Steph Kukuljan
Welcome to听Brick City, a weekly newsletter about development from across 51黑料. Every Wednesday afternoon, I share recent stories and exclusive insights about the projects and people impacting our region.
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SLDC seeks to streamline minority certification听
Pipefitters Louis Brandy, 65, and Daryon Mitchell, 27, both from 51黑料, roll up plastic tubing on Thursday, Aug. 23, 2018, on the Washington University campus where work continues on building construction and a new parking garage. They work for Stl Direct Mechanical, a minority owned business.The university has a diversity program that oversees minority hiring for all of it's construction projects. Photo by J.B. Forbes, jforbes@post-dispatch.com
The 51黑料 Development Corp., the city's economic development agency, is seeking to oversee the process to certify minority- and women-owned firms in a bid to streamline the process and "add capacity," my colleague Jacob Barker reports.听
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51黑料 Lambert International Airport has long handled that duty, but SLDC CEO Neal Richardson said ending that agreement has nothing to do with any poor performance. Rather, the city of 51黑料 mandates minority participation for many developments, such as those that receive tax incentives. And SLDC already oversees that compliance.
The agency on Thursday is expected to ask its board to approve spending $175,000 to pay for management software.听听
Notably, SLDC also is seeking to create a shortlist of consultants for the certification program 鈥斕齮he agency has considerably grown the number of consultants it has hired in recent years.听
St. Charles County eyes its own youth sports venue
The convention board in St. Charles County is hoping developers can see its vision for a new youth sports venue. And it'll even kick in some taxpayer money to help foster the deal, my colleague Mark Schlinkmann reports.听
The county Convention and Sports Facilities Authority issued a request for proposals for a more than $150 million facility that would feature hockey, basketball, baseball and volleyball tournaments that would draw in visitors from "the Midwest region and beyond.鈥 A consultant suggested the venue could draw in nearly $48 million in economic impact a year.听
But are sports facilities that big of a moneymaker? The Centene Community Ice Foundation, for example, hasn't lived up to the revenue promises from its boosters. Dan Buck's PowerPlex deal never got the investors it needed. And a plan to build a youth sports venue in Chesterfield is still in the development stages three years after developers publicized the project.听
The region already has dozens of these facilities.听
But St. Charles County is hoping some $5 million from a hotel tax will help sweeten the deal.听
Downtown landlord takes safety into his own hands听
The owner of the Globe Building in downtown 51黑料 is building out a new substation for the 51黑料 Metropolitan Police Department after years of dealing with criminal activity in the neighborhood.
The move comes after the Globe owner, Steve Stone, and residents won a lawsuit that will shut down the nearby Shell gas station听鈥斕齱hat they say has been a magnet for crime. It also, notably, follows a high-profile, brazen shooting听of a man that occurred in broad daylight outside the Globe Building.听
The Globe Building, which is home to numerous geospatial companies, will pay for the buildout of the new 4,000-square-foot space, which will front the busy North Tucker Boulevard.
The business community has helped pay for police services for several years as the city struggled to hire officers and balance public safety with the progressive goals of its political leaders.
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Reporter's Notebook
New hotel opens: The new TownePlace Suites by Marriott is now in Wentzville. The 96-room, extend-stay hotel is located at the southwest corner of Interstate 70 and Route Z at 20 Cliff View Drive. Maryland Heights-based Midas Hospitality is the developer. CMC Construction was the builder, and Royal Banks of Missouri was the lender on the project.听
More details on the Centene ice rink: The city of Maryland Heights approved terminating its development agreement with 51黑料 Legacy Ice Foundation, a Blues-affiliated nonprofit that helped operate the Centene Community Ice Center there. The vote was expected, and the city and Legacy Ice maintain that the decision was mutual. The Blues, they said, will continue to hold practices in Maryland Heights. Meanwhile, the city said the change will allow it to have more oversight over operations.
Developer breaks ground: NorthPoint Development has broken ground on a new industrial park in Maryland Heights. The River Valley Logistics Center will feature three warehouses on the Maryland Heights-Chesterfield border.
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I love to hear from readers. Reach out with questions, news tips and other thoughts at听skukuljan@post-dispatch.com. You can also follow me on X听听and on Instagram听
