果酱视频

A logistics park with nearly 1.4 million square-feet of space could be the first major construction project in years near Creve Coeur Lake Memorial Park, and environmental groups are working to minimize its impact. Creve Coeur Park, which includes restored wetlands adjacent to the project footprint, draws visitors from across the 果酱视频 region for hiking, biking and bird-watching.

鈥淲hen you鈥檙e hiking in the wetlands, do you really want to be walking through a giant, light-industrial, manufacturing, commercial complex with these giant buildings?鈥� said Bob Menees, a lawyer with the Great Rivers Environmental Law Center.

The project, which could be approved by Maryland Heights officials as soon as this month, would represent the beginning of private development in an area that has been a hotspot of local environmental activism. Several groups spent years trying to delay the build-out of the low-lying Missouri River flood plain, fighting first the construction of a levee that keeps the Missouri River at bay and then the road projects that teed up development by better connecting the area to the larger region.

But for the last few years, major development proposals have been stymied not so much by environmental concerns as by a levee district unable to finance the stormwater drainage system needed to pump out rainwater following ever-more frequent downpours.

That鈥檚 not to say environmental groups aren鈥檛 still fighting. They won a key victory at the beginning of the year when 果酱视频 County Executive Sam Page鈥檚 administration blocked the creation of a tax increment financing district backed by Maryland Heights officials and the levee district as a way to finance some of the pump stations developers believe they need before building.

鈥榃e鈥檙e not naive鈥�

But after losing battles over a decade ago to block major road projects extending Page Avenue through the park into St. Charles County and a Highway 141 connection between Page Avenue and Olive Boulevard, conservation groups see some construction as inevitable.

鈥淲e鈥檙e not naive in believing that development will never happen,鈥� said Mitch Leachman, the 果酱视频 Audubon Society鈥檚 program director. 鈥淎 lot of investment 鈥� a whole bunch of money 鈥� has been invested in infrastructure. While we as an organization may not have endorsed or supported any of those things, they鈥檙e there.鈥�

The latest proposal comes from Creve Coeur-based developer TriStar, which wants to construct six buildings along River Valley Drive, just west of Creve Coeur Lake Memorial Park. The Maryland Heights Planning and Zoning Commission is scheduled to review the plan Tuesday and could send it to the City Council for a final vote as soon as Nov. 19.

Environmental groups raised concerns about TriStar鈥檚 proposal last month, contending that it appeared some permanent drainage channels would be constructed on park land. That would have violated a 2018 county ordinance 鈥� passed in response to a failed effort to build a practice rink for the 果酱视频 Blues in the park 鈥� that requires voter approval before selling or building on any park land for commercial use, Menees said.

果酱视频 County officials told TriStar that its initial plan might violate that ordinance, the developer鈥檚 engineer, George Stock, told the Maryland Heights planning commission last month. In response, TriStar amended its plan, reducing the number of buildings from seven, and redesigning the site so all the structures are on the west side of River Valley Drive. TriStar now says the land in the footprint to the east of the road would be used solely for detention ponds, and the development won鈥檛 put any extra pressure on the levee district pump stations.

The county plans to review the developer鈥檚 water runoff and retention calculations to ensure it won鈥檛 negatively affect Creve Coeur Park.

鈥淲e need assurances that any development that abuts Creve Coeur Lake Park is one that respects the parkland and will do it no harm,鈥� Page said in a statement. 鈥淲e look forward to receiving more details and hearing any concerns expressed by the leaders of Maryland Heights.鈥�

But environmental advocates like Menees and Leachman are still worried about indirect impacts on the park鈥檚 Little Creve Coeur Ecological area, the wetlands pieced together by the county over a decade ago as an environmental offset to the Page Avenue extension through the park.

鈥楽ensitive鈥� to environment

The Audubon Society and other groups have put 鈥渁 lot of investment in this area鈥� to restore the wetlands, Leachman said, scraping together grants and mobilizing volunteers to plant trees and remove invasive plants. The lights from large warehouse structures can interfere with bird mating patterns, and birds can be killed by flying into buildings if there鈥檚 too much glass. He鈥檚 pushing Maryland Heights officials to require techniques such as motion lights to cut down on wildlife impact, and so far, they鈥檝e been responsive, he said.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of good science and a lot of best practices out there right now,鈥� Leachman said. 鈥淟et鈥檚 talk about building better.鈥�

TriStar Principal Mike Towerman said the logistics park would be over 1.5 miles from Creve Coeur Lake and the firm has 鈥渁lways been sensitive to the environmental impact鈥� in its more than 20 years of experience developing similar logistics parks in the Metro East, Earth City and Riverport.

鈥淲e hire professionals who advise us on how to impact the environment as little as possible, while creating jobs and generating taxes for the school district, police department, fire department and other taxing districts,鈥� Towerman said in an email.