ST. LOUIS COUNTY — Plans to turn the long-shuttered Jamestown Mall into a large-scale commercial and industrial development were scrambled Wednesday after a St. Louis County councilwoman who represents the area announced her opposition to the project.
The move prompted the chairman of the St. Louis County Port Authority, which owns the site, to say the proposal was “dead in the water.â€
“I can’t imagine moving forward without her support,†said Chairman John Maupin.
The Port Authority, which owns Jamestown Mall, has spent tens of thousands of dollars maintaining the property as well as legal and engineering fees while it sought a buyer and negotiated a contract.
In late May, the Port Authority signed a resolution to have Kansas City-based lead a roughly $75.8 million large-scale commercial and industrial development on the 145-acre site, which the Authority assembled in the years following the mall’s closure in 2014.
People are also reading…
Councilwoman Shalonda Webb, D-District 4, made rehabbing the mall a top issue in her campaign for County Council last year. But she said in a statement Wednesday that she had received “overwhelming†community opposition to an industrial project and would seek a different proposal “suitable for a residential community.â€
Webb’s opposition effectively kills the project, which would require approval from the county’s planning and zoning commission and the seven-member County Council. Other members on the council are unlikely to challenge colleagues’ interests in projects within their districts.
NorthPoint declined to comment.
The company had said it would work with Webb to conduct community outreach for the project. But in two virtual town halls, residents raised concerns about a potential industrial development and expressed preferences for alternatives. A spokesman for Webb’s office said the councilwoman had also received letters from residents opposing the project.
Maupin, the Port Authority chairman, said Webb called him Tuesday to tell him she would oppose the project.
The authority did hear concerns about the project from community members, he said, who preferred a retail development. Webb “worked really hard listening to people and she came to the conclusion that the opposition was too strong,†Maupin said.
“I’m not criticizing her at all for that; that’s her job,†he said.
But it’s unlikely the county will be able to find another buyer for the site, first opened in 1973, which he said has deteriorated beyond repair and would require an estimated $4 million to demolish and abate — money the Port Authority doesn’t have.
“People want something else, but the market doesn’t support anything else there in its current condition,†Maupin said.
“Unless there is an infusion of somewhere around $4 million to demolish the site, nothing will happen up there.â€
The authority, which has sought since 2018 to sell the property, advertised nationally for a buyer and NorthPoint was the only respondent to two requests for proposals, Maupin said. NorthPoint previously tried to redevelop Jamestown Mall in 2018, but those plans fell through amid political infighting and the federal investigation of former County Executive Steve Stenger. The company was the only respondent to a second request for proposals the Authority issued in January 2020, Maupin said.
“We worked really hard for two years, and this was the only proposal,†Maupin said.
Maupin said the NorthPoint proposal “would create thousands of jobs†and would “take a property that is currently doing nothing and costing taxpayers thousands of dollars a month and create a number of tremendous properties for the community.â€
In a statement, Webb said her decision was “in no way a reflection of NorthPoint or its efforts to make the project a reality.â€
“NorthPoint has been honest and transparent,†Webb said. “I would have supported their efforts had the development been suitable for a residential community.â€
She offered to work with regional development authorities on a new proposal.
“Now that all parties understand the pulse of this community, I look forward to working collaboratively with the St. Louis County Port Authority and the St. Louis County Economic Development Partnership,†Webb said.
“Jamestown Mall will be redeveloped, and it will be something this community can be proud of.â€
Maupin said the Port Authority would discuss potential next steps at its next regular meeting Thursday. But he didn’t know what that next step would be.
“I’m encouraged that she (Webb) wants to work with us to get a developer in there, but some game-changing occurrence needs to come around if we’re going to do something other than the proposal that she’s rejected,†he said.
NorthPoint has developed more than $8 billion worth of industrial property across the U.S. since it opened in 2012. It is one of the largest industrial developers in the St. Louis region, having invested nearly $1 billion in projects like General Motors’ Wentzville plant and the Hazelwood Logistics Center, home to an Amazon distribution facility.
NorthPoint is building industrial parks in the Metro East and Hazelwood.
Steph Kukuljan and Jacob Barker of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
