This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Group Home in Residential Area

Group Home in Residential Area

We are your neighbors who live in the first block of Madge Ave.  You may
have heard that a charitable organization, Boys Hope Girls Hope St. Louis, plans to build a group home at the foot of Madge (behind Pasta House).  The organization has the first three building lots facing Madge under contract.  The proposed group home will house 10 males and 10 females ranging from age 10 through high school age, and 4 resident counselors.  Additionally, the complex will contain the offices of the charity with staff ranging from 4-8 individuals.

The organization proposes a building of almost 15,000 square feet with a 16 car parking pad.  This was learned at an “informational” meeting held at St. Mary Magdalen.  Originally, only immediate neighbors of the property were invited. The meeting was held at the behest of John Geppert, who is the Chairman of the City of Brentwood’s Planning and Zoning Board.  His idea was to inject some transparency into a process that seemingly began with phone contact by
BHGH with our mayor and 2 aldermen in December, 2012.  The neighborhood meeting was held on March 18, 2013.

It is difficult to advocate against an organization that serves disadvantaged kids. The youth served are not troubled kids, but are kids from troubled homes. The charity’s model has been to move the kids from their homes in the city to suburban residences and enroll them in mostly private Catholic schools.  Currently, the boys are housed in a residence on the Maryville University campus, and the girls are housed in a converted private home in Kirkwood.

Find out what's happening in Maplewood-Brentwoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The charity’s model of city to suburban residency was reported to be changing in an article that ran on STLtoday.com on October 1, 2012. Quoting from the article, “Those who run the program are looking to replace the suburban boys and girls homes with a single urban campus. Among the dozen potential sites are several in St. Louis city’s central corridor…the organization sees an urban campus as the appropriate next move.”  At the informational meeting, the President of BHGH’s Board of Directors was asked how the organization had settled on Madge Ave. He responded that they had talked to dozens of realtors.

These are our concerns:

Find out what's happening in Maplewood-Brentwoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

LOSS OF TAX REVENUE:  Removal of taxed properties from the tax rolls. BHGH is a 501 (c) 3 organization.  The planned development-zoning overlay was designed to procure taxpaying entities to these properties.  HOW DOES THE BHGH PROPOSAL FINANCIALLY BENEFIT BRENTWOOD?

LOSS OF PROPERTY VALUE BY PROPERTY OWNERS:  Will future residential property buyers view the BHGH complex as an asset or a detriment to the neighborhood?  How much of our properties’ dollar value can we be expected to contribute to the success of BHGH?

LOSS OF RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD:  Degradation of the residential nature of our neighborhood, which is one of Brentwood’s oldest.  Several homes were constructed prior to the incorporation of the city in 1919.

LOSS OF SCHOOL DISTRICT FUNDING:  At this time we do not know the full impact of the BHGH project on our school district.  How many children will be attending Brentwood Schools?  Taxpayers just passed a school tax increase to address financial difficulties which many school districts are facing following the “Great Recession”.  BHGH will make its presentation to the school board at the regular meeting on Tuesday, April 16, 6:30 pm in the library of Mark Twain Elementary School.  YOU DON’T HAVE TO TALK!  Just come and listen.

LOSS OF GREEN SPACE:  The footprint of the existing 2 residences on 3 residential building lots, (50’x241’ each), is small.  The proposed 15,000 sq. ft.
complex and associated paving, will forever change the nature of the land.  The city will lose the opportunity to establish a permanent green space which will benefit all.

SIGNIFICANT MEETING DATES: 

Public meetings where your attendance can make a difference.  Again, YOU DON’T HAVE TO TALK UNLESS YOU WANT TO!

April 15, 2013  7pm  Board of Aldermen, City Hall

April 16, 2013  6:30 pm  Brentwood School Board, Mark Twain School

April 24, 2013  7pm  Site Plan Review Committee.  City Hall: BHGH may present building plan to city 

April 26, 2013  9am  Coffee with the Mayor. City Hall: Your opportunity to voice concerns

April 30, 2013  7pm  Ward 3 mtg.  City Hall: Your opportunity to voice concerns directly to Ward 3 Aldermen

Respectfully,

Your neighbors on Madge Ave.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Maplewood-Brentwood