The Truth About the Mall Redevelopment Project
Was the process transparent? YES
Was there collusion between the city and developers? NO
Did the city meet all legal requirements? YES
Do developers still have to pay their same taxes? YES
Is the city responsible for any loans given to the members of the TIF district? NO
Is the city responsible for any legal fees associated with the TIF? NO
Is the TIF just developer subsidies? NO
Would the mall and Wild Horse Village redevelop with needed public improvements without the TIF? NO
Would the city have money to fix Chesterfield Parkway, Baxter/Clarkson Interchange, Baxter/Edison Interchange, Extend N. Outer 40 to the Valley, build two public parking garages, and improve Central Park without the TIF? NO
Do the TIF assumptions provide an estimated $220 MILLION to Parkway and Rockwood School Districts? YES
My wife was raised in Chesterfield and we are now raising our children in the Parkway School District. We are here because the City of Chesterfield was always a nice place to live where people can get along. Recent times have shown me that there are people in our community that feel like they have the right to say anything about another person, the City, and its employees. I believe they think that the ends justify the means and, in my opinion, this ideology negatively affects the integrity of our elections and how our community gets along.
We are not enemies. We are neighbors and a significant number of those neighbors got together in 2019 and 2020 with City Council, the Planning Commission, and our Planning Department to discuss how best to guide the future of development in Chesterfield. After TWENTY publicly held and well attended meetings, Envision Chesterfield was created. This comprehensive plan was created well before The Staenberg Group or CRG were involved so the idea that anyone colluded is most like people trying to sell newspapers, a company trying to leverage their negotiating power, or candidates trying to get more votes. The public was invited to participate in the TIF process as well. There were ELEVEN public meetings regarding the TIF. See the timeline below for more information.
Additionally, there is a resident group called “Citizens for Developing Downtown Chesterfield” that is actively involved with attending the meetings and giving feedback to the City and the developers. I have personally referred residents interested in being more intimately involved with the process to this group. You can learn more or add your insight by going to their Facebook Page or by requesting more information through this link.
As a Parkway parent this was a difficult process because the TIF Commission and the School Districts did not agree on how many students were going to come out of the new housing developments within the TIF District. I chose to use the data points the School Districts presented, 900 new students with a financial need of $15,500 per student per year in school, put on my math hat, and went to work.
900 Students x average of 14 years per student = 12,600 student years
$220,000,000 / 12,600 student years = $17,460 per student year
Transparency in government is very important to the current Council, so it hurts when I hear people claiming that we are not being transparent or we are trying to hide something. From my experience over the last two years, this is the furthest from the truth. We are transparent. We work for the residents. Below is the timeline from the development of the Comprehensive Plan to the establishment of the TIF District that show that this process was Transparent, Open to the Public, and is in the best interest of the City of Chesterfield. All of the documents for these meetings, and so much more, can be found in our Transparency Hub.
Please do your research. The City of Chesterfield needs you to be well informed residents and voters.
VOTE TUESDAY, APRIL 4TH FOR DR. AARON WAHL
CHESTERFIELD CITY COUNCIL, WARD 2
Dates of Comprehensive Plan public meetings:
01-29-2019 Public Kick-Off Meeting
Planapalooza (03-27 to 04-03-2019)
03-27-2019 – Planapaloolza Opening Presentation
03-28-2019 – Planapaloolza 12:30 – 8:00 pm
03-29-2019 – Planapaloolza 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
03-30-2019 – Planapaloolza 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
03-31-2019 – Planapaloolza 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
04-01-2019 – Planapaloolza 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
04-02-2019 – Planapaloolza 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
04-03-2019 – Planapaloolza 9:00 a.m. – noon
04-03-2019 – Planapalooza Closing Presentation 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
05-13-2019 Planning Commission
07-22-2019 Planning Commission
08-26-2019 Planning Commission
12-09-2019 Planning Commission
02-04-2020 Open House
02-24-2020 Planning Commission
05-27-2020 Planning Commission
08-24-2020 Planning Commission
09-30-2020 Planning Commission (Public Hearing)
10-05-2020 City Council
Dates of all public meetings regarding TIF and TIF Commissions:
06-07-2021 F&A Committee of the Whole
06-29-2021 F&A
08-31-2021 F&A
09-13-2022 TIF Commission
11-01-2022 TIF Commission
11-15-2022 TIF Commission
11-21-2022 TIF Commission
All Agenda Reviews and Council Meeting where this was discussed and/or voted upon:
12-06-2021 City Council
07-25-2022 City Council
12-05-2022 City Council
12-14-2022 City Council
Dates that are public info for when all legal requirements were met:
2016: CHESTERFIELD MALL: Dillards closed temporarily due to flooding from a broken water line.
