Wentzville Bluffs

arch city · PostNov 12, 2007#12007-11-12T21:41+00:00

"An exciting new commercial development comprised of approximately 30 acres with 12 out-lots and nearly 100,000 square feet of available space."

Touted as a "30 Acre Retail Developement at the Crossroads of the Nation", this project is near the I-70/I-64 interchange.

**Wentzville Bluffs**

Alex Ihnen · PostNov 12, 2007#22007-11-12T21:45+00:00

^ Are those skyscrapers in their logo!?!?!? Those bastards!!!! shoot.gif

doug · PostNov 12, 2007#32007-11-12T23:35+00:00

AH YES!!!! For wonderful information, please refer to an old blog post of mine:

They issued subsidy for this development. I am not sure if TIF was used and if the site was actually blighted, thus those references my not be totally accurate.

Aldermen are considering a seven-year tax abatement plan for the development of a $70 million shopping center at Interstate 70 and Highway Z.

If approved, half the taxes, or about $4.5 million, that would normally go to the city and other taxing districts would instead be used to pay for part of the development. The abatement would be made possible by declaring the land "blighted" - which a county councilman is opposing.

Wentzville Mayor Paul Lambi said the land, which formerly housed a small church, could not be developed without the blighting designation because it is primarily limestone and requires extensive blasting and grading for commercial use.

St. Charles County Councilman Joe Brazil says that tax abatement for a retail project is ludicrous and that the developer should look for another site.

"If it's undevelopable, it's undevelopable. Why should the taxpayers pay for it? If it's a pig, it's a pig," Brazil said.

Wentzville officials will decide the fate of the shopping center."

The Bottom Line

This area is completely impractical. It would require the blasting of about 30 feet of Limestone and Dolomite. This project is completely moronic, and only in St. Charles would you see areas being blighted so dynamite could be used to develop a shopping mall. I used to drive by this area when I lived out in New Melle, and it is the worst possible place to put a development. The traffic on this two-lane road, which is already getting heavy, will be horrendous.

If it does get put in, it will destabilize the entire remaining rural areas on HWY Z, and it, along with DD, will soon turn into another HWY K.

This suburban sprawl needs to stop. Someone needs to rethink the impact of this unchecked development? What does it say about our character; that we have none? How many more wildlife areas will we develop in the name of sprawl and Soccer Moms?

This kind of horrible development is why I am glad that I left St. Charles. Developers run rampant in St. Charles and they pretty much can do whatever they want. The City is not perfect, but at least we are not blasting in Forest Park to build a Home Depot and Sav-A- Lot.

This is going to happen, and you know Wentzville citizens cannot wait for their new strip mall!

I really do not understand why Wentzville Crossings is not rehabbed into a "real" shopping area. With Wentzville's exploding population of Soccer Moms and Golfer Dads, I am sure it would get some business.

threeonefour · PostNov 17, 2007#42007-11-17T16:52+00:00

I like how the trees disappear before your eyes in the slide show...how appropriate for Wentzville.

And what in the hell were the graphic designers responsible for that logo smoking?

Isn't the focus of sprawl supposed to be shifting to Illinois? I think I'm ready for that to happen.