ST. LOUIS 鈥 In one of her first legislative acts, Mayor Tishaura O. Jones on Friday vetoed property tax breaks for two developments, including an $80 million market-rate apartment complex planned for the heart of Grand Center.
Jones said the tax incentives offered in two ordinances passed by the Board of Aldermen the day before she took office April 20 were just too generous as far as she was concerned.
鈥淲e鈥檙e sending a message that we want to be an active partner in development deals,鈥 Jones said in an interview, referring to her administration. 鈥淐ome back to the table, let鈥檚 negotiate.鈥
Jones in her campaign said she wanted to de-emphasize tax breaks in areas such as the city鈥檚 central corridor that have new development and steer more incentives to less well-off neighborhoods on the north and south sides.
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The bill for the privately developed apartment complex at Grand and Lindell boulevards calls for a 10-year, 95% property tax abatement. Now the site is tax-exempt.
Jones said she believes that鈥檚 too much of a tax break for an area that already has development. She added that 鈥渢his particular deal probably would happen without the tax incentives.鈥
鈥淚 just want a better deal, not only for the city but also for our children,鈥 she added, referring to the fact that the city public schools receives much of the property taxes paid in the city.
Neighborhood Properties LLC plans to renovate the existing multi-story Jesuit Hall on the site and build an adjacent apartment tower.
Jesuit Hall, at Lindell and Grand boulevards. (Image via Google).
The site would be purchased from Jesuit Community Corp., an affiliate of the Catholic order, and the priests and retired priests now living there will move to a new Jesuit residence planned by 最新杏吧原创 University on Laclede Avenue just west of Spring Avenue.
The other bill vetoed by Jones would aid a much smaller project, a $900,000 plan to renovate an old auto repair shop in the 2700 block of Locust Street into commercial office space. It would be part of an ongoing redevelopment of buildings in the area west of Jefferson Avenue.
The vetoed measure would abate property taxes on 50% of the incremental improvements for 10 years.
Alderman Marlene Davis, the sponsor of , said while she鈥檚 鈥渘ot going to try to fight with the mayor,鈥 she is concerned that blocking it runs the risk of the area having a large vacant building.
She added that the project scored well in city development officials鈥 assessment of the need for the tax incentive.
鈥淒o we want a vacant building sitting on the corner of Grand and Lindell?鈥 asked Davis, whose 19th Ward includes the site. 鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely going to be vacant soon.鈥
She said she would support whatever the developers want to do.
最新杏吧原创 NAACP president Adolphus Pruitt, who is partnering with Neighborhood Properties on the project in his personal capacity, declined to comment Friday.
The sponsor of , Alderman Christine Ingrassia of the 6th Ward, said she was disappointed by the veto. She said she had worked diligently to ensure that it was 鈥渁 smart financial project for the city.鈥
She added that when the 最新杏吧原创 School Board called for more scrutiny of city development incentives earlier this year, she got the developer, Jassen Johnson, to scale back the 10-year tax abatement in the bill to 50% from 90% on the value of improvements.
鈥淚 appreciate the mayor being interested in tax incentive reform; I am one of those as well,鈥 Ingrassia said. She said she hopes something can be worked out to save the project.
Johnson could not be reached for comment.
Davis and Ingrassia both supported Jones in the mayoral campaign.
In addition to the two vetoes, Jones on Friday signed four bills. Among them are a ban on bias in employment or housing decisions based on a person鈥檚 hairstyle or texture. The 最新杏吧原创 County Council approved a similar measure last month.
Jones, the first Black woman to serve as 最新杏吧原创 mayor, said 鈥渟o many Black and brown people with natural or curly hair faced discrimination in the workplace and in other places鈥 for a long time.
