Neighbors of NGA pitch plan to block city from taking their north St. Louis homes
Crews pour concrete for a parking garage as construction continues at the new NGA West site in
north St. Louis on Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022.
Post-Dispatch photo
ST. LOUIS — Two northside neighborhoods near the new National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency facility have proposed a plan that would guide development there, in hopes of blocking the use of eminent domain against residents.
Neighbors in St. Louis Place and Jeff-Vander-Lou are asking City Hall to approve a plan that will allow existing residents to use tax abatement for property improvements as well as guarantee that eminent domain will not be used against homes that are being maintained.
“There are families and businesses who have lived here for generations,” Virginia Druhe, president of the St. Louis Place Community Association, said in a statement. “They’ve continued to invest in this community and in their homes despite little return on that investment. It’s these folks who we need to make sure to protect.” Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, which provides free civil legal assistance, is working with the groups on the plan, according to the release.