ST. LOUIS — The Board of Aldermen broke with tradition Friday.
In one of only a handful of times in recent memory, the board voted 19-4 to give initial approval for incentives on a development project without consent from the alderman whose ward the project is in.
Alderman Tina Pihl cast the plan, for the old National Guard Armory building in her 17th Ward, as a brazen move to dodge her calls for developers to be more accountable to the community and city schools that see property tax revenue diverted by incentive plans.
“This shouldn’t be happening,” she said.
She said she’d been seeking a contribution to city public schools and an agreement to limit the impacts of construction on the surrounding neighborhood before she was sidestepped.
City leaders have for months been debating the propriety of “aldermanic courtesy” — the practice of deferring to alderman for projects within their own wards — since federal prosecutors indicted three board members this summer for taking bribes in exchange for supporting development tax breaks. The alderman-centered approach to traffic planning is also under scrutiny following a rash of hit-and-runs. And in discussion Friday, Alderman Marlene Davis, who introduced the Armory plan and whose 19th Ward sits just east of the development, said negotiations over incentives should be left to city staff.
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“That’s not our role,” she said.
But Davis also made clear there was a problem with Pihl, too, saying she was taking too long to come to a deal on the Armory project: Interest rates and construction costs are rising. Developer Green Street Real Estate Ventures’ plan to redevelop the Armory into an entertainment venue couldn’t wait any longer, Davis said.
Pihl was elected last year on promises to be a tougher negotiator with developers in her ward, which includes the desirable Central West End, Midtown and Grove areas. Her message echoed longstanding calls from progressive Democrats in the city and matched the message from incoming Mayor Tishaura O. Jones.
Pihl and Jones initially worked together to renegotiate incentives for prominent projects, and within months announced a $1.8 million contribution to affordable housing from the City Foundry project. Earlier this year, she secured another $250,000 contribution from a Midtown apartment project.
But over time, Pihl has begun to try the patience of developers and the Jones’ administration with delays in responding to requests on projects.
In June, St. Louis Development Corp., which vets and negotiates development incentives, moved ahead with a project subsidy — also for Green Street — despite Pihl’s protests. And Jones recently endorsed a push to extend the life of incentives for Cortex, the nonprofit tech district that houses major institutions like Washington University and BJC HealthCare, despite Pihl’s calls to renegotiate the deal.
On the Armory project, Pihl had been negotiating with Green Street and SLDC seeking a $470,000 contribution to city schools. But SLDC determined that couldn’t be done through the current legislation and asked Davis to move the deal forward.
The agency also took explicit aim at aldermanic courtesy in a statement after Davis introduced the relevant bills.
“One alderman’s approval should not be the sole determinant for a development project to move forward,” SLDC spokesman Sara Freetly said in the statement. “It should be considered by the full Board of Aldermen.”
That idea met with some pushback Friday. Alderman Jesse Todd, whose ward includes part of the Central West End and neighborhoods north of there, said SLDC had no right to go around aldermen elected by their wards.
“We are the only ones that the taxpayers can hold accountable,” he said. “I think we’re setting a very dangerous precedent.”
Pihl said the bills would kick off a free-for-all, with developers able to go around anyone they don’t want to deal with.
“Why wouldn’t this happen to you?” Pihl asked her colleagues at the meeting.
But only four aldermen voted no: Pihl, Todd, Anne Schweitzer of the far South Side, and Annie Rice, of the Shaw neighborhood.
And four voted present: Aldermen Megan Green of Tower Grove South, Bill Stephens of far south city, Shane Cohn of Dutchtown, and Norma Walker of northwest St. Louis.
Editor's note: A previous version of this story misstated Alderman Annie Rice's home neighborhood.
