Development of former Pruitt-Igoe site, near St. Louis' new NGA campus, advances

ST. LOUIS -- One of the first major construction projects around the perimeter of the under-construction National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency took a major step forward Wednesday after a city board voted to approve variances for the construction of an office building and hotel.

The projects are proposed on the site of the infamous Pruitt-Igoe public housing complex north of downtown. Empty since the last tower was razed in 1976, the site has been growing in value now that the NGA's western headquarters is nearing completion on the other side of the intersection of Cass and Jefferson avenues. And the site's owner, a company tied to Paul McKee's NorthSide Regeneration, says it is ready to move forward with new construction so it can be ready when the NGA opens in mid- to late-2025.

At a St. Louis Board of Adjustment meeting Wednesday, city staff reported that construction and development firm Clayco and the entity that owns the land, 20th & Cass LLC, hope to build a five-story, 150,000-square-foot office building as well as a six-story, 202-room hotel. It asked to table for 60 days a variance request for a second office building.

Fifth Ward Alderman James Page urged the board to "act immediately" to approve the variances.

"This project is exactly what we hoped would occur at this important site," Page told the board. "The project is a statement to the NGA that the city is honoring its commitment to enhance the areas around the NGA West headquarters."

The projects have been held up for over a year awaiting zoning approval, Page said. Those delays were tied to an overlay district NGA and national security officials sought around the perimeter of the intelligence installation. Most projects within 2,500 feet of the NGA must apply for a city variance, giving intelligence officials a chance to review the proposal to ensure nearby development isn't explosive or tied to foreign adversaries.

Finally approved by aldermen last spring, the special use district also caps the height of new development to 600 feet above sea level so views into the NGA site are limited.

Lawyers for NorthSide Regeneration argued last year that the overlay district was too restrictive and added another hurdle to redevelopment of a swath of north St. Louis that has seen little investment beyond the NGA. But on Wednesday, Joe Dulle, a lawyer with longtime NorthSide law firm Stone Leyton and Gershman, said the project met the new requirements.

A top NGA official submitted a letter signaling it did not oppose the project, and St. Louis Development Corp. Director Neal Richardson also submitted a letter in support of the project.

Bill Laskowsky, chief development officer at McKee's M Property Services, noted the NGA plans to contract out services to nearby firms, and many workers will need to travel to the NGA site to use the facility's secure rooms and servers. He mentioned Marriott's Delta Hotels as the potential brand for the hotel, and said the developer hopes to have both it and the offices ready to open when the NGA is complete. He expects another six months of design before applying for building permits, he said.

"We're just anxious to get approval here today and get to the permitting stage," Laskowsky said.

The project would be one of the largest yet in the ambitious NorthSide Regeneration footprint. McKee began acquiring hundreds of acres over 15 years ago for his plan to remake the hollowed-out area of north St. Louis, eventually helping to lure the NGA there. But a heavy debt load weighed down the developer and stymied its plans, while the city grew impatient with NorthSide's inability to maintain decaying buildings it had bought and ultimately cancelled a development agreement it had.

NorthSide has already built a small medical facility on the Pruitt-Igoe site, controversially named after the famous Homer G. Phillips hospital that served St. Louis's Black population and trained Black doctors for decades until it closed in 1979.

Construction on the facility, fronting Jefferson Avenue, is finished and hospital officials said they hoped to begin accepting patients a year ago. But on Wednesday, although there were several cars in the parking lot, the automatic doors to the medical clinic didn't open and no one answered an intercom by the doors.

McKee did not return a request for comment.

CREDIT: By Jacob Barker, St. Louis Post-Dispatch