urbanSTL

Can some one tell me where the Ice house district is? Street wise or area.



Thanks

^Roughly south of Chouteau west of Broadway east of 7th and north of 55.

DeBaliviere wrote:From what I've heard, "encouraging" may be a bit euphemistic.

Looks like it's turned into a war.



I don't understand how this is even an issue. It's a junkyard!

Developers with plans of converting the area into the Ice House District - a hip entertainment spot possibly featuring a martini bar, a plush banquet hall and a boutique hotel - want to acquire Henderson's corner of junk at Seventh and Hickory streets to use as a parking lot.

Given the choice between "trendy" martini drinking losers and a junk yard, I think I'll keep the junk yard.



And as people here constantly remind us, don't we already have enough parking lots?



Go Opal!!!

Granted I'm not entirely for eminent domain, but demanding $2 million for a heap of scrap metal and contaminated land is a bit steap. I've seen them routinely burn oil at this eyesore.



Junkyard war wages: Her land or theirs?

By Jake Wagman

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

09/28/2006







Opal Henderson has no illusions about the salvage business her family has operated just south of downtown for more than 50 years.



It's a scrap heap. A graveyard for rotting cars and rusting radiators. A ragged lot that has drawn complaints about standing water, toxic liquids and unsightly graffiti.



"It's not a pretty place," said Henderson, 76, "but it's a living for my children."



At least for now.



Developers with plans of converting the area into the Ice House District - a hip entertainment spot possibly featuring a martini bar, a plush banquet hall and a boutique hotel - want to acquire Henderson's corner of junk at Seventh and Hickory streets to use as a parking lot.



Link to Rest of Story



edit: SoulardD posted the link earlier, but it appears broken...

I'm not an unflinching proponent of eminent domain, but if government is going to use it for strip malls and highways, surely this is a reasonable use. Despite how many people characterize the process, the cases I'm aware of in and around StL have resulted in very large (2x market value and more) payments to property owners. One can still argue that no one should be forced to move, but these people are not the hapless victims they like to portray themselves to be. It would be interesting to find out exactly how upset people are AFTER negotiating $400,000 for the property they inherited for $0 and that is valued at $200,000.

Using eminent domain to use a property as a parking lot is just wrong!!!

Using eminent domain to use a property as a parking lot is just wrong!!!

This is true. Of course at times it's just symantics - they could build a cool club on the junkyard site and use their existing land for a parking lot. Businesses do need parking - though the sybolism of taking land for the purpose of building a parking lot isn't going to sit well with anyone.

Why not move the thing a little to the left into any number of vacant tracks along the river in the industrial district? Give her a little above fair market value and then give her a 5-20 year lease on an acre. Stipulate in the lease agreement that any code or legal violations will negate the lease.

^

She's been offered land off 2nd Street near Nooter but turned it down.

I just don't see how you can kick out a legit business that turns a profit and pays their property taxes on time, and put in a parking garage. This woman definately deserves credit for sticking it out in St. Louis, and I hope she gets her $2 million. Afterall, she deserves to be compensated for the land, as well as her business enterprise.

You know - I have a hard time beleiving that the entire ice house district plan hinges on this little piece of land. There's so much vacant and under utilized land around there - you mean to tell me that this is the ONLY place they can put parking? I'd love to see her go - don't get me wrong - but come on ...



if she thinks the property is worth 2 million - why doesn;t the city reassess its value at 2 million and tax her accordingly - I'm sure this raises many legal concerns but I imagine that would make her reconsider.

appraisalman wrote:I just don't see how you can kick out a legit business that turns a profit and pays their property taxes on time, and put in a parking garage. This woman definately deserves credit for sticking it out in St. Louis, and I hope she gets her $2 million. Afterall, she deserves to be compensated for the land, as well as her business enterprise.

There are no plans for a parking garage. If I remember correctly it would be partial parking and partial outdoor entertainment space, like a beer garder or something similar.

I'd actually be ok with a garage, it was my understanding that it would just be a surface lot.

yes... get rid of this eye sore... eminent domain is PERFECT for this situation... an area that is actually blighted... !!!

I'm amazed. People here are arguing that the junkyard should stay?! Not many other things short of a nuclear waste zone will turn off developers around the area as much as this junkyard. Not to mention the folks that hang around it burning things and carrying guns, etc. I'm not excited that it's going to be a parking lot, but come on!



Also, someone has put an awful lot of effort into saving the building on the corner that sits butted up against the junkyard. I'm sure he did that envisioning the area as being devloped and the junkyard being gone. Considering she's been offered other land and she's trying to milk this out for everything it's worth; I just don't see the other side on this one.

Hey, someone needs to stand up for the little guy. If the developers want the land that badly, I say buck up.

It's always a matter of editorial choice:



The PD's story today was a David v. Goliath-style story about a spunky old woman standing up to a big developer in order to preserve her children's "inheritance"; it could equally have been a consumer report-style story about a cranky old woman who has been stewing toxic waste on the site for years.



Which story do you think required less effort?

hey, I'm just saying. Don't you think the lady deserves a little bit of goodwill for sticking it out in the city, and running a legit business that didn't ask for TIF assistance.

This woman definately deserves credit for sticking it out in St. Louis

And exactly where would she have moved? Do you have an estimate of what it would take to relocate a salvage yard? If anyone thinks that she "stuck it out" inthe city due to some sort of civic pride - I think that's misplaced.

if she thinks the property is worth 2 million - why doesn;t the city reassess its value at 2 million and tax her accordingly - I'm sure this raises many legal concerns but I imagine that would make her reconsider.

BRILLIANT! (and she's saved the assessor's office some much needed $$$ by assessing her property herself!!!! )

appraisalman wrote:hey, I'm just saying. Don't you think the lady deserves a little bit of goodwill for sticking it out in the city, and running a legit business that didn't ask for TIF assistance.

It hasn't been entirely legit. I'm jussayin'.

^"Could have"? - how do you think the PD keeps producing articles with an ever-diminishing staff?