Ellisville Walmart Development Facts and Myths: Part 4

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 …

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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 ›

Ellisville Walmart Development Facts and Myths: Part 3

Patch sat down with Ellisville city officials to confirm or dispel some of the myths surrounding the controversial development. Part three of a series.

Part 3: TIF, TDD and CID—what are they? In a heated council meeting at Ellisville Elementary May 2, Ellisville officials approved a  $15 million Tax Increment Finance deal with the Sansone Group for construction of the Walmart. More than 100 residents showed up at the meeting, most voicing their opposition against the TIF. Among those in opposition were Mayor Adam Paul and Councilwoman Michelle “Shelly” Murray, the only two on the council to vote against the TIF, which passed in a 5-2 vote. (In Ellisville, the mayor has a vote, but no veto power.) The Sansone Group would receive a $15 million TIF if they chose to also do a Transportation Development District and a Community Improvement District. In a TDD and CID scenario, Walmart would …

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Ellisville Walmart Development Facts and Myths: Part 2

Patch sat down with Ellisville city officials to confirm or dispel some of the myths surrounding the controversial development. Part two of a series.

Part 2: Will Walmart Increase Traffic? One of the major sources of concern for Ellisville residents who oppose the Sansone Group’s Walmart relates to whether or not Walmart will increase traffic in the area. The answer comes down to how you look at the definition of increased traffic, said Ada Hood, the city’s planner. “First we need to establish what we mean by traffic,” Hood said. “Will Walmart generate more trips? Yes. The Walmart will generate more trips than currently exist, obviously.” Hood said the amount of cars traveling on that stretch of road will be ultimately managed better, thanks to stop lights, medians and other improvements made around the property. “As part of the overall site development plan, they are making …

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MIKE K

11:56 am on Friday, February 1, 2013

What makes you think that an Ellisville Walmart will close 15 years after it opens? Walmart has closed less than 1% of it's stores that it has opened. The Walmart in Washington Missouri has been open 25 years and is stronger than ever.   more ›

Walmart Rep: 'We Can Take Many Steps To Accommodate Your Needs’

Walmart representatives and residents once again spoke in favor and against the development during a public hearing at Ellisville’s City Council regular meeting.

Ellisville residents came out in full force on Thursday, July 18 at the regular City Council meeting in city hall. The meeting, which lasted more than three hours and was standing-room-only, focused primarily on the construction of a Walmart Superstore development proposed at Manchester and Covert Roads. (Click here to sign up for our newsletter and get the news that matter to you delivered in your inbox every morning) Walmart and developer Sansone Group were seeking a conditional use permit from the council because certain characteristics of the store: Nearly every resident in attendance spoke to the council against the construction of the Walmart. Citing noise, increased traffic and crime as their primary concerns. John  Ruprecht, a 62-…

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Charles Pavlack

10:18 am on Monday, July 23, 2012

The long and short of it is, just because something doesn't fall into the "Permitted Uses" category doesn't mean that it's not allowed.   more ›

Sansone Group Doubles Cash Benefits to Clarkchester Tenants

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 …

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Talking Points: The Cost of Recalling Ellisville Officials Over Walmart

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?

Post-Walmart Special Election Would Cost Ellisville $8K to $10K

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 …

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Clarkchester Residents Protest Ellisville Walmart

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 …

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Ellisville Mayor: Post-Walmart Relocation Plan Won't Help New Tenants

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 …

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Readers React to Ellisville's Walmart-Roadway Plans

Get in on the conversation regarding possible speed zones and other measures the City of Ellisville is considering for a pending Walmart.