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Monday, November 28, 2005

Northside Speculators by Any Other Name...

There is a company called VHS Partners, LLC that may be ran by the same people behind Blairmont Associates LC.

Both have the same addresses for tax bills (those of Eagle Realty Company and Roberta DeFiore), the same agent (Harvey Noble) and only invest in north side neighborhoods in the 63106 and 63107 zip codes. The only difference is that most of the VHS Partners' properties are west of Florissant and east of Grand between Delmar and Natural Bridge, while Blairmont Associates sticks to areas east of Jefferson and west of Broadway between Cass and Branch. Oddly, neither Blairmont or VHS has many properties in depressed Hyde Park. At least not under these names.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

VHS is clearly the private LLC being used for site assembly in the JVL neighborhood about the new Vashon HS, while Blairmont is used within the 5th ward areas north of Downtown.

Anonymous said...

Site assembly for what?

Anonymous said...

For more of what the northside is becoming known for-- new suburban-looking homes.

Major homebuilders like Taylor-Morley and McBride are greatly interested in finding more City sites, but desire larger sites to replat into newly homogeneouse subdivisions, not sporadic infill.

Anonymous said...

The desire for large scale developments is typical of developers whose work is mostly on the former chicken farms of the hinterlands. However, much of the developments in north St. Louis reflect a quasi-urban approach. In the 5th ward, where the speculative activity of Blairmont is increasingly, all of the new housing developments over the past 5-6 years are markedly urban--ie, garages in back, two story, brick on front, relatively close together and to the street. In the 26th ward, which has lead the city in new housing starts, most of the products are similar.

Additionally, these city-friendly developers have shown the ability to build and sell products without the necessity of clearing 10 square blocks. Much of the pricing for these new homes is surpassing %150,000. In the case of The One's project around Rauschenbach Park in the 5th Ward, prices come close to and over $200,000 depending upon the upgrades.

City officials--from the mayor's office to the aldermen--need be clear to prospective developers that the "urban renewal" approach is over and that better ways of developing neighborhoods is not only esthetically possible but economically feasible.

Will "Not Going to Bought Out By Anybody" Winter