NorthPark is nearing reality

By Rebecca Roussell

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

10/05/2006

After seven years of planning, a 550-acre business park in north St. Louis County is finally under way, but with plenty of uncertainty.

Billed as the largest redevelopment project in county history, NorthPark is proposed to be a combination of industrial, office, retail and warehouse space that proponents say will cost an estimated $750 million. A groundbreaking ceremony at the site, northeast of the intersection of interstates 70 and 170, is set for Monday.

Developers hope to capitalize on North County's reputation as the industrial hub of the St. Louis region, and say if NorthPark turns out as planned, it could bring 10,000 to 12,000 jobs and have a $7 billion impact on the economy.

"It is such a precious commodity to have this much land in the heart of the area," said Denny Coleman, president and chief executive of the St. Louis County Economic Council. "It is worth the effort to make NorthPark happen." Advertisement

In the late 1980s, the property was acquired as part of a Lambert Field airport-noise buyout plan. But when the airport's expansion plans went in another direction, it left the site up for grabs.

"We'd been looking for opportunities to redevelop larger parcels that were not on a flood plain," Coleman said.

The site is in three municipalities: Berkeley, Ferguson and Kinloch. Ideas clashed as each municipality wanted to develop the land along with local developers. So in 2004, a commission was formed to arrive at a single solution.

"This commission was able to drive the project in a strategic way," said John Temporiti, chairman of the Lambert Airport Joint Development Commission.

The commission ultimately chose NorthPark Partners LLC to execute its plans. The partnership consists of affiliates of McEagle Properties LLC, an O'Fallon, Mo., developer, and Clayco Corp., an Overland contractor.

"We really feel like NorthPark has the opportunity to be a catalyst for the rebirth of North County," said Chris McKee, president of McEagle Properties.

The first phase of the project will concentrate on the Berkley and Ferguson portions of NorthPark, McKee said. Utilities and roads will be added and improved, and 20 to 30 buildings will be demolished. After that, construction of buildings for the business park will begin.

Phase one is expected to be complete by early 2008.

Phase two, which focuses on the Kinloch portion,

won't begin for another three years, McKee said.

Beyond that, the plans remain up in the air. Developers have yet to line up tenants. Indeed, marketing

won't begin until next year, after the property has been "cleaned up," said Larry Chapman, partner and vice president of Clayco.

The developers say they

aren't intimidated by the size of the project ahead of them.

"I think it is important to keep in mind that developments like this are very similar to other developments our companies have been involved in for many years," Chapman said.

Among those projects are a 1,400-acre business park in Earth City that developed over many years and was completed in the mid-1990s. In addition, Clayco completed this year Park 370 Business and Industrial Park, a 450-acre project in Hazelwood.

Chapman said the location of NorthPark makes it a "ground zero" point with easy access to downtown, St. Charles County and Illinois.

"The key is to develop a marketing and game plan that is flexible so that we can attract a wide variety of businesses," he said.

The Carson Apartments at Carson Court and Hanley Road awaits demolition as it will be incorporated in the NorthPark project. (Kevin Manning/P-D)