St. Peters Receives Permits for Lakeside 370 Project Levee

St. Peters Receives Permits for Lakeside 370 Project Levee

The City of St. Peters has just been notified that the Missouri Department of Natural Resources has issued the city’s 401 water quality certification letter necessary for the construction of the levee to protect the Lakeside 370 Business Park Project. The release of this water quality certification letter to the City and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers finalizes the approval process for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

At their Thursday evening, the St. Peters Board of Aldermen authorized the sale of the $22.5 million in general obligation bonds for construction of the levee as well as the final agreement for construction of the levee pump stations.

In April 2000, more than 67% of St. Peters voters approved the bonds for the land purchase and levee construction of the Lakeside 370 Business Park. The project, envisioned as a development similar to Earth City with an adjacent 300-acre public park and 140-acre recreation lake, will take an estimated 15-20 years to completely build out and will bring an estimated 6,000-10,000 permanent jobs, millions of man hours of construction trades jobs and millions of dollars in annual tax revenue to the area taxing districts and the City of St. Peters.

The St. Peters Board of Aldermen Thursday night agreed to a request from Kaplan Development and Investment to extend for 90 days the inspection period as Kaplan and St. Peters work to complete the sale to Kaplan of the St. Peters Lakeside 370 Business Park project.

Kaplan Development requested the extension on August 30 when it became apparent that the delay by the State of Missouri in issuing its 401 letter prevented Kaplan from completing his due diligence by the original deadline for the sale of the 1,600-acre property.

In his August 30 request to City Administrator Bill Charnisky, Leonard Kaplan stated that when the agreement was signed in June, both parties had expected the imminent issuance of both the Corps and state permits. To ensure that some would not misinterpret his request for an extension, Kaplan re-emphasized his interest in the Lakeside 370 project:
“We continue to reiterate our support for this project and our enthusiasm for the development of this important component to the future economic development of the City of St. Peters.”

NOTE: Please see the attached quotes from St. Peters elected officials.

Quotes from City of St. Peters Elected Officials

Mayor Shawn Brown
“Though I appreciate that the City no longer needs to be in the development business, I still have grave concerns about being part of this development in a flood plain, especially considering recent events.”

Alderman Terry Hawkins-Ward 1
“This project is going to be an outstanding project for our entire region. Despite the unbelievable pressure and tactics used by the opposition, the facts have won out and we have received the permits to proceed with Lakeside 370. I feel very proud that we as a Board have stood tough and done what is best for our entire region and took the direction that the voters gave us. We look forward to the successful development of the Lakeside 370 property and to a very good partnership with Kaplan Development. Once again, I would like to thank the voters for their support and for the strength of our fellow aldermen who didn’t waver and were always there for the long haul along with our great City Administrator Bill Charnisky and our staff members who put in so many hours to make this project come together.”

Alderman Rocky Reitmeyer-Ward 1
“I’m very excited about the future of St. Peters and the Lakeside 370 Business Park project. The approval of the permits to move forward promises what will be a great future for our City. We’ll be able to continue our outstanding City services and hopefully reduce taxes. I’m excited about the thousands of new permanent jobs that will come to our City and putting construction trades workers to work building the levee and the project, and I can’t wait to go fishing with my kids on our new lake in our new park.”

Alderman Jerry Hollingsworth-Ward 2
“When we look back on this project twenty years from now and we see the thousands of people working and paying taxes in our county, I know we will all remember the road we have taken to get to this point and to get the permits approved. I am very proud of our City, our members of the board and our City staff.”

Alderman David Hayes-Ward 2
“This is tremendous news. We fought the good fight, and we’ve passed a tremendous hurdle. In just a matter of time, this development will create thousands of jobs right here in our backyard. Our residents and the entire area will enjoy the benefit of these jobs, a great new park, and some wonderful recreational facilities.”

Alderman Len Pagano-Ward 3
“Back in the early 70’s the City flag logo was the rising star of St. Peters. Today, that star is still rising higher due to so many pieces of the puzzle that make our City stand out there and glisten. Now, with the permits approved for the Lakeside 370 project, we have yet another major piece of the puzzle in place!”

Alderman Bruce Holt-Ward 3
“I am proud that we as Aldermen have had the courage to stand by our convictions in the face of the enormously high-financed and mostly non-resident opposition to this project. Our voters showed their confidence in this project more than five years ago and it has been our challenge as elected officials to get the job done for our residents. I truly appreciate all the phone calls, comments, and e-mails of support I have received from our St. Peters residents. The return on this investment will benefit our citizens for years to come.”

Alderman Bob Morrison-Ward 4
“As I said at the time of our last meeting, I was very hopeful that we would have a positive result for our taxpayers and I am very pleased to see our hopes being realized. It looks like our steadfast actions and resolve are benefiting our residents, and that is what this has always been about—serving our City and benefiting our residents.”