Welcome toÌýBrick City, a weekly newsletter about development from across ºüÀêÊÓƵ. Every Wednesday afternoon, I share recent stories and exclusive insights about the projects and people impacting our region.
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A big update at Railway Exchange
There was buzz last week that downtown ºüÀêÊÓƵ' Railway Exchange Building was in the process of being sold. My colleague Austin Huguelet cracked it.
Steve Stogel, who was part of the , confirmed that he has a letter of intent to buy the Railway Exchange. He'll have a few months to negotiate a deal, and if successful, his tentative plans call for housing.Ìý
People are also reading…
It's obviously welcome newsÌý—Ìýthe building is one of downtown's biggest headaches, and draws trespassers, vagrants and teens looking for a thrill.Ìý
But there's a lot stacked against Stogel: gun-shy lenders, high interest rates and the sheer size of the 1.2 million-square-foot property.ÌýÌý
Can he really pull it off?
Trouble at Normandy City Hall
In 2020, the city of Normandy took out a loan to help pay for what officials said would be the north ºüÀêÊÓƵ County municipality's new city hall. As collateral, officials signed over a deed to its current city hall, as well as a savings account with $750,000.
Now the new leadership of Normandy wants out of the deal, my colleague Nassim Benchaabane reports.Ìý
The city's lawsuit against Simmons Bank alleges former Normandy officials violated state law in 2020 by signing the contract with the bank without a proper council vote or public disclosure.
The lawsuit details a political and financial mess that puts Normandy in an uneasy position.Ìý
Neighborhood concernsÌý
Not every one is on board with a developer's plan to build two new apartment complexes where the long-vacant row of dilapidated houses stood at Kingshighway and Oakland Avenue, my colleague Kelsey Landis reports.Ìý
Several neighbors spoke out at a community meeting about the proposal from NorthPoint Development, saying they feared traffic congestion and housing affordability would get worse.Ìý
City officials were against the idea of apartments here when controversial developer Lux Living had control, saying at the time that apartments didn't fit the neighborhood character. But then NorthPoint acquired the real estate, and officials were suddenly on board with the idea.Ìý
Just Announced
- Company expands to ºüÀêÊÓƵ area, plans to hire over 100.
- Crumbling downtown garage gets more support.Ìý
- Here's an update of the expansion of ºüÀêÊÓƵ Symphony Orchestra's Powell Hall.
Reporter's Notebook
“It’s a lot of doom and gloom. You deal with a lot of people in crisis, and a lot of times it landed at my door, instead of people it should have.â€
— Alana Green on why she left her job leading the ºüÀêÊÓƵ Housing Authority. Read more in this interview with my colleague Jesse Bogan.Ìý
Keep In Touch
I love to hear from readers. Reach out with questions, news tips and other thoughts atÌýskukuljan@post-dispatch.com. You can also follow me onÌýÌýand on InstagramÌý