2016: The last year Rombach’s Pumpkin Farm operated. Location closed due to family and property issues.
2017: CHESTERFIELD MALL: Dillards closure Becomes permanent. Other notable former tenants included Houlihan’s (1977 – 2014), California Pizza Kitchen (1997 – 2018) and Ann Taylor Loft 2006 – 2020).
2017: CHESTERFIELD MALL: The Chesterfield Mall was placed in receivership in the third quarter of 2016, pending foreclosure. Management was transferred to Madison Marquette while a new owner was sought for the property. The foreclosure was finalized in June of 2017, making C-III Capital Partners the temporary owner.
2018: CHESTERFIELD MALL was acquired by Hull Property Group.
9/2018: Sears closes two locations in St. Louis at the Chesterfield Mall and the South County location.
9/2018: CRG petition for CID. (denied)
9/2018: Finance 101.
8/13/2018: Finance 102
2/2020: CHESTERFIELD MALL: The Staenberg Group closed on a deal to acquire the Mall, most of the Mall’s anchor stores, and the Mall’s outparcel properties for an undisclosed price. The Dillard’s building at the north end of the mall, remained the property of Dillard Department Stores, Inc.
9/22/2020: Finance 103, Finance and Administration Committee of the Whole.
11/7/202:1 F&A Committee of the Whole to discuss Special Financing Districts - Economic Development Tools. Special Finance District Educational workshop. Public informational\educational meeting for Regional TIF.
7/25/2022: City Council approved Resolution #479, establishing the Tax Increment Financing Commission of the City of Chesterfield.
9/13/2022: Initial meeting for the Chesterfield Regional Tax Increment Financing District, set date for Public Hearing First meeting of the Chesterfield Regional TIF Commission
Commissioners:
Chair – Douglas Beach, City of Chesterfield
Robert Rodermund – City of Chesterfield
Chris Natsch – City of Chesterfield
Patty Beddington – Parkway School District
Paul Northington – Rockwood School District
Paul Hample – St. Louis County
Stephanie Leon Streeter – St. Louis County
Jay Nelson – St. Louis County
Kyle Klemp – St. Louis County
Jacob Trimble – St. Louis County
Howard Hayes - St. Louis County
Marion Gee – MSD (other taxing districts)
11/1/2022: Public Hearing for the Chesterfield Regional Tax Increment Financing DistricT
11/15/2022: Third meeting of the Chesterfield Regional Tax Increment Financing District, amend by laws for virtual participation, set date for continuance of public hearing 11/21/2022
11/22/2022: TIF Commission continues public hearing. Votes 9 – 3 to favorably recommend creation of the Chesterfield Regional TIF. Rodermund, Beach, Natsch, Hample, Streeter, Trimble, Klemp, Hayes, and Gee voted in favor; Northington, Beddington, and Nelson voted in opposition.
12/14/2022: Special City Council meeting, approving Ordinance #3217 Designating a portion of the City as a Redevelopment Area (TIF), and #3218 Approving a redevelopment project, RPA-2 (Wildhorse)