McKee eschews media, makes pitch for NorthSide development

By Audrey Spalding
Show-Me Institute

On Wednesday night, more than 60 people gathered in the basement of the Zion Lutheran Church in north Saint Louis to hear developer Paul McKee and Alderman April Ford-Griffin explain a proposed $8 billion redevelopment of Saint Louis’ north side. There were some familiar faces from recent meetings hosted by a community group critical of the redevelopment, but most did not overlap. Two policemen attended the presentation, as well.

Before the presentation could really begin, Ford-Griffin noticed a journalist sitting in the front row of metal folding chairs that had been set out for the evening. He had a microphone and was unwinding its cord. Ford-Griffin stooped down to speak with him.

After about two minutes of exchange, the journalist got up and left. Later, McKee explained after asking a girl to stop taping the presentation that people are “not comfortable” when the news media record their questions and voiced opinion.

Thus began the two-hour-long meeting, which consisted of a slide show followed by a heated question-and-answer session.

The slide show, co-hosted by McKee and William Laskowsky, chief development officer of the redevelopment company, included statistics showing how far the north side had fallen in comparison to national education and income averages, as well as outlining the geographic boundaries of the proposed project and pointing out which types of stimulus money, tax increment financing (TIF), and other tax credits for which the project was eligible.

That government assistance, McKee said, is necessary because of the systemic deterioration of the north side.

“The infrastructure is more than 100 years old,” he said, “and most of it is shot.”

Generally, the presentation tried to assuage fears that eminent domain would be used to force people to give up their property, and that the current north side community would be uprooted to make way for more affluent residents.

“We are not about displacement,” said McKee. “We are not about eminent domain residential.” Furthermore, he claimed the project would likely benefit current residents, stating that “everything around what we’ve done has grown in value. Sometimes 10 times as much.”

Ford-Griffin was on the defensive as well. She said that the actions of some — likely referring to the North Side Community Benefits Alliance, a group pushing for more inclusion in the redevelopment process — were creating “hysteria in the community.”

“There will be no eminent domain on residences and churches,” she said. While she spoke, several audience members muttered about her chances at reelection.

In the TIF application that the redevelopment company submitted to the Saint Louis TIF board of commissioners on May 29, the company noted it could use eminent domain to acquire properties from uncooperative owners, though sparingly.

McKee’s and Ford-Griffin’s statements on Thursday were based on an updated TIF application that has not yet been made public.

A man who identified himself as Terry Chapman stood up to ask a question and referred to the more than 2,400 properties the redevelopment company had listed on its application as “properties or parcels needed for proposed redevelopment.”

“On that list is my yard,” he said. “Are you going to take my yard?”

McKee promised he wouldn’t, again referring to the not-yet-public revamped TIF application.

“The list has been modified,” said Laskowsky.

Ford-Griffin, when pressed by NSCBA member and certified public accountant Keith Marquard, said that the updated TIF application would be available to the public on Sept. 9, two weeks before the TIF commission would meet to consider the redevelopment company’s proposal and application for more than $410 million in TIF funds.

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