On June 29th, Baileys’ Range hosted a soft opening event for the community. Hundreds of neighbors and visitors to the neighborhood gathered at 4175 Shaw to enjoy an evening of milkshakes, burgers, and fries. The formerly vacant gas station was on the nuisance property list of Tower Grove Neighborhoods Community Development Corporation (TGNCDC) in 2010 before it came up on the Sheriff’s tax sale in August 2013. Gas stations on prominent corners dotted neighborhoods across St. Louis City and, as an organization, we knew the original building at 4175 Shaw had value and would create a visually interesting development on a highly visible corner. With TGNCDC board support, TGNCDC purchased the property at the tax sale and began the work to remediate the site (removing the gas tanks and any other environmental hazards) for future development.
Through the Department of Natural Resources, TGNCDC, as a not for profit, was able to secure FREE phase 1 and Phase 2 reports to determine the level of clean up needed. Additional remediation was determined to be necessary. TGNCDC applied for and was awarded a $160,000 grant from EIERA (Environmental Improvement and Energy Resources Authority) to complete the cleanup. A no further action letter was delivered which opened the possibility for redevelopment without barriers. This is a key strategy for CDC’s to attract a developer.
In April 2016, after a successful RFP process, Tower Grove Neighborhoods CDC selected David Bailey to redevelop the property. After delays with historic state and federal tax credits, Covid and other barriers, his team pushed forward to complete the development in June 2022. The multimillion-dollar investment into the Shaw neighborhood, which preserved and embraced the original building, is a benefit to the community by creating approximately 75 new jobs, removing a nuisance property and increasing the desirability of the neighborhood as a place to live, work, play and invest. The improvement of 4175 Shaw is a great example how Community Development Corporations identify problems, determine the appropriate solutions, secure grants to help, and patiently work through the process to a successful conclusion. Tower Grove Neighborhoods CDC thanks David Bailey and his team for their persistence and commitment to completing the promised development.
