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The Senate action came after a two-hour filibuster led by a Kansas City-area lawmaker.

Sen. Steven Roberts, D-St. Louis, the sponsor, said his measure would help “fill the gaps in the marketplace that resulted in spaces across our state, cities and towns lying dormant, thereby reducing vibrancy in our historic city centers.� 

Roberts’ proposal would create a new tax credit that would reimburse developers 25% of the cost of converting office buildings into other uses, including residential and retail. The office buildings would have to be at least 25 years old to qualify, and certain “main street districts� across the state would be eligible for slightly higher 30% credit reimbursements.

Among major beneficiaries of Roberts’ tax-credit plan are two major structures in downtown St. Louis.

The 44-story AT&T tower has been vacant since the telecommunications giant left for a smaller space in 2017. The Goldman Group, a Boston-based development company, bought the distressed building last year for $3.6 million. The 21-story Railway Exchange has been mostly empty since 2013, when Macy’s left the space. Combined, the buildings have 2.6 million square feet available.

Proponents argue that a subsidy is necessary for the vacant space to become useful as it’s very costly to convert office buildings into residential or commercial buildings. Research from Morgan Stanley found it to be expensive to buy and convert an office building than to build new.

“Right now, downtown’s market conditions are not strong enough to support the immense cost of redevelopment on its own,� Charles Goldman, managing partner at Goldman Group, said at a committee hearing.

Goldman added the $350 million development his company has planned for the AT&T Tower could not proceed without the legislature passing the tax credit.

The policy is somewhat targeted to the Tower. One provision allows developers to be reimbursed for money spent on building parking during a conversion. Part of the Tower conversion plan is to create a large automatic parking system.

While converting office space is not unique, St. Louis provides a special case. Many cities struggling under the weight of housing unaffordability, such as San Francisco, have targeted vacant offices for housing. That’s not the case in downtown St. Louis, which is in need of economic development more than further affordability. 

The legislation is about creating a lively downtown where residents can live affordably. Without an economic jump-start, vacant buildings cannot become that, Roberts, a St. Louis Democrat, argued.

While the bill appeared to have strong support, action was delayed late Monday for about two hours when Sen. Joe Nicola, a freshman Republican from Independence, led a one-man filibuster. Nicola, founding pastor of New Covenant Ministries, argued the bill would advance a “globalist� plot to create dense communities where people need to rent instead of own.

Nicola’s filibuster turned into a lengthy sermon that stretched into the evening and included readings from the Bible. He spoke of the death of Jesus on the cross — “I can’t imagine the excruciating pain� — and he argued pastors need to be involved in politics because “God is the one who created government.�

After a few hours Nicola stood down and the legislation passed.

Other hard-line conservatives said the legislation was too expensive. Sen. Adam Schnelting, R-St. Charles, said, “I think our entire country is going to go into some difficult times financially, and I just could not swallow (the price).�

Elizabeth Lauber, representing the Missouri Main Street Connection, which assists smaller municipalities with development issues, said the proposal will help both big cities and the state’s rural communities in a committee hearing.

“This bill tells a story of bipartisanship,� Lauber said. “This is a Missouri issue.�

will need one more vote in the Senate before going to the House.