Paul McKee - developer, north St Louis (St. Louis, O'Fallon: loft, homes)

[DinsdalePirahna]

I do like the Wing Haven Section of O'Fallon. The developers really aced that one.

[SouthCity09]

Originally Posted by DinsdalePirahna

I do like the Wing Haven Section of O'Fallon. The developers really aced that one.

Paul McKee?

[DinsdalePirahna]

Originally Posted by SouthCity09

Paul McKee?

I guess it is. I just googled him.

I guess some consider him a pariah in the city. But I have no complaints about South O'Fallon Area they have developed. Maybe because it looks a bit like Irvine without the Palm Trees.

[SouthCity09]

Originally Posted by DinsdalePirahna

I guess it is. I just googled him.

I guess some consider him a pariah in the city. But I have no complaints about South O'Fallon Area they have developed. Maybe because it looks a bit like Irvine without the Palm Trees.

People in North City are not sure of him and his 8billion dollar North City re-development.

I think its great that someone wants to re-development north city but one man and 8billion dollar plan has fail written all over it.

[arch_genesis]

^ well its not really one man I'm apprehensive about this as well but recently Paul McKee has opened up communications with the community and hopefully people engage themselves enough to turn this into a positive.

I think its going to be a success and lets hope for it to be a success -- pulling off this project would be something for St. Louis to brag about. There's no other precedent we could be proud to pull it off.

[SouthCity09]

Originally Posted by arch_genesis

^ well its not really one man I'm apprehensive about this as well but recently Paul McKee has opened up communications with the community and hopefully people engage themselves enough to turn this into a positive.

I think its going to be a success and lets hope for it to be a success -- pulling off this project would be something for St. Louis to brag about. There's no other precedent we could be proud to pull it off.

I hope its all he says it will be because it would be a major step in a right direction for the city..after this, we need to improve the river front and we would have ourselves a pretty good city....but this whole thing about opening up to the community is just for show...they don't really care what the people of North city want.

[ShadowCaver]

An article from June 2007 about McKee: St. Louis - Daily RFT - The Softy Side of Paul McKee

And here one quite recent: North St. Louis group pushing for 'community benefits' on NorthSide project - STLtoday.com (http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/business/stories.nsf/story/D37A00DD924BAAD0862575F500815252?OpenDocument - broken link)

[sixtwobaldguy]

North city is not going to change haha what a joke. Many years ago or so someone built some high rises in east st louis saying the same BS. Guess what? I drove by one the other day and it was abandoned and trees were growing out of the roof of it lol You can't just give people something and expect them to appreciate it. Once I did volunteer work in public housing and people would **** themselves on one side of the couch and then move down to the other end and have another beer, others had trash literally piled up to the ceiling. Just who do you think is going to move down there and stay there? Anyway who gets educated is going to run for the hills (or perhaps the hill, or anywhere else) too. It's not even a racial thing, I have some AA neighbors who moved away because they are sick of the bums and all their "woe is me" excuses too.

If you want to change North City, it's time to turn the long arm of the law lose down there and let em round those bad boys up and stick a sock in all those civil liberities weenies who defend the criminals that terrorize the elderly and corrupt the kids down there. It's time to cut em off food stops and aid and make em get a job and clean up their act. The great irony is we are enabling them to continue this lifestyle by the programs designed to help them and then sending me the bill for it. This great country was built up by bad asses who accepted no excuses and made things happen. Nowday people think everything should be easy and want the government to just give them handouts and therefore they never have much success or do anything productive which is at the heart of north city problems, My granpapy grew up in a shack with no power or running water. Hell, the average person in NOCity is living a dream life compared to what he had, but all they do is complain. Well instead of complaining he worked 12 hours a day to build successful businesses and then came home to raise chickens, vegetables, and milk cows to feed the family. That's the kind of success that happens when the goverment doesn't get in the way with handouts which make people lethargic and unwilling to get off the couch and do something.

[DinsdalePirahna]

Originally Posted by sixtwobaldguy

The great irony is we are enabling them to continue this lifestyle by the programs designed to help them and then sending me the bill for it.

Boy did you hit that one out of the park. Its one thing to take care of those that really can't take care of themselves. Its another thing to keep rewarding bad behavior.

I too have seen good intentions get completely crapped on by the very people it is intended to help. Its a shame to work your butt off on rehabbing a living unit, only to see that it has turned back into a slum with a year. I mean how hard is it to take the garbage out, mow the lawn and fix a broken window?

[STLMetro]

Unfortunately, I must agree with many of the statements made above. Simple minded people are quick to dismiss these issues as a racial thing. However, it is a socioeconomic attitude that has developed over several generations. I know several very hardworking people who live on the north side, but their efforts are washed away by the worthless folks who drive the community down. I used to work at Busch Stadium and knew a couple guys that had to change out of their uniforms every night into regular clothes so people in the neighborhood didn't know they had a job. This is how they avoided being robbed. Seriously. This is not about race, many African Americans deplore the state of the north side and angry about how this reflects