Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Patch sat down with Ellisville city officials to confirm or dispel some of the myths surrounding the controversial development. Part four of a series.
The Clarkchester Apartments and Eminent Domain On May 25, about a dozen residents of the Clarkchester Apartments took to the streets to protest a developer’s takeover of their living quarters. The developer, Sansone Group, plans on purchasing the lot of land where the apartments currently stand and combine it with an empty lot next to it to build a Walmart. Several residents accused the city of Ellisville and the Sansone Group of engaging in the "threat of eminent domain" in order to take over the apartments. Ellisville Finance Director Don Cary said, however, that there is no such threat of eminent domain. Cary said all of the property owners of Clarkchester Apartments negotiated directly with the Sansone Group, and thus the purchase of …
Friday, July 13, 2012
The developer in charge of building a Walmart in Ellisville said it will double the cash benefit to those who would be forced to move out by the development.
If the city council approves the development of a new Walmart in Ellisville, approximately 130 residents living in 85 units at Clarkchester apartments would have to move out so the developer could use that land. The city, however, recently announced that those tenants would now be eligible to receive double the cash benefit from the Sansone Group should the development be approved, according to a press release which was read at the last planning and zoning meeting. Tenants can choose either the $2000 cash benefit, or the actual relocation costs. Sansone also announced that it hired a relocation expert to deal with the matter. Jennifer Kaniecki, of Development Resource Partners, has mailed the tenants all of the relocation information and …
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Ellisville may be divided about whether recalling Ellisville City Council members who supported tax incentives for Walmart, displacing some residents in the process, is worth its price tag. Where do you stand?
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Saturday, June 2, 2012
Thursday, May 31, 2012
New information from the St. Louis County Board of Elections suggests that a special election for the city in the fallout of plans for a Walmart Superstore would cost between $8,000 and $10,000.
Following the Ellisville City Council's decision to permit a Walmart Superstore, a recall aimed at removing the council members who supported the project could cost taxpayers between $8,000 and $10,000, a St. Louis County Board of Elections representative said Wednesday. "That would be a minimum," elections director Rita Heard-Days said of the estimated expense. Efforts to remove select city council members from office started earlier this month following the city council's vote to grant the developers of a Walmart Superstore a TIF or tax increment financing district. The TIF will allow the developer, The Sansone Group, to capture half of all new sales tax growth in the area of the project located southwest of Manchester and Kiefer Creek …
Monday, May 28, 2012
Liz Schmidt discusses the road ahead for removing the Ellisville City Council members who supported a Walmart Superstore expected to displace residents, and addresses the city's procedure to replace them.
The leader of a group aimed at removing Ellisville City Council members who supported a Walmart coming to town says she hopes any potential replacements appointed by the mayor look beyond retail in seeking revenue for the city. "I hope people accept who it is, and say, 'I will be willing to work with you,' perhaps to take Ellisville in a different direction than the one we just came from," said Liz Schmidt, chairperson of the Ellisville Article 9 Alliance and a resident of Clarkchester Apartments, which is among properties expected to be demolished under plans for a Walmart Superstore advanced by the Ellisville City Council this month. The project was forecast to generate roughly $500,000 annually for the city, but has come under fire due …
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Signs shown to drivers along Manchester Road included 'No Walmart Here' and 'Rescind the TIF'
Less than a dozen people attempted to rally drivers on Manchester Road on Friday against a Walmart Superstore recently approved by the Ellisville City Council. The group was largely composed of residents of Clarkchester Apartments, a 150-unit apartment complex that is one of several predominantly commercial buildings to be demolished if the project moves forward. In addition to objecting to Clarkchester's demolition, residents held signs opposing the project's use of a TIF—an economic development incentive provided to the project's developer, the Sansone Group, who will collect half of all new sales tax generated at the site for a default length of 23 years. The issue also has led to the formation of the "Ellisville Article 9 Alliance," a …
Monday, May 21, 2012
Ellisville Mayor Adam Paul said the relocation policy will not assist tenants who moved in to the apartment complex after January 1.
Ellisville Mayor Adam Paul said the city's new relocation policy meant to compensate Clarkchester Apartments residents to be displaced by a Walmart Superstore may not help those who moved in after January 1. When the project was approved this month, Paul said, the plan allowed up to $1,000 to be given to each household within Clarkchester Apartments in order to compensate for relocation costs; Clarkchester Apartments is one of several business properties that currently occupies the parcels that have been designated for the project. At the council's last meeting, however, Paul said he recently discovered that the policy may only apply to residents who moved in by January 1, 2012. (Editor's Note: To follow this story and more, subscribe to …
Thursday, May 17, 2012
A double-fine zone for drivers caught speeding was just one of the ideas proposed Wednesday to reduce potential traffic issues at the site.
The Ellisville City Council on Wednesday discussed various proposals related to traffic safety in response to residents' concerns about the impact of a pending Walmart Superstore. The commercial project, which will be facilitated by The Sansone Group after the city council this month granted the developer a TIF district for the space, will be located southwest of Manchester and Kiefer Creek roads. Councilmember Roze Acup said she's heard from constituents who live nearby Manchester Road and Weis Avenue who expressed concerns about the project's expected impact on traffic. “And there’s already some issue with traffic, speeding particularly,” Acup said. (To follow this story and more from Ballwin-Ellisville Patch, sign up for our free online…
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
On the tails of the council's approval of a Walmart Superstore, a group dedicated to the ouster of Ellisville City Council members who approved the project said local election calendars might block their efforts.
Efforts to recall Ellisville City Council members who helped approve a Walmart Superstore last week could be stymied by the city’s election calendar, recall organizers said Tuesday. The Ellisville Article 9 Alliance, a group dedicated to the ouster of city council members who helped approve a Walmart Superstore, met Tuesday for the second time to organize signature collection efforts meant to initiate a recall. Those efforts come following the council’s decision last week to approve a tax increment financing district for the Walmart project as well as a relocation policy for residents at Clarkchester Apartments, which occupies part of the space designated for the store. Despite those approvals, group organizer and Clarkchester tenant Liz …
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Employees at Westgate Animal Hospital and a Valvoline service center located within the project site said they are not aware of any timeline for the project, which will ultimately replace those businesses.
Small business owners and employees throughout the Ellisville area Monday said the benefits of increased traffic due to a newly permitted Walmart might be outweighed by competitive pricing. A mix of enthusiasm for potentially revitalized business and concern about a negative impact on competing stores comes less than a week after the Ellisville City Council voted in favor constructing a Walmart southwest of Manchester and Kiefer Creek roads. “Overall, I’m not a proponent of Walmart," said Jim Randall, owner of ASAP BBQ in Ballwin, located less than a mile east of the Walmart project site. "Walmart and small business don’t go real well together.” Randall said part of his concern is the company’s relationship with its vendors, which …
Ellisville Resident Dist. One
3:31 pm on Thursday, August 23, 2012
Well Mike, better break out your wallet because you are going to be paying extra in sales taxes and lining Sam Walton's pockets some more. Keep up this foolish behavior Mike and you'll be needing affordable property such as Clarkchester Apts. Heck, I got a new shed I need built... will you pay for that too??? more ›