51黑料

BRENTWOOD 鈥� From the low-lying stretch of Manchester Road, just east of Brentwood Boulevard, Bob Story has spent 30 years growing Feather-Craft Fly Fishing into an established player in the industry.

The company his father started in 1955 now has about 20 employees, a mail-order business with nationwide reach and loyal anglers who make their way to the store from around the region.

But in the last two weeks, he found out his building is in the way of a major redevelopment plan 鈥� one that Brentwood city officials have spent years preparing for and has finally begun to take shape.

Story doesn鈥檛 want to move. His landlord doesn鈥檛 want to sell. But Story figures he鈥檚 got less than two years to find a new home.

鈥淚t costs hundreds of thousands of dollars to move and make a new storefront,鈥� Story said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty much my worst nightmare at 54 years old.鈥�

There鈥檚 also the flooding. Story is just out of reach of the flash floods that have regularly swamped the road. But from his window on the north side of the road, he saw the creek鈥檚 might last month during a record-shattering downpour.

鈥淚t was the Mississippi River, with whole trees floating down,鈥� Story said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e gonna put townhouses and hotels and restaurants and everything over there, right in it. I don鈥檛 know how they鈥檙e gonna keep that water out.鈥�

City officials and a private developer believe the longstanding liability for that stretch of Manchester 鈥� the unpredictable Deer Creek just to the south, and its confluence with Black Creek at Hanley Road 鈥� has been tamed with a $90 million engineering project. They say the area is safe for now, and that the city has a unique chance to capitalize on large-scale development.

The relatively small city of Brentwood 鈥� where the retail centers off Highway 40 provide deep pockets compared to many 51黑料 County municipalities 鈥� took on the overhaul of the creek鈥檚 floodplain itself. Its voters in 2019 approved a new half-cent sales tax for the work. The city purchased 25 buildings over the last three years, knocking down large commercial structures, including several across Deer Creek in neighboring Webster Groves. The city hauled out truck after truck of earth to give the creek more room.

On Monday, the Brentwood Board of Aldermen is set to consider a measure that would officially tap Green Street 51黑料 to redevelop the Manchester Road corridor, from Mary Avenue to Hanley Road. The would turn the strip into a regional destination, with shops, restaurants, offices, a hotel, microbrewery and over 600 apartments 鈥� a far cry from the small storefronts and light-industrial structures that now house manufacturers, home remodeling stores and eateries.

鈥淵ou鈥檝e got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change the fabric of what鈥檚 here into something spectacular,鈥� Green Street founder and CEO Phil Hulse recently told the Brentwood Redevelopment Corporation board. 鈥淲e haven鈥檛 seen it much in 51黑料.鈥�

But the existing business owners worry they may not get to enjoy the benefits of Brentwood鈥檚 flood mitigation project, which many enthusiastically supported. They fear being forced to move or sell 鈥� the city could use eminent domain on behalf of the developer. They say they were caught off guard, and they question whether such a large project makes sense in an area with a history of flooding, especially as intense storms grow more frequent with climate change.

鈥淵ou just mitigated a flood problem,鈥� Brentwood resident David Chiodini told the development board at a July 19 meeting. 鈥淎re you creating another one?鈥�

City officials say the buyouts and excavation to expand the Deer Creek watershed already proved their effectiveness during the recent flash floods 鈥� and the project is only about 70% complete.

And, they say, there has been plenty of public dialogue about long-term plans for the area. Brentwood鈥檚 calls for residential and commercial development in that area. It rezoned the stretch of Manchester Road in 2019, a process that triggered legal notices to property owners. And after the flood mitigation work began, Brentwood publicly put out requests to lure a developer.

鈥淔or years, there鈥檚 been a lot of discussion about redoing Manchester Road,鈥� Brentwood Mayor David Dimmitt said. 鈥淪o many people have said Manchester Road down in that area looked terrible, it looked blighted 鈥� and it was blighted.鈥�

鈥淲e could not be more transparent than we have been about this entire process,鈥� he added.

Flooding fears addressed?

The record-breaking rainfall on July 26, which dropped over 10 inches in some places, was more than enough to fill the new gorge that Brentwood excavated around Deer Creek.

But city officials point out that was an unprecedented storm. The extra room for Deer Creek was enough to limit its damage during two smaller flash floods, on July 28 and Aug. 4, even though the downpours dumped as much rain as in years where the creek damaged properties and blocked Manchester Road. (A stretch of the road to the west in Rock Hill did go underwater during the later storms).

There is still a storage pond to be excavated, and the development, if it鈥檚 approved, won鈥檛 build on any green space the city has created to absorb rainfall, Brentwood officials say.

Some business owners even reported less water in their buildings than in years past.

鈥淚f this performed this well and it鈥檚 not even finished yet with the flood mitigation efforts, then I鈥檓 very optimistic for the future of the area,鈥� said Brentwood Redevelopment Corporation Chair Sheri Bilderback, who has been on the board for two decades and spent years working on Manchester Road鈥檚 flooding issues. Green Street 鈥渨ouldn鈥檛 be able to get the financial backing to do this if they thought that was a risk. So clearly they鈥檙e not concerned about it.鈥�

Green Street presented its plans and won a recommendation from the redevelopment board a week before the flash floods. Asked whether the rain had changed its thinking, a Green Street spokeswoman declined to comment and referred questions on flood mitigation to Brentwood.

