A six-family at 4559 Oakland Avenue is coming down thanks to demolition by neglect. The rear wall collapsed so it “had” to come down. A $29,800 demolition permit was issued February 25th. A $3,316 permit for tap destroy was issued as well. Perhaps it could have been stabilized for $33k, but the point was to get rid of the building, not save it.
Drury Development Corporation and Charles Drury own it and 27 other properties in the neighborhood. Drury planned a hotel at the northwest corner of the neighborhood 10 years ago. It bought options for properties then bought them outright- 15 of them in 2014. Since then it has sat on the properties letting them decline while FPSE has been booming with rehabs and new construction. The view from Kingshighway belies the incredible investment going on in the neighborhood behind.
Nextstl March 2009- Drury Hotels considers FPSE/FPSE considers Drury Hotels
Nextstl October 2009- FPSE Church For Sale: 700-Room, $100M Drury Hotel at The Grove No Longer Planned?
Nextstl May 2014- Drury Eyes Future Hotel, Adds 15 Parcels to Holdings in Forest Park Southeast
Nextstl May 2014- Drury Development Seeks Demo for FPSE Building on Kingshighway
Drury has been trying to demolish 1092 S Kingshighway since 2016. Park Central Development would approve the demolition with strings attached. From their August, 29, 2017 meeting agenda:
- All debris totally cleared from site no later than thirty days after completion of demolition.
- Landscape treatment of newly vacated 1092-94 S. Kingshighway and adjoining 4575 Oakland to include grass, trees and shrubbery, and to be installed before December 2017.
- Landscape maintenance to include regular watering , mowing, trimming, and removal and replacement of any dead trees and shrubs.
- All first and second floor building openings of Drury-owned properties along Kingshighway or any Kingshighway properties that may be purchased by Drury or Drury-associated companies must be securely boarded; all materials used to board building openings must be painted and regularly maintained.
- FPSE neighborhood properties not located on Kingshighway currently owned by Drury or Drury-associated companies shall be fully renovated by December 2020.
1092 still stands, and there’s no indication Drury is carrying out those requests. Why agree to those terms when they can play the long game of demolition by neglect? 4571 Oakland was demolished by Drury in early 2016. There are no building permits affirming any effort to maintain their buildings. A total of $13,190 in non-demo permits have been issued on their 28 properties. Neighbors should consider what property owners in Fox Park did to try to hold a neglectful owner accountable.
StlToday – Developer ordered to pay neighbors in lawsuit alleging property neglect
Properties owned by Drury
4571 ARCO
4570 ARCO
4568 ARCO
4564 ARCO
4562 ARCO
4559-63 OAKLAND
4565 OAKLAND
4569 OAKLAND
4571 OAKLAND
4577 OAKLAND
1094 KINGSHIGHWAY
1088 KINGSHIGHWAY
1084 KINGSHIGHWAY
1080 KINGSHIGHWAY
1076 KINGSHIGHWAY
1074 KINGSHIGHWAY
1038 KINGSHIGHWAY
1044 KINGSHIGHWAY
4564 CHOUTEAU
4570 CHOUTEAU
4521 GIBSON
4571 GIBSON
4575 GIBSON
4577 GIBSON
4579-81 GIBSON
4583 GIBSON
