Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

STLrainbow @stlrainbow.bsky.social · 23h

It’s possible someone may buy an 1896 home today while someone else may lose an adjacent 1896 residential property today. Home on left is for sale after a rehab. Home on right is on today’s tax sale list. (It appears to have been a long time owner-occupied property but now vacant.) in FPSE.

A pair of 1896 two story brick homes. One has been painted a grey color as part of a rehab and is currently for sale with a for sale sign in the yard. The neighboring property is in poor condition and has some ivy covering the red brick exterior. A small sign posting the tax sale is in the yard behind a chain link fence.

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STLrainbow @stlrainbow.bsky.social · 1d

Oh, wow. I've always thought something like this would be great to activate the massive greenfield fronting Olive (that is in the upper right of the bottom right image) owned by international life science giant Merck Group.

Grove Resident 🇺🇦 @smb-grove.bsky.social · 1d

New STEM building at Harris-Stowe out for bids. Designed by Clayco's Lamar Johnson Collab. STEM Capital Campaign launched in Dec '24 following $500K gift from PENN Entertainment (casinos)
www.sldcplanroom.com/projects/670...
investors.pennentertainment.com/news-release...

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STLrainbow @stlrainbow.bsky.social · 1d

I deleted a skeet for clarity on the zoning... the parking lot was re-zoned in 2022 from K - Unrestricted to H - Area Commercial to allow for the mixed-use plan. But the Armory Building itself remains K. (You can have commerical in a K zoned property but not residential.)

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STLrainbow @stlrainbow.bsky.social · 1d

Thanks. I thought I was looking at the parking lot parcel when I saw K, but it was the Armory parcel itself.

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STLrainbow @stlrainbow.bsky.social · 1d

And from a land use perspective, the argument that the data center fits strategic land use plans is odd as the city just went through a zoning change for the property to promote regional commerical/mixed uses for the site along the region's highest frequency bus line and by a light rail station.

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STLrainbow @stlrainbow.bsky.social · 1d

This whole proposal is a mess in a myriad of ways, and I don't trust the tax generation numbers at all, but it is good to see a rather firm swearing off of tax abatement by SLU/Midtown Redevelopment. BoA should terminate the existing TIF encompassing the site, though.
www.stlmag.com/business/tow...

Town hall on Midtown data center brings out critics—and promises of no tax abatement

A data center proposed for St. Louis’ Midtown neighborhood drew hostile questions from city residents last night, with broad concerns and skepticism about the purported benefits of a $600 million data...

www.stlmag.com

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STLrainbow @stlrainbow.bsky.social · 1d

Something the Board of Aldermen can do is amend the ordinance governing tax incentives to prohibit source of income discrimination for those developments. We don't want to incentivize discrimination.

STLrainbow @stlrainbow.bsky.social · 1d

Sucks to see rental postings in STL City discriminating against housing voucher holders and there's nothing you can do about it anymore. (The city's ordinance prohibiting source of income discrimination was preempted by a new state law this past session.)

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STLrainbow @stlrainbow.bsky.social · 1d

One of the news channels is reporting that it was a construction worker who was hit and that they are in critical condition.

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STLrainbow @stlrainbow.bsky.social · 1d

Sucks to see rental postings in STL City discriminating against housing voucher holders and there's nothing you can do about it anymore. (The city's ordinance prohibiting source of income discrimination was preempted by a new state law this past session.)

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STLrainbow @stlrainbow.bsky.social · 1d

It’s so maddening. We should be mad!

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STLrainbow @stlrainbow.bsky.social · 1d

A lot of our breweries are also family friendly and weather should be nice for patios. Rockwell Beer Garden in Francis Park even has a playground for the kiddos. Civil Life in TGS, Urban Chestnut in Midtown or Grove and Four Hands just south of downtown are just a couple options.

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STLrainbow @stlrainbow.bsky.social · 1d

Downtown there's Katies Pizza at BPV and The Soda Fountain at Union Station that should appeal to all. Of course Crown Candy in Old North. Steve's Hot Dogs on S. Grand if you want to hit the Tower Grove Park area. Fountain on Locust in Midtown. Fitz's on Delmar Loop.

