ST. LOUIS — Just one year after devastating pictures from inside the dilapidated and vacant Millennium Hotel surfaced, the city is taking action. The process to declare the property as "blighted" is moving forward.
St. Louis Alderwoman Cara Spencer, Ward 8, said reclaiming this essential property is long overdue.
The 28-story Millennium Hotel was once a glamorous place filled with weddings and high-profile events like the Baseball Writers' Dinner, but now it’s full of mold and water damage since its closure in 2014.
“It is truly a shame that it has sat there vacant for as long as it has, and it's really fallen into disrepair and decay. And that is just unacceptable,” Spencer said.
On Tuesday, the Land Clearance For Redevelopment Authority briefly talked about a measure that would declare the three-block area blighted and create a new path for developers and even eminent domain, but they won’t vote on it until next month.
Spencer said if that vote is successful, a redevelopment package will land on her desk and be sent to the board of aldermen.
“What we're looking to do is to find a development partner to develop a plan to revitalize that whether that looks like rebuilding or just rehabbing," Spencer said. "I mean, that's really a conversation that we need to have with a serious investment partner. The city is not really in a position right now to do that work without having a partner that can really execute on the private side of things."
Blight can be declared for a variety of reasons, including age and physical deterioration.
This is how Missouri state law defines a "blighted area": “An area which, by reason of the predominance of defective or inadequate street layout, unsanitary or unsafe conditions, deterioration of site improvements, improper subdivision or obsolete platting, or the existence of conditions which endanger life or property by fire and other causes, or any combination of such factors, retards the provision of housing accommodations or constitutes an economic or social liability or a menace to the public health, safety, morals, or welfare in its present condition and use.”
President of H & H Consulting Gary Andreas said this property could easily fall into the blighted category.
“I've seen properties in much better shape be determined to be blighted than this one,” Andreas said.
Andreas has been fielding redevelopment requests to the owner in Singapore for 10 years, and he has no desire to sell or do anything with the property.
“He's very, very much an absentee owner, obviously pays his taxes to keep it in good graces. I would not be surprised if he fought the blighting over the property. If he fights it, he has more than enough financial wherewithal to fight as long as it feels like it,” Andreas said.
Andreas said he has presented roughly 10 offers to the owner over the years, and not one of them was accepted.
Spencer said so far, the owner has not come to the table and she has a message for absent property owners.
“We've had enough, and we're going to take action,” Spencer said.
Andreas said both demolition and rehabilitation would be costly.
“They have to take it down piece by piece because of the proximity to the Arch,” Andreas said.
He said whoever decides to take this property on will have to put in something that will survive to make it worth it and that’s probably not another hotel or office building.
“It would be a tremendous spot for a residential property, whether or not that's cost-effective, I don't know. And obviously, it would be a great spot to have an office building, but you've got the AT&T tower that's vacant, and a few other ones that are really struggling. So it's really hard to see a use like that five, six, or seven years out at this point,” Andreas said.
The Land Clearance For Redevelopment Authority will likely vote on the blight declaration and eminent domain possibility at its next meeting on April 23.
To watch 5 On Your Side broadcasts or reports 24/7, 5 On Your Side is always streaming on 5+. Download for free on Roku, Amazon Fire TV or the Apple TV App Store.