The Race to De-Densify: Demolition for Tax-Exempt Surface Parking in Clayton

{church in blue - condo demolition in red - future home demolition in yellow - existing parking in green}

The final decision has been delayed, but the Post-Dispatch is reporting that the Central Presbyterian Church, Clayton Board of Aldermen and Davis Place subdivision trustees have reached an agreement to demolish the condo building at 825 Hanley Road, in the middle of one of the city's most dense residential neighborhoods. nextSTL covered this issue previously in December 2010 and suggested several alternatives to demolition. We understand it's all the rage these days, demolishing perfectly functional (and in this case occupied) buildings for "progress" (and in this case a surface parking lot), but the utter lack of expectations for our built environment is creating less livable communities.

The apparent resolution here means that the mantel of first municipality to commit to being a dense, walkable, sustainable place to live is still up for grabs. Kirkwood decided to pursue self-inflicted suburbanism and the quest to clear the City of St. Louis for park-like settings and suburban buildings continues nearly unabated. Not only will Clayton lose residents to a tax-exempt religious organization's parking lot, it's set to lose more. The agreement only delays the demolition of three homes immediately to the south of the church.