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Politics & Government

Sunnen Plans for More Development in Maplewood

The first phase includes gaining a blighted designation and bulldozing a residential area.

Nearly 20 acres of residential area have been designated as blighted properties by the Maplewood City Council.

The vacant homes are generally located south of Manchester Road between Hanley and Laclede Station roads. State statutes define blighted areas as those that are an economic or social liability, resulting from inadequate design, crime and other factors.

The city council offered preliminary approval of the designation during last Tuesday's meeting. Final approval is scheduled for the Dec. 13 meeting.

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The designation is part of a long-term plan to redevelop the residential area surrounded by commercial and industrial zones.

Sunnen Products Company, which redeveloped the neighboring Sunnen Business Park to the east and is to the south, owns all of the properties in the blighted area. Sunnen has been buying the homes for the past decade.

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With the designation, Sunnen would become eligible for a tax abatement on any future redevelopment. The company would have to present development proposals to the city before tax breaks are awarded in the future.

PGAV Planners, a St. Louis planning and development firm that analyzed the area for the city, presented its findings during last Tuesday's meeting.

PGAV project manager Andrew Murray cited outdated buildings, deteriorated infrastructure and storm water drainage issues as reasons for allowing blighted status.

Declining property taxes and the likelihood of unsafe environmental conditions, like lead-based paint and asbestos, were also cited.

If a tax abatement is approved, Sunnen will use the property tax savings to improve the area, Mello said.

The economic impact of a possible abatement is currently unknown, City Manager Marty Corcoran said.

"Are they going to ask for a 10-percent or 20-percent tax abatement, or another number? We don't know," Corcoran said. "There's no way of determining that yet."

Any redevelopment of the area is still several months, if not years, away, said Ward 3 Councilman Shawn Faulkingham.

In the meantime, Sunnen plans to bulldoze the homes to make way for future development. The homes were traditionally available to low-income residents, and most homes were built between the 1920s and 1950s.

While the assessed value is expected to decline following the demolition, Sunnen has pledged to continue paying property taxes to the school district and city at the current rate.

Faulkingham said Sunnen has been great to work with through the redevelopment process. The company bought homes for more than the market value and allowed many homeowners to continue renting until they found a new home, Faulkingham said.

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