19 MARCH 2019 / 6:45 PM / Adam’s Park Boy’s and Girl’s Club

Note: Core @ Newstead Project Update (Chris Hulse)

  • Chris was unable to attend this month’s meeting and we are tentatively planning to have him speak in April.

MINUTES

6:45 – 6:50 pm Meeting Called to order(Vincent Chewning)

6:51 – 6:52 pm Call for Nominations: Member-At-Large (Vincent Chewning)

  • Tom Charlieville nominated and vote to elect him as MAL will be held in April.

6:52 – 6:53 pm Treasurer’s Report (Adelina Mart)

  • $90 came in from membership dues from February
  • $71 to update and transfer hosting of the website
  • Net of $19 from previous month

6:53 – 7:01 pm Crime Report (Ed Slade)

  • Car break-ins are up (10-12 over compared to last year); notes that the break-ins have been via broken windows and pried doors
    • Break-ins have been scattered throughout the neighborhood and throughout the week
    • Nobody has been apprehended and no suspects as of yet
  • Shotspotter device setup at Newstead and Gibson: Was placed after calls were made for shots fired; has listening devices and cameras for surveillance; monitored 24/7; no word yet if the shotspotter has collected anything incriminating
    • Ed notes that call for shots fired is not in the March crime report because there was no evidence criminal activity

7:01 – 7:11 pm Neighborhood Assistance Committee (Dan Scott)

  • The Neighborhood Assistance Committee is a proposed committee that will assist and support residents with a process of integration, understanding and cooperation for home repair needs. Details of the drafted charter can be found here.
  • The Neighborhood Assistance Committee (NAC), and any sub-committee proposed, is voted upon by the Neighborhood Association Board for approval or rejection. At February’s association meeting, Dan Scott proposed the idea of the Committee. In today’s meeting, Mr. Scott provided more Committee details in the form of a proposed charter, in which he shared with the General Membership. NAC was not put to a vote this month, has not yet been approved by the Board, and will only come to a vote when the Board feels General Membership questions have been answered and a final charter has been presented.

7:11 – 7:30 pm Neighborhood Update (17th Ward Alderman Joe Roddy)

  • Chouteau and Grand development (Midtown) and connection via the Chouteau Greenway (Cortex) provides density and improved transit-oriented development in the neighborhood and surrounding areas.
  • Alderman Roddy encourages residents read up on the Better Together City-County merger plan.
  • Drury Development at Kingshighway and Highway 40:
      • A six-family at 4559 Oakland Avenue is coming down thanks to demolition by neglect. Drury Development Corporation and Charles Drury own it and 27 other properties in the neighborhood. Drury planned a hotel at the northwest corner of the neighborhood 10 years ago. It bought options for properties then bought them outright- 15 of them in 2014.
      • In 2008, a Drury proposal for two ~20 story hotel towers became known. many resident opposed.
      • MoDot owned a portion of this property from during the construction new interchange. Property was eventually sold to BJC/WashU and Drury.
      • Alderman Roddy notes that Forest Park Southeast has a formed-based code to regulate use of land, density, and design of new structures of any new development, including any Drury proposal. Development proposal must first be presented to the Forest Park Southeast Development Committee, in which residents can voice their concerns or support for the development, and in which the Committee will come back to the developer with requirements they must meet.
  • Question from the General Membership: Possible lawsuit against Drury for allow buildings to decay?
    • Roddy: Joe notes that this has been done by the Shaw neighborhood in which a lawsuit was resident-initiated.
  • Question from the General Membership: Does BJC/WashU have control on who they give their property to?
    • Roddy: Yes – BJC/WashU felt that Drury’s proposal was the best option.
  • How will Drury be held accountable for their deconstruction activity? (Bricks, debris in the neighborhood)
    • Ron Coleman will provide direct answers and speak to the crew on the site first thing in the morning (March 20, 2019).
    • General Membership requests more Washington University Redevelopment Corporation stakeholders to attend future Neighborhood Association meetings and a request was made to Joe Roddy to put more pressure on developers to be more transparent as RFPs become available.  
  • Old Manchester Market update: No plans currently, but as soon as plans are brought forward, they will go to the FPSE Development Committee.

7:55 – 7:57 pm Community Announcements (Community)

  • FPSE is currently updating its website, forestparksoutheast.com. Expect down time. The Board hopes to have the website updated soon and in stages, but it could take some time. The Board will share all important updates via Facebook, Next Door, and email. Please reach out if you have any questions.
  • Better Together will present at a future date.
  • Call for volunteers for IndiHop. Contact the Board if interested! forestparksoutheast@gmail.com

7:55 – 8:00 PM Adjournment (Vincent Chewning)

You can download this month’s meeting minutes below.