the places where you walked to get your daily needs. Over the years these once vital storefronts ceased to be vital – as people fled to the suburbs and so did the local businesses. During these dark years many of these storefronts received tragic makeovers.

Such is the case shown on the right.

Dark and heavy this storefront is hardly inviting. This building, located on South Macklind, was originally a corner market serving the neighborhood. My own corner storefront also served as a meat market (ironic since I’m a vegetarian). In fact, most storefronts served as some sort of food market as modern refrigeration didn’t exist in people’s homes at the time. The massive supermarket, therefore, wasn’t feasible.

But once the market closed this storefront, like mine, got a terrible enclosure attempting to modernize the appearance. Instead of being open and welcoming it is closed, ugly and totally inappropriate for the building. What were they thinking?

Move forward to 2005 and the storefront is rebuilt anew. The former market will now serve as the office of Daniel Link Chiropractic.

I’m proud to say I was the REALTOR® for the buyer on this building and I played a part in the renovation plans. Yes, I know, a shameless plug.

Many storefronts all over the city have or are being converted to residential use. While this is a better use than being vacant I’d like to see the day when these storefronts again serve the local community by providing daily needs and services. Not everything has to be purchased from a big box.

These storefronts can again become a significant part of our daily lives.

– Steve

Spaghetti Zoning in St. Charles County

I learned a new term today – Spaghetti Zoning. And it exists not on The Hill but in St. Charles County. Basically it is a small strand of zoning to connect one area to another.

Winghaven is located in O’Fallon through Spaghetti Zoning along Bryan Road. The roadway is in O’Fallon but the land on either side is in Dardene Prairie. If you are developing one of the parcels of land in Dardene Prairie along this portion of Bryan Road you need to get approval from O’Fallon for the curb cut. How messed up is that?

My thought was some sort of land swap so that Dardene Prairie could control the road but that would separate Winghaven from the rest of O’Fallon.

This type of Spaghetti Zoning is not longer permissible by law – so municipalities cannot annex a utility easement just to add a piece of land to their city limits. But, I think people in St. Charles county will be dealing with the ramifications of past SZ for some time.

– Steve

McDonalds May Move Across Grand to Former Sears Site

A few years ago now the old Sears store on S. Grand near Chippewa became a pile of rubble. The massive parking lot to become new in-fill housing in a development known as Keystone Place by Pyramid Construction.

Fast forward today and you see more vacant lots than new houses. The city’s website says that as of August 2003 12 out of a possible 27 have been sold. But, the purpose of this post is not to critique what when wrong at this site. i’ll have to save those thoughts for another day. This post is to tell you that word on the street is McDonald’s located at the NW corner of Grand & Chippewa may move to the old Sears site at the SE corner of Grand & Winnebego.

I’m thinking if I really wanted to kick start sales of the home lots backing to this vacant parcel the very last thing I’d put there would be a McDonald’s complete with bright lights and fumes from cars in the drive-thru lane.

Alderwoman Jennifer Florida inherited the Keystone Place during redistricting a few years ago. Nothing seems to have changed.

A new McDonald’s combined with the windowless International Institute will really liven up this part of Grand – not. Why they didn’t add any windows during their renovation and, I don’t know, place an entrance on the public side of the building? I have no clue what they were thinking. The Blockbuster with front parking and Aldi across the street certainly don’t help the area.

The current McDonald’s isn’t exactly an asset. The parking lot takes up the corner and the extra wide street with right turn lane makes crossing Grand by foot a major chore. Access to the drive-thru lane is off Chippewa and a hassle for most. I can see why McDonald’s would want a better location.

So why put the McDonald’s here – on the SE corner of Grand & Chippewa on the corner of what was a former National grocery store? It is already a dreadful corner so the McDonald’s won’t make it any worse. That leaves the old Sears site a block North vacant for something more urban – with a building up to the street and any parking behind.

– Steve

Sometimes Boarded Windows are a Good Thing

Most often when you see boarded up windows it is a sign a building is no longer viable. It needs major rehab and the owner doesn’t think it is safe to leave the windows vulnerable to breakage.

The picture at right it not one of those cases. Instead these windows are boarded because the entire building as well as some neighboring buildings are getting complete renovations. This and many other indicators tell you that South Broadway is coming back and quickly!

In an act of shameless promotion, I want to plug a new listing of mine just up the street from the above project at 7317 S. Broadway (pictured at left).

The list price is $169,900 (MLS ID# 504457). Click here to see more detail.

If you have an existing REALTOR® that you work with please contact them if you wish to view the property.

– Steve