Port Authority buys former Defense Mapping Agency property

From the South County Journal Tuesday, July 31, 2007 3:12 PM CDT
Move clears way for casino road in Lemay
by Steve Birmingham

The long-awaited transfer of the former Defense Mapping Agency property to St. Louis County lays the roadbed for building a boulevard leading to the new Lemay casino development.

The 39-acre National Imagery and Mapping Agency site on South Broadway was formally transferred recently from the U.S. Air Force and U. S. General Services Administration to the St. Louis County Port Authority.

The land transfer, which cost the Port Authority $1.25 million, clears the way for Pinnacle Entertainment to build a four-lane access road to its $375 million River City entertainment and retail development project.


The four-lane boulevard, being paid for by Pinnacle, will connect motorists from Interstate 55, run along the south side of the River Des Peres to Broadway, and then east across the former Defense Mapping Agency property to Pinnacle Entertainment's proposed gambling casino.

The Lemay casino and hotel project is proposed for the former National Lead Industries site alongside the Mississippi River.

The roadway is estimated to cost $20 million and will be maintained by the county.

Pinnacle Entertainment spokesman Mack Bradley said during the next six months the county will be cleaning up the site and demolishing the existing buildings and construction on the road could begin soon after that.

""We're excited to get started and this has been a long and complex process," Bradley said. "I really think the addition of this east-west connector certainly will benefit a whole lot of people."

People such as Sheila Sweeney, chairwoman of the St. Louis County Port Authority, said the project was a long time in the making.

"We've accomplished what we set out to do, and I'm very happy for everyone in Lemay that this important piece of the puzzle is now in place," Sweeney said.

Among those pleased to see the transfer is state Rep. Patricia Yeager, D-Lemay.

"Now we have some land there and now we'll have a chance to work on getting some development in there," Yeager said. "I am very excited and I think it's the first step in many that we're going to see in the revitalization of Lemay."

Lemay business owner Sandra Parker was also pleased with the news.

"I think it's going to bring a lot of economic development into Lemay because you'll have access to the community right off of Interstate 55," Parker, president of Parker Insurance Group, said. "It will be good for all the existing Lemay businesses. This is great thing for Lemay and things are finally moving."

Heavily damaged in the Flood of 1993, the 39-acre tract and buildings were heavily damaged and soon vacated by the U.S. Air Force.

"The transfer of the property will be a benefit to many, allowing economic development to take place, creating jobs for our citizens, fueling our economy, and cleaning up contaminated property," said St. Louis County Executive Charlie A. Dooley. "I'm very pleased for Lemay and South St. Louis County the project continues to move forward."

Pinnacle has estimated the River City casino and hotel project will create approximately 1,000 jobs during its construction and nearly 2,000 permanent jobs for the community.

River City, scheduled for completion in fall 2008, will feature a 3,000-slot casino, 100-room hotel, over 280,000 square feet of retail and entertainment amenities including band pavilion and athletic fields, and a community/aquatic center.

"The collaborative efforts among the many partnerships in this land transfer were incredible," said Denny Coleman, president and CEO of the St. Louis County Economic Council. "There were multiple governmental agencies involved in the negotiations and each worked effectively to get this transaction accomplished, allowing this outstanding economic development to proceed on schedule."