ST. LOUIS — Several people in the St. Louis area are being monitored for potential exposure to coronavirus.
As concern spreads in our community, a section of the city is in what officials call a "health care desert."
That was all supposed to change with the sweeping NorthSide Regeneration plan.
"Various different things happened along the way to cause hold ups with it," said Board of Aldermen President Lewis Reed.
The NorthSide Regeneration project, which was set to begin in the spring of 2019, has been stagnant. And as fears spread over coronavirus and the flu in our region, this area of north St. Louis is still a desert when it comes to health care.
"We desperately need ready access to health care north of Delmar," Reed said.
Developers were expected to complete the first phase of this hospital project by June 30, 2021, but it appears not much has been done. Right across the street, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency project has construction well underway.
"I think it should've been placed somewhere else" said one neighbor who asked us not to show her face.
Not only is she not on board with the hospital, she's also not a fan of the developers, including Paul McKee.
"It's amazing how he has established so much funding when he has not did what he's supposed to do on the things he's already accumulated," she said.
Last week, city leaders extended McKee's $20 million financing deadline from December 2019 to August 2020. It's a move Alderman Reed said is needed to bring this medical facility to north city.
"We can't just say people will go across town because we're seeing that not happen," he said.
Alderman Reed added that the setbacks are because of both the city and developers.
5 on Your Side reached out to Paul McKee for comment Friday. So far, we have not heard back.