Green Street鈥檚 head of development, Joel Oliver, did tell the city鈥檚 redevelopment board on July 19 that 鈥渟ensitivity to storm water is critical.鈥� The development will have to comply with modern regulations requiring a 鈥渉eavily engineered storm water system.鈥�

鈥淵ou鈥檒l actually end up with a better situation for the developed area than you have now, with a lot of structures that have no requirements, that don鈥檛 treat any of their storm water on site,鈥� Oliver said.

Bob Criss, a Washington University professor emeritus who has studied flood issues in the region for years, said Brentwood鈥檚 buyouts and demolitions along Deer Creek are 鈥渢he right direction to move.鈥� That鈥檚 about about all the region can do near its urban streams, he said, as high-intensity and short-duration downpours increase.

But Deer Creek, he said, still needs more room.

鈥淓very time it rains an inch-and-a-half or more in an hour, a lot of these little creeks have real trouble. And if you get two inches in an hour, boy, you can get smashed,鈥� Criss said. 鈥淓verybody can outrun a big river rising. They鈥檙e only going up a half-foot a day. A box turtle could do it. These dang small creeks kill people.鈥�

鈥楥ommerce is happening鈥�

Last week, several businesses were still recouping from the flooding. They were mostly unaware until recent days that their next challenge could be a major redevelopment.

鈥淗ow did we get from flood prevention to 鈥榣et鈥檚 rip out an entire industrial park to put in condominiums and a brewery?鈥欌�� said Nicholas Huesemann, a vice president at Custom Technologies, a manufacturer on Brentwood Industrial Drive. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lack of business going on on the street, but down here in the industrial court, we鈥檙e hopping. Trucks are in and out. Commerce is happening.鈥�

Custom Technologies鈥� owner, Ellen Mell, an attorney who teaches an intellectual property class at Washington University, said it would be incredibly difficult to move the large, specialized equipment from the company鈥檚 rented space. And the disruption to the business would ripple throughout the region鈥檚 manufacturing ecosystem, she said, just as the U.S. looks to improve domestic manufacturing in light of pandemic-induced shortages.

鈥淚鈥檓 frustrated on behalf of our company and I鈥檓 frustrated on behalf of manufacturing in the USA,鈥� Mell said.

The building, owned by Breckenridge Material Company CEO Nathan McKean, is under contract to a third party, not Green Street. McKean said he鈥檇 heard only recently about the proposal, but he thinks mixed-use projects from reputable developers like Green Street are 鈥渨hat 51黑料 needs.鈥� He just hopes his building 鈥� which is 100% leased to local businesses 鈥� can be incorporated into the development.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a pretty good asset with the improvement we鈥檝e done to it,鈥� he said. 鈥淢y hope is it could stay in place.鈥�

The Custom Technologies building is included in the second phase of the project, which Green Street doesn鈥檛 expect to begin until at least 2024. That, Green Street says, will give it time to try and accommodate existing owners.

鈥淚f you鈥檙e a widget maker and you鈥檝e been making widgets in your facilities for 20 or 30 years, the thought of moving to a new widget factory is incomprehensible,鈥� Green Street鈥檚 Oliver said last month. 鈥淭he nice thing about the way this plan is phased ... it really gives us a very wide canvass to try and work with people to try and figure out how to incorporate them here.鈥�

Dimmitt, the mayor, encouraged business and property owners to come to Monday鈥檚 Board of Aldermen meeting to express their concerns, and he emphasized that it is still early in the redevelopment process.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e going to have every opportunity to speak their mind,鈥� Dimmitt said.

Bilderback, the head of the redevelopment board and , called the city鈥檚 outreach 鈥� including public workshops and a sales tax campaign 鈥斺�漛eyond anything I鈥檝e ever seen.鈥�

City officials have worked for years to get to this point. Green Street originally wanted to develop a similar mixed-use project in neighboring Webster Groves. Brentwood鈥檚 development consultant tried to lure the firm, telling it there would be 鈥渕uch less difficulty鈥� than in Webster, according to city records.

After Webster ultimately rejected Green Street鈥檚 plan, the developer turned to Brentwood.

Still, the city and Greet Street anticipate some difficult property acquisitions and relocations. Green Street recently hired Aaron McMurry, who focuses on land acquisitions for Bedrock Detroit, an urban redevelopment firm. Oliver said Hulse has experience finding new spaces for businesses in complicated site-assembly projects.

鈥淥bviously no developer ever wants to use eminent domain,鈥� Oliver said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a pain in the butt, it鈥檚 expensive, it makes people unhappy, but it is an incentive that鈥檚 on the table.鈥�

Relocation assistance is required under state law for businesses that have to move. Jenny Rausch, co-owner of Karr Bick Kitchen and Bath just south of Manchester, only realized that was a possibility after a reporter called her Tuesday.

Despite getting hit by the Deer Creek floodwaters last month, she wants to stay, saying a move would be more expensive than another flood.

鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to see a plan that wipes clear all of the small businesses in Brentwood,鈥� Rausch said. 鈥淢akes me feel tired.鈥