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STLrainbow @stlrainbow.bsky.social · 2d

A pedestrian was hit just this morning on K'way at the new luxury tower construction site.

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STLrainbow @stlrainbow.bsky.social · 2d

St. Cronan Catholic, a socially active church, unfortunately is one of just a few churches still active in the Forest Park SE neighborhood. So many have closed. Will do a thread on the neighborhood’s churches and what’s become of them.

St. Cronan Catholic Church, circa 1890. A banner sign reads “Immigrants & Refugees Welcome”

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STLrainbow @stlrainbow.bsky.social · 2d

Great turnout for a great event at St. Cronan Church this afternoon!

Sunshine Gerry @gconnolly314.bsky.social · 2d

Starting soon!
Community Town Hall on #DataCenterSTL
I haven’t seen a line so long since the first U. City TIF hearing in 2018.

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STLrainbow @stlrainbow.bsky.social · 4d

Awesome! Thanks!

STLrainbow @stlrainbow.bsky.social · 4d

I'm curious if you've seen anywhere a listing of the property addresses for the dozen or so existing data centers in the city?

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STLrainbow @stlrainbow.bsky.social · 4d

Insanity? Dementia?

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 4d

Trump: "Portland, I mean -- every time I look at that place it's burning down. There are fires all over the place. When a store -- there are very few of them left -- but when a store owner rebuilds a store they build it out of plywood. They don't put up storefronts anymore. They just put wood up."

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STLrainbow @stlrainbow.bsky.social · 4d

One of the more mysterious buildings in town is flanked by, but was not part of, the Westminster Place redevelopment area. The old Artcraft Venitian Blind Manufacturing Co. on Olive has been owned for the past couple decades by a hopeful but unrealized co-housing venture. Herons roost here though.

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STLrainbow @stlrainbow.bsky.social · 5d

Good read. And, of course,

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Reposted by STLrainbow

Sunshine Gerry @gconnolly314.bsky.social · 5d

“Nick Hartzler, a senior project manager with Steadfast City, said the developers do not “currently plan” to seek local tax breaks but could apply for a state program that allows certain data centers exemptions on sales and use taxes.”

#ArmoryTIF wasn’t mentioned. 👀

www.stlpr.org/economy-busi...

Consultants met with complaints during first town hall on Armory data center proposal

Concerned St. Louis residents made their thoughts known about a proposed $1.5 billion data center project that developers hope to build on the premises of the shuttered Armory building in Midtown.

www.stlpr.org

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STLrainbow @stlrainbow.bsky.social · 5d

I'll be floored if the data center developer says, "I shall not seek, nor shall I accept, tax abatement or TIF."

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STLrainbow @stlrainbow.bsky.social · 5d

""Things That Will Not Happen" for $10,000, Alex."

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STLrainbow @stlrainbow.bsky.social · 5d

I look forward to hearing how the hopeful developer and SLU (as master abater for the area 👀) are firmly committed to ending the existing property tax abatement and TIF authorization for the failed prior Armory project.

Sunshine Gerry @gconnolly314.bsky.social · 5d

Zoom info for today’s 5:30 p.m. developer propaganda “town hall/community engagement” meeting on the proposed data center(s) in the #ArmoryTIF district:
stlouis.govocal.com/en/projects/...
See item 5 at the “Go Vocal” link

#ShowUsTheMath
#500prospect
#3660Market
#DataCenterSTL

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STLrainbow @stlrainbow.bsky.social · 6d

Lindell Markeplace was a key component of the redevelopment and opened in the late 1980s. An LDS Church and SLPS's Metro High School opened around 1996 and were institutional uses helping fill out the redevelopment area. Two assisted living buildings (not pictured) also were built. 4/4

A marquue sign for Lindell Marketplace with Schuck's grocery as the main tenant.

Metro High School with a school bus in front of the building.

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