Tuesday, April 3, 2012
The Ward 2 alderman is racing for reelection today. His opponent is John Bub.
Ward 2 Alderman Ed Kopff has been on the board two years, and says he’d like to finish what he started. He’s referring, of course, to the stalled Kenrick Plaza redevelopment project and the contingent efforts to salvage Shrewsbury’s troubled financial prospects should the project not come together. The Walmart-anchored redevelopment plan has been the most contentious local issue in Shrewsbury in recent years, but Kopff stands behind it as the best option to bring in sales tax revenue to sustain the city’s dwindling coffers. “If this development doesn’t come through, what can we do to gain some time before we eat through all our reserves?” Kopff said in an interview, referencing Shrewsbury’s continuing budget deficit. “If we don’t address …
The Ward 2 resident is racing for election to the board of aldermen today. His opponent is Ed Kopff.
John Bub says his neighbors in the Villas at Kenrick asked him to run for Shrewsbury Board of Alderman in Ward 2. “I wanted to have a little better representation for people in my subdivision,” Bub said in an interview. An accountant with the US Postal Service, Bub has lived in Shrewsbury for two years with his wife Linda, who teaches business management classes at the college level. His main hobby when he isn’t busy running for election is tennis. “If I retired now, my office would switch to the asphalt court,” Bub joked. In running for office Bub said he wants greater input in the execution of the controversial Walmart-anchored Kenrick Plaza redevelopment project, particularly in how the development effects the neighborhood environment, …
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Aldermen considered raising real estate or utility rates in response to continued deficits during a strategic work session for the city's 2013 budget.
The Shrewsbury Board of Aldermen is considering putting a temporary property tax increase on the November election ballot. However, board members opted to delay their decision after talks concerning the uncertainty surrounding the Kenrick Plaza redevelopment and a less-than-projected deficit from 2011. In a work session that drew little public attendance, the board discussed a potential property tax increase that would most likely include a sunset provision of six years. The measure could potentially raise anywhere from $250,000 to $400,000, depending on the size of the hike. The board had favored upping utility taxes from 7.25 percent to 8 percent at its previous meeting, but that would bring in even less money—only about $100,000. At …
Monday, March 26, 2012
Intensive work sessions and a public forum are part of the city's plan to cope with financial shortfalls.
The City of Shrewsbury has already began planning for its 2013 budget with intensive work sessions this month and a public forum scheduled for later this spring. The Board of Aldermen held an all-day session Feb. 25 that put everything “out on the table,” according to Director of Administration Jonathon Greever. He characterized the discussions as an ongoing, broad conversation about what options the city has to balance its budget if no significant economic development occurs in the next several years. “Our approach is that the Kenrick Plaza redevelopment is still viable, we just don’t know which way it’s going to go,” Greever said, referring to currently stalled discussions about the construction of a Walmart Supercenter in Shrewsbury. “…
New bills in the state house would require TIF proposals be put to a public vote.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
M Eileen Dorsey of Williamsburg Colonial Lane in Shrewsbury weighs in on the city leadership and the now-stalled Kenrick Plaza redevelopment.
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Tuesday, February 21, 2012
The following was submitted to Patch as a letter to the editor. For more info on the Kenrick Plaza Redevelopment Project, check in on our topic page: http://affton.patch.com/topics/kenrick-plaza-redevelopment. A leader is supposed to unite the community. Yet, our city hall has totally “divided” our community. It is not just the issue of Walmart. Other issues are involved. The Shrewsbury mission statement excludes those of us who live on the wrong side of the tracks. Why are we told that we can not go to the gym because we do not live in Shrewsbury? Why are we told that we do not live in ward 2? Why are we patronized at public meetings and not even allowed to hold our own microphone? Why is there very little transparency and so much …
Thursday, February 2, 2012
In a recent letter to residents, Shrewsbury Mayor Felicity Buckley said the city would have to approach next year's budget without the promise of increased sales tax revenue.
The stalled, and sometimes embattled, Kenrick Plaza redevelopment project remains in limbo, but Shrewsbury Mayor Felicity Buckley has reaffirmed her support for the project. “While we have had significant set backs, the majority of the Board and I remain hopeful, and committed to seeing the project through,” Buckley wrote in a message to Shrewsbury residents. However, Buckley went on to confirm that negotiations with developer G J Grewe and revisions to the proposed site plan were both still ongoing. In November Grewe said the site plan needed revising to avoid “years of litigation” over the plaza’s placement near the guy-wires of a nearby radio tower. However, the awkward landscape of the area appears to have stalled the project longer …
Friday, December 9, 2011
It may be at least several months before the TIF process gets back on track.
The changes being made to the controversial Kenrick Plaza site plan by developer GJ Grewe may delay the project by several months, or even call into question the future of the Walmart-anchored redevelopment. The changes are being made to avoid having to move the guy-wires that anchor a nearby radio tower, a move that Grewe said was necessary to avoid “years of litigation.” However, having to build around the cables may mean changes to the size and shape of retail spaces in the development, which could affect the profitability of the profitability of the project. Shrewsbury Director of Administration Jonathan Greever said it would be at least 60 days from the moment he gets the go-ahead to reconvene the commission before the TIF would be …
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
The public hearing set for Wednesday will be rescheduled again with several weeks notice.
Shrewsbury announced Tuesday that the public hearing Wednesday on the $20 million tax increment financing (TIF) assistance proposed for the redevelopment of Kenrick Plaza has been canceled. The TIF commission heard at its last meeting on Nov. 9 that changes were being made to the site plan for the planned Walmart-anchored redevelopment. The commission was told that several of its questions would have to wait until the cost/benefit analysis of the redevelopment had been revised. Shrewsbury's special counsel on the project, Mark Grimm, said then that the changes would be done in a week. But three weeks later, Shrewsbury Director of Administration Jonathan Greever said in the email announcement that the hearing would be rescheduled "if and/or…
Is it fair for low-income Walmart shoppers to pay for the cost of Shrewsbury services?
This Wednesday, November 30 the city of Shrewsbury Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Commission will consider G.J. Grewe’s proposed redevelopment of his property, Kenrick Plaza. This project requires reconfiguring the site for the big-box retailer, Walmart. Most of the attention in the public meetings has been focused on the developer; on Walmart and its tactics as a competitor, employer and retailer; and on the design of the proposed redevelopment, especially the closing of Trianon Parkway and the locating of a massive structure so close to residential neighborhoods. But what has been largely overlooked in the discussion of this project are both the tax and public policy implications from the use of TIF. Even though the process by the mayor…
Tony
8:03 pm on Tuesday, April 3, 2012
"fines against business landlords who aren’t maintaining their properties" Ha. I love it. Give Grewe and Lipton $15M in taxpayer-backed money on one hand, and talk about finding them on the other....while having done NOTHING to do this for the past five years. How long ago did we know the theater had holes in the roof? Dangerous mold? How long ago did the property start rotting to the point of … more ›