On Saturday morning, June 10, at least 50 neighbors gathered at the St. Roch Church Hall at a meeting sponsored by Rosedale Neighbors. The purpose was to continue a discussion begun at the annual Rosedale meeting, namely about the purchase of a number of properties in the neighborhood by Washington University and to ask questions about the University's future plans. New Rosedale president, Tim Schoemehl, opened the meeting and set out its agenda. Then Dan Schesch, representing the McPherson-Kingsbury blocks, laid out a history of the University's recent activity in Skinker DeBaliviere. Schesch said that in the spring of 1997 Washington University bought 32 buildings in Rosedale from Parkview Properties. Since the initial purchase, the University has acquired 18 additional buildings. They now own 50 properties, with 343 dwelling units in Rosedale. These units are concentrated on the 61xx and 60xx blocks of Pershing and Waterman. This means they own 1 of every 9 Rosedale buildings according to Schesch. Fourteen of these are 2 or 3 family buildings. Schesch also mentioned that the University has a 5 year forgivable loan program for faculty and staff who purchase homes in Skinker DeBaliviere. These $4,000 loans are forgivable if the recipients stay in their homes for 5 years. The loans carry an important codicil however—a 30 year right of first refusal. That means that Washington U. has the right to match any offer made on the property for 30 years even if the owner who received the loan no longer owns the property. At its May meeting, the SDCC Board passed a resolution requesting Washington U. to eliminate the use of this right of first refusal. Washington U. said it was considering the request. Schesch further noted that these University purchases of residential dwellings removes them from the tax rolls, particularly hurting the public schools. Schesch said the loss is estimated to be $134,000 per year. Finally, Schesch turned to the fate of the Arthur Bldg. (the old home of Talayna's on Skinker). Washington U. has also acquired this building. Schesch said that the university maintains it is too costly to rehab. They plan to replace it with a high quality building, housing offices and retail on the first floor. It might house the campus police. Schesch said he is afraid the university may eventually find that the residential buildings it owns are too expensive to rehab. Paul Hohmann displayed a map showing the university acquisitions in the neighborhood and copies were distributed to those attending the meeting.
Steve Givens, Assistant to the Chancellor at Washington U. and Washington U. representative to the SDCC Board, then made a presentation on behalf of the university. He spoke of the school's long range plan to expand its buildings to Skinker. Although the school expects the student body to remain roughly 5,000 undergraduates and 5,000 graduate students, the university feels it needs more buildings for research and classrooms. There will be construction of a Biomedical Engineering Building on the parking lot near Milbrook and Skinker where the carnival takes place. Givens said they are assessing whether the green space between there and Skinker may need to become parking. This land is in the city and Washington U. has to work with the city on the proposed use. West of Brookings Hall will be the new home of Earth and Planetary Sciences. Currently, the school is rerouting a sewer line under the parking lot. Givens said that the school has purchased the two western-most parcels in the Catlin Tract. The first, 6181 Lindell, they wish to use as green space—a front yard so that kids can continue to play soccer. The other parcel, 6171, hasn't closed yet. It may become a home for a dean.
Givens then turned to the Arthur Bldg. He said drawings for the new facility will be complete in about a month. The building will look like the neighborhood. The SDCC will see the plans and there will be a walk through of the existing Arthur bldg. Givens said the University's goal is to provide housing as close to campus as possible in high quality housing. He said there are no plans to tear down any building for dorms or small-group housing. He said the school will not stop buying multi-family housing and that owners often approach Washington U. Then Givens turned to the right of first refusal. He said the loan program has only affected 4 single family homes in Rosedale. (There are properties in the Nina Pl. development and Kingsbury Square also affected.) Givens said that he is trying hard to get the university to take another look at this policy to see if it is really needed. Lastly, Givens said that the issue of lost property taxes will have to be examined. The university doesn't want to have to pay but has to look at it.
Following his remarks, Givens took questions from the audience. Generally, the questions reflected concern about the university's long-term intentions. Several of the questions dealt with specific problems: Parking problems because students in apartments have multiple vehicles. Why were students charged to use the garages at the buildings Washington U. owns? Givens said he was not aware there was a fee. He mentioned that the school had created 6 additional parking spaces behind one building and will do more of the same. The 6 cost $12,000. Givens added that they would support a system of permit parking if the neighborhood wanted to do that. He said that you can ask students to park behind the building or have fewer cars but students won't always listen. He said he would look into the garage issue. A neighbor asked if the sewer construction had to do with the new MetroLink station (for the Parkway-Skinker intersection). Givens said final plans are not done and that the station will be underground. There was a question about underground parking. Givens said Washington U. has been looking at it. One possibility was under Brookings Dr. but there was strong objection to tearing down the existing trees. The parking lot to be on Skinker would eventually be an engineering bldg. He said that doing a lot in the heart of campus had proved infeasible because of the rock formation beneath the proposed location. Several people said they had heard that conditions inside the apartment buildings Washington U. now owns are not good. Whether or not inspections for occupancy permits were taking place each time a unit changes tenants—required because this neighborhood is a housing conservation area—was uncertain. Alderman Lyda Krewson said if not they should be and she would check into it. Since the university pays utilities, the Buildings Division does not automatically know of tenant turnover. One resident spoke against the purchase of 2 families. She said this was destabilizing because before a mixture of families or students had lived in them. He was alarmed to hear the school was still pursuing 2 families. Schesch said that the last one had closed in November 1998. Msgr. Polizzi of St. Roch said that he and the late George Wendel had met with Vice Chancellor Richard Roloff about this issue. A parishioner had told him the university was trying to buy her duplex. Msgr. Polizzi said that Roloff had agreed almost 1 and 1/2 years ago never to buy another two family in Skinker DeBaliviere. According to Polizzi, Roloff told him that someone was trying to sell them a 2 family on Pershing and the monsignor said absolutely not. Polizzi said that we have invited Washington U. students to live in our neighborhood with us but we can't have a viable neighborhood with those who constantly move in and out. Amy Gill, past president of Rosedale, urged the university to house graduate students—not undergraduates—in our neighborhood.
Peggy Hermes proposed the following resolution which those present adopted with only a couple negative votes: 1. Washington University to drop the right of first refusal as part of its forgivable loan program; 2. The University formally agree to a moratorium on the purchase of 2 family units; 3. Washington University to place its rental property back on the tax rolls.
This well-attended meeting had witnessed a cordial exchange of information. After formal adjournment, many continued the discussion with Givens and among themselves.
Original newspaper source
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, June–August 2000.
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