BRENTWOOD, Mo. — Several business owners along Manchester Road filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the City of Brentwood.
In July, the Brentwood Board of Aldermen voted unanimously to approve a $436 million redevelopment agreement with Green Street Real Estate Ventures LLC.
The redevelopment area consists of approximately 77.2 acres located on both sides of Manchester Road between Mary Avenue, just east of Brentwood Boulevard and Hanley Road.
"The agreement provides for the use of real property tax abatement to incentivize the redevelopment and revitalization of the area," according to the city's website.
The lawsuit said the plan included a study declaring the area north and south of Manchester Road between South Hanley and Brentwood Boulevard, otherwise known as the Manchester Corridor, is blighted.
However, owners in that area said their thriving businesses are anything but blighted.
The group is being represented by the Institute for Justice, which is a national nonprofit law firm.
The businesses fighting for their locations include:
- Feather-Craft Fly Fishing is a retail and online operation passed down from father to son.
- Time for Dinner is a meal prep business owned by two sisters.
- Convergence Dance and Body Center offers dance classes and chiropractic care owned by a married couple.
- The George brothers own the building leased by Feather-Craft.
"They are calling their properties blighted to use power to take it to a private developer," Bobbi Taylor, an Institute for Justice attorney, said.
The attorneys said they believe the city is using this to raise tax rolls by adding in new development.
"Under Missouri law, cities can’t deem properties blighted without substantial evidence. The only reason they targeted them is to use eminent domain for private development," attorney Bob Belden said.
"The first phase of the plan is to have Green Street acquire all the properties in the Manchester Corridor by the end of 2024," attorney Jaimie Cavanaugh added.
Building owner Anthony George said they have been committed to the city. His brother Martin George told reporters, he remembered building the business with his father.
"I watched the floor being poured," he said.
Anthony said he's been attending board meetings and asked the mayor for support, but claims nothing has happened.
"We haven't been given a path forward," Anthony said.
Convergence Body & Dance owners, Roxanne Maier and Carter Maier, have been in their space for five years. They have invested $100,000 to upgrade their business space.
"This is home to us. We want to be a part of redevelopment, not kicked out for redevelopment. Everything in here has a story. People, history and community are in this space, and we’d love to leave it here," Roxanne said.
Bob Story with Feather-Craft also shared his personal story.
"My dad founded the company in 1955 and we’ve been at that location for 35 years," he said.
Time for Dinner owners, Amy Stanford and Carolyn Wilson, said they've poured their heart and soul into their business.
Despite flooding and construction in the area, Stanford said they've kept their loyalty.
"We’ve supported the City of Brentwood all this time, but now we feel the last thing Brentwood is doing is support us," Stanford said.
The redevelopment plan timeline from Brentwood's website:
- Green Street Real Estate Ventures presented its proposal for the redevelopment of Brentwood's Manchester Road Corridor at the Brentwood 353 Redevelopment Corporation Board meeting on July 19, 2022, and to the Board of Aldermen on Aug. 15, 2022.
- On Aug. 30, 2022, Green Street hosted an open house session for community members to learn more and ask questions about the proposal.
- On Sept. 19, 2022, the Board of Aldermen unanimously voted in favor of the resolution to designate Green Street as the preferred developer of the Manchester Redevelopment Area.
- After the Sept. 19 meeting, the City of Brentwood began the process of negotiating an agreement with Green Street.
- On June 21, 2023, the Brentwood Redevelopment Corporation held a public meeting to review the proposed Manchester Road Corridor Redevelopment Area Development Plan. At this meeting, the Brentwood Redevelopment Corporation recommended by a vote of 5 to 1 that the Board of Aldermen approve the plan.
- On July 5, 2023, the Board of Aldermen held a public hearing regarding the Development Plan and the proposed Master Redevelopment Agreement. The July 5 meeting included a first reading of the proposed ordinance.
- At the July 17, 2023, Board of Aldermen meeting, the Board held a second reading of the proposed ordinance and voted unanimously to approve the Master Redevelopment Agreement.
5 On Your Side reached out to the developer Green Street, but have not heard back.
The City of Brentwood provided the following statement:
"The Manchester Corridor Redevelopment Plan was initiated as a direct response to Brentwood residents’ wishes to make necessary improvements to the community. It was viewed as an opportunity to secure growth for residents, the Brentwood School District, and the community. The City did not undertake this redevelopment project lightly and did so with the best intentions of the City of Brentwood at the core of its mission. We are concerned about how this litigation will affect our residents, the school district, and our community’s future. Of the dozens of properties affected by the Manchester Corridor Redevelopment Plan, it is unfortunate that only one property owner has chosen to jeopardize that future. The City of Brentwood has taken the necessary steps to ensure compliance with the law and is confident that the court will agree."