15thWardSTL.org

Seriously, folks. CDA/SLDC and Jennifer Florida have effed up pretty bad on this one. Yeesh, I just couldn\\\'t pass this one up, even though I moved eight months ago.

This is just a brief post to call your attention to the ongoing fiasco at 3460 Oak Hill. I wrote about this beautiful art deco building almost two years ago. Since then, the project fell through again and yet another developer was selected and the project is in danger of fell falling through yet again (while the building itself is falling down).

I can\\\'t do the same research I did in the past, but quickly:

Almost three years ago on October 6, 2003, CDA issued an RFP to redevelop the property at 3722 Tholozan with a new single-family for-sale home. At this time, the property is still vacant land. From the RFP:

Your proposal is hereby solicited for development plans for construction of a single family unit. The unit will be “FOR SALE” only. Tax abatement and a limited amount of City assistance in the form of “ACQUISITION WRITE DOWN” will be provided. The developer chosen will be expected to apply to the State of Missouri for Neighborhood Preservation Tax Credits to offset the cost of acquisition and construction. No additional gap financing and/or buyer's incentives will be available. [emphasis original]

McKean is a short east-west street connecting Grand and Gravois just south Saint Pius V Catholic Church. The building and yards appear to be well maintained for the most part, and there is a nice architectural consistency to the street.

The building at 3504 McKean is a typical two-family flat in the Tower Grove East neighborhood. The exterior appears to be in reasonably good condition. At some point in its history, the original porch and porch columns were removed, leaving only the original porch roof. The existing concrete porch and wrought iron supports diminish the building's appeal. Rebuilding the porch in a more appropriate style would enhance both the character of the house, and the overall consistency of the block.

The original deadline published for the 3460 Oak Hill redevelopment RFP was July 21. On Friday, July 14, a new RFP was uploaded to the City's web site with a revised deadline of July 31, giving potential developers another week and a half to submit their responses.

I know this only from the digital date stamp on the new file, because the actual PDF is corrupted - very little of the actual information in the RFP is readable. The unreadable corrupt file is unlikely to affect the response pool because most qualified developers check the City web site regularly and have known about this opportunity for quite some time. Any developer who hasn't already seen the RFP doesn't have enough time (even with the extended deadline) to put together a credible proposal.

The building at 3460 Oak Hill occupies a critical location in the Ward. Situated at the top of a hill, the plywood boards over (some of) its windows and the overgrown shrubbery are visible from quite a few locations in the ward. According to one of the neighbors, the building has been vacant for over 13 years. However, for a long time this building contained twelve efficiency apartments and was a model building.

The building structure is actually concrete frame, with a buff-colored masonry exterior. This substantial construction method has helped preserve the building against the ravages of mother nature. While the interior is in poor condition, the structure itself appears to be doing just fine for the most part. Built in the deco style, this building could serve as a landmark in the 15th ward. Except that the City seems to be having problems getting anyone to redevelop it.