Meeting Minutes January 3, 2016 at 5:30 pm at 4512 Manchester, St. Louis, MO 63110 Committee members in attendance: Jeremy Claggett, Craig Nashville, Guy Slay, John Boldt, Austin Barzanthy, Brian Phillips, Mark Mangapora, Tom Ernst, David Wolfe, Patrice Willis, and Meredith Jones Staff in attendance: Brooks Goedeker, Matt Green and Leslie Deckard Others in attendance: Danny Martinez, Dani Shearman, Tim Hollerbach, Michael Gingrich, Thuy-tien Miac 1. Minutes from November 29, 2016 C. Nashville mentioned that the address for 4427 Chouteau was incorrect in the closed session portion. J. Claggett pointed out that the motion to approve tax abatement for 1519 Tower Grove passed 8-1-0. There was a motion made by B. Phillips to approve the minutes from November 29, 2016 with the mentioned changes. The motion was seconded by G. Slay. The motion passed 9-0-2. M. Jones and P. Willis abstained. 2. 4401 Gibson: Curb Cut and Tax Abatement Appeal B. Goedeker gave a quick overview of the proposal from the last meeting stating that The proposed project is a single-family, 2-story home with an apartment in the lower level, that the home is approximately 2000 sq ft with 2 bedrooms and 2 baths and a rooftop deck. B. Goedeker continued that the interior of the home will be an open floor plan, with 9 ground floor ceilings, and a double-height space in the back. The homeowners will manage a small 1-bedroom apartment in the lower level that is approximately 700 sq ft. B. Goedeker said that both the home and apartment will be accessed from the front of the building through a naturally lit atrium stair. B. Goedeker described exterior finishes as Kynar coated metal siding, aluminum clad or aluminum clad wood windows, painted insulated steel full-lite style doors, and sealed wood or wood-look siding. B. Goedeker stated that the approximate total cost of the project will be $440,000. B. Goedeker reiterated Park Central Development s support of ten year tax abatement. D. Martinez stated that overcoming the lot size has been a challenge. D. Martinez said that they have larger cars that will need the full size garage, and the only way to get it is by moving the entrance to Newstead. D. Martinez explained that they wanted to integrate the garage into the design of the home so that it looks more uniform.
D. Shearman stated that they used examples from their hometown of Seattle as inspiration for the garage. D. Martinez added that they need a bit more tuning radius than the alley will allow. C. Nashville commented that he appreciates the effort the homeowners have made to make the project work. J. Claggett asked where the design for the garage roof originated and D. Martinez replied that the view is unobstructed from the kitchen, and they wanted it to be more interesting. J. Claggett commented that the roof angles would be good for solar panels, and asked if they planned to add them in the future. D. Shearman said that it s definitely a possibility, especially since they are going to have electric cars, but the upper portion of the garage will mostly be used for storage. B. Goedeker asked what kinds of obstacles they faced with planning for a 21 foot lot. D. Martinez responded that most garage doors are between 16 and 18 feet wide and that size garage makes it very tight for two cars to maneuver. 3. 4210 Chouteau, 4330 Gibson, and 4337 Gibson: Request for Tax Abatement B. Goedeker stated that all three parcels once had residential buildings on them but were demolished due to neglect. B. Goedeker said the developer is going to construct three new, for-sale, single family residences and each will include 3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths with space for parking for 2 vehicles in rear. B. Goedeker explained that the sites are zoned B Two Family Residential. B. Goedeker stated that the acquisition of the properties was $90,000, the predevelopment soft costs are $80,000, and the construction will cost approximately $780,000, for a total of $ 950,000. B. Goedeker said that they currently have site control, plan to begin construction in February 2017 with projected completion in August 2017 and occupancy in Sept. 2017. B. Goedeker added that there will be two off street parking spaces for each residence. B. Goedeker explained that the current real estate taxes for 4210 Chouteau are $49.45 and after completion they will be approximately $3,400. B. Goedeker explained that the current real estate taxes for 4330 Gibson are $152.55 and after completion they will be approximately $3,400. B. Goedeker explained that the current real estate taxes for 4337 Gibson are $54.48 and after completion they will be approximately $3,400 B. Goedeker stated that Austin Barzantny has developed numerous historic projects in The Grove for the last 10 years and Michael Gingrich has developed apartments and single family new construction over the last few years in St. Louis. B. Goedeker gave Park Central Development s support of 10-year tax abatement. A. Barzanthy began by saying he is happy to be doing new construction and is still rehabbing the adjacent lots. A. Barzanthy said that the homes will be between 2,100 and 2,200 square feet, have 3 bedrooms, 2 ½ baths, with an open floor plan. A. Barzanthy said that there is room for parking in the rear of each lot, and if the buyer would like a garage, he will build one at an additional cost. M. Gingrich added that they are seeking no variances for these buildings. T. Hollerbach described the exterior of the buildings as having brick stair towers, and a combination of wood and Nichiha paneling for the rest of the facades.
D. Shearman asked where the front entrance is and A. Barzanthy responded that it s off to the side. M. Green asked if all of the lots were the same width and A. Barzanthy said that they are 25 feet, 27 feet, and 35 feet wide. A. Barzanthy clarified that the property at 4330 Gibson is 35 feet wide and therefore the home will be wider and larger. B. Goedeker read the following email as a public comment: Hi Brooks, Hope all is well. Cheers to another hopefully great year for FPSE. Thanks for all you do. I am not sure if I will be able to attend the meeting tonight, but I wanted to take a moment to express my concerns about the tax abatement being requested by Austin Barzantny for the proposed project at 4210 Chouteau, 4330 Gibson, and 4337 Gibson. How many properties does Austin have that he has received tax abatement for and not completed the proposed work? I know of two residential properties that are next to mine at 1323 South Boyle that Austin received tax abatements on in 2013, yet the proposed projects haven t been started. I am referring to Austin s properties at 1317 and 1319 South Boyle. These abandoned and boarded up properties are becoming a major concern for the safety of nearby residents and businesses. I also hear of other properties that are similar to these. I want to bring a violent (I think violent is appropriate) crime to you and your committee s attention that occurred on November 15 th, 2016. You can request a police report for more information. On November 15 th, 2016, my tenant pulled up to 1323 South Boyle around 9:30pm. She noticed 2 men that were just standing around on Austin s abandoned and boarded up properties. She waited in her car for about 5 minutes until the men appeared to leave. As she exited her vehicle, a man ran out from in between 1317 and 1319 properties and held a gun to the head of my tenant and demanded her car keys. She only had her apartment keys in her hand and that is what he took. As she stood there in shock, another man ran out from behind Austin s 1319 property and attempted to get in to her vehicle as well. Luckily, they didn t have the car keys, they had the apartment keys and as all of this was occurring, a bystander vehicle was pulling up on Vista and Boyle cross street. She ran to the vehicle, thus causing the 2 men to run and leave the scene. They ran through 1317 and 1319 properties and disappeared into the night. My tenant was clearly shaken and upset. I contacted Ron Coleman and made him aware of this incident. I asked if he could reach out to Austin to request some privacy fences between the properties, lightings and to cut down a tree that is on the property (nothing done yet). Aside from this incident, I think that there must be some sort of accountability that real estate investors and developers must adhere to, in particularly Austin. I pay about $1200 per year for property tax, while his tax abated properties are about $400 per year, plus 2015 taxes haven t been paid for 1317. Granted, Austin has been a tremendous asset to the community, but his neglect and use of citizen tax dollars to continue to acquire properties without any accountability for completing his projects in a timely manner is abuse of tax payer dollars. I strongly object to the continued allowance of tax abatements to be granted to Austin Barzantny until he completes all of his outstanding projects that are costing tax payers of FPSE money. I am advocating for my tenants and neighbors as they are clearly upset at these neglected properties. If you have any questions, you can reach me on my cell at 314-707-3360. Hopefully, I can make it tonight. Regards, Vincent S. Di Piazza A. Barzanthy responded that he hates to hear of any crime in the neighborhood and he understands the frustration.
A. Barzanthy explained that development takes time, and the lots involved in the incident were part of a 12 building project, 9 of which are completed. A. Barzanthy said that he was granted abatement for all of the buildings, but did not use it on 4. A. Barzanthy clarified that out of the 50 buildings his company has rehabbed, he did not seek abatement on 20 of them. A. Barzanthy continued that if he feels a project does not need abatement, or he can do it without it, he doesn t apply for it. A. Barzanthy added that he is building these homes on speculation, that he does not have buyers yet, and the prices must be competitive in order to lure prospective homeowners. P. Willis asked how much each of the homes will cost and A. Barzanthy responded around $375,000. D. Martinez asked when the start date is for the project and A. Barzanthy said February. M. Mangapora asked if all three will be built at the same time and A. Barzanthy replied that they would do the Gibson homes first, then the homes on Chouteau. D. Martinez said he loves to see this kind of activity in the neighborhood where he is moving. G. Slay stated that he s been working in the neighborhood for 17 years, and the fact that people from Seattle are building here, shows how far it s come. He continued that it is because of developers like Austin who were willing to take a chance. G. Slay respects the comments, but the incident doesn t fall on Austin. D. Wolfe asked how much bigger the home for the 35 foot lot would be and A. Barzanthy responded that it will be between 2,300 and 2,400 square feet. D. Wolf asked how much a garage would cost should the homeowner want one and A. Barzanthy said around $2,500. J. Claggett asked where the front material begins and ends. T. Hollerbach explained that the front materials would wrap around the sides, and all would stop at the same levels. B. Goedeker wondered what the setbacks of the buildings would be in relation to the neighboring houses. T. Hollerbach said that they want to keep them in line with the other properties and will bring construction plans to the committee for review. M. Gingrich added that once they have all of the site plans, they will come back to present them to the committee. J. Claggett inquired how the design of the buildings relate to those around them. T. Hollerbach replied that it is modern in comparison, but he has brought in elements from the neighborhood, like brick, to add some cohesiveness. A. Barzanthy added that they will send color renderings of the buildings as soon as possible. B. Goedeker asked if they had to sell the two homes on Gibson before beginning work on the Chouteau property. A. Barzanthy said that they do not, but are working with another bank to finance the Chouteau property. D. Wolfe wondered if they had acquired any other side lots to develop and A. Barzanthy said he had not. C. Nashville asked if they planned to improve the sidewalks and lighting. A. Barzanthy responded yes, they plan to do so.
4. Closed Session The committee decided that there needs to be a precedent set regarding curb cuts for narrow lots, and those with utility poles that would interfere with entering and exiting a garage. There was a motion made by T. Ernst to approve tax abatement and a curb cut for 4401 Gibson. D. Wolfe seconded the motion. The motion passed 9-0-1 with M. Jones abstaining. A. Barzanthy recused himself from the rest of the closed session. The committee postponed a vote on 4210 Chouteau, 4330 Gibson, and 4337 Gibson until the developers return to present 3D renderings of the buildings as well as site plans.