By Eric Heisler
Five teams of developers will compete to be the driving force behind a 600-acre business park that promises to be one of St. Louis County's largest job-creation efforts in decades.
The teams - unveiled Thursday - are made up of some of the most prominent developers in the St. Louis area; in several cases companies that often are rivals joined together.
The project will bring up to $500 million in investment and 13,000 jobs to the doorstep of Lambert Field, the county said.
Following a selection process over the next several months, the winning team will build on ground that's now littered with the remnants of hundreds of houses cleared in an airport noise buyout. The site is a rare commodity in built-out St. Louis County: open land suited for industry.
Despite the obstacles, developers said they were drawn by the proximity to major highways and the airport.
"It's very rare that you get an opportunity to develop that amount of land that close to the airport and the interstates in a populated area like north St. Louis County," said Chris McKee, vice president of McEagle Development. "On top of that, there's strong public support for the project."
McEagle partnered with TriStar Business Communities and Claycorp in crafting its plan, called Northpark.
Similar to other proposals, it would be anchored by a mix of office, manufacturing and distribution operations. It also would have some retail space and a hotel. Under the plan, Northpark would not be completed until at least 2014.
Over the past several months, the effort to build the business park has been led by a commission of government-appointed leaders. The group crafted a general plan for the park, then asked developers to submit proposals by noon Wednesday.
On Thursday, the commission announced the teams vying for the project but offered few specifics. Instead, the commission intends to keep the plans private until it decides which team will develop the park, said Jackie Wellington, vice president of the St. Louis County Economic Council.
Wellington was pleased to get so many proposals.
"In the past, we've issued (requests for proposals), and we only get one back," Wellington said. "I'd say five is a lot."
On Thursday, some developers discussed basic information about their plans.
A plan submitted by Duke Realty of Indianapolis also would bring a mix of industrial, office and retail to the site. Duke said the park would be attractive to companies that already have offices in downtown Clayton and need to open a related operation, such as a call center.
"You've got a great labor pool in that area," said Greg Czarnik, vice president of construction for Duke.
Despite its prime location, the site has fallen victim to several failed development attempts, harmed by fighting among the municipalities of Kinloch, Ferguson and Berkeley; each has a stake in the project.
The property was filled with neighborhoods of modest homes until the 1980s. That's when the city of St. Louis began to acquire the houses in a noise buyout required by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The site now is characterized by a mix of vacant lots, abandoned houses and some still-occupied buildings.
The winning development team will prepare the land for commercial use, then begin to recruit employers.
Because of the difficulty in developing the area, St. Louis County plans to offer up to $57 million in tax-increment financing.
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The business park planned for east of Lambert Field is expected to include:
Jobs: Up to 13,000
Total investment: Up to $500 million
Size: 600 acres
Property and income-tax revenue: $320 million
Economic impact: Up to $7 billion
Source: St. Louis County
Developers
These development teams submitted proposals for the 600-acre business park near Lambert Field:
1. Duke Realty
2. McEagle Development, Claycorp and TriStar Business Communities
3. Panattoni Development Co. and Colliers Turley Martin Tucker
4. Roberts Cos. and ProLogis
5. Summit Development Group; Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum; McCarthy Construction; Kwame Building Group
Source: St. Louis County
Reporter Eric Heisler
E-mail: eheisler@post-dispatch.com
Phone: 314-340-8183
