Charlie Brennan Talks Olive/170 Development On KMOX Morning Show

UNIVERSITY CITY, MO — A proposed development at Olive Boulevard and Interstate 170 in University City was a topic of discussion on Charlie Brennan's morning radio show Tuesday and again on Wednesday. A public financing plan cleared a local commission last week, and Webster Groves-based Novus Development is poised to reap about $70 million in tax breaks for its planned shopping center.

To build that shopping center, likely anchored by a Costco, the city will have to displace about 60 homeowners and dozens of small, minority-owned businesses. Big box retail stores, offices, luxury apartments and more than 2,000 parking spaces will take their place.

Most of the homeowners in the redevelopment area seem happy with the buyout deals Novus is offering, but business owners are worried. The city has said it will consider eminent domain to force them out if they can't reach deals with the developer.

One of those businesses is Bob's Seafood, which has been in business in University City for 40 years. Brennan called it "the freshest dang food at the lowest prices," adding that he ranks it with Ted Drewes and other St. Louis-area icons.

Listen to Tuesday's show here:

"I do believe we should do something," Brennan said Tuesday. "What exactly, I don't know. ... How do you effectively fight city hall? Because U. City's going forward. They want a big box retailer. They want the money for that. Little shop like Bob's, frankly they could care less. They really could not care less.

"So, I'm looking for ideas. I'm also looking for patriots. There comes a time in a person's life when he or she has to take a stand. ... We gotta do something," Brennan said, before throwing the issue to callers.

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One of those callers was Anne Cori, owner of Kitchen Conservatory, a St. Louis Kitchen store. Cori is also the daughter of conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly. "I'm ready to start this battle," Cori said, adding that her mother loved Bob's Seafood. "We have to protect this great St. Louis institution..."

Michael Koch, director of leasing for Novus, also called into the show. "Just so it's clear and for the record, when we approached Bob's Seafood — it's been over a year now — we did offer to build him a brand new building at the developer's cost...located just east of his current site," Koch said. "It's on the north side of Olive. He would have signal light access. It's at the intersection of Olive and McKnight."

Koch said the new building would have been an even trade in lieu of purchasing the market's current location, but despite "pleasant communications," Novus had been referred to Bob's attorneys.

When asked if Novus could build around Bob's Seafood, Koch said he didn't know.

"Anything's possible. It wouldn't fit in, but I'm not going to say no," he said.

One caller called the development "fascism," saying that big business and government were "teaming up to squeeze out competition." Another suggested standing in front of bulldozers to stop the development.

Listen to Wednesday's show here:

On Wednesday morning, Brennan hosted Caroline Fan, a community leader who has spoken with many of the immigrant businesses on Olive Boulevard. She said the development will displace far more businesses than just Bob's Seafood, and that many of them are immigrant-owned.

"Ethnic enclaves, ethnic communities...they feel like safe spaces for those of us who come from immigrant backgrounds," Fan said. "[For] a lot of the international students, these restaurants are literally their home away from home."

Fan says she loves University City, but that the city hasn't lived up to promises to officially recognize its Chinatown. Olive Boulevard became St. Louis' unofficial Chinatown after the city's old Asian business community was bulldozed to make way for Busch Stadium in 1966, Brennan explained.

"I want to ask people to put themselves in the shoes...[of] small business owners," Fan continued. "You know, if you're Bob's, you've been there for many decades. If you're an immigrant-owned restaurant, you've been there for 10, maybe 20, years. You took a lot of risks. You created jobs. You spent time, money, blood, sweat and tears to build a business. And you're a homegrown business in U. City.

"How does it feel if you've been asking University City for information about what's going to happen to you for a year and University City gives you very little, no information? ... Then they vote to give $70 million to an outside developer? That's 37 percent of the money. Considering that the City of St. Louis caps their TIF money to developers at 15 percent, I think that feels pretty disrespectful."

Fan said most businesses in the area will not be able to wait for space in the new development or afford the rent Novus is asking.

Photo: Jeffery Plaza, home to several Asian businesses, is in the path of the planned development. (J. Ryne Danielson/Patch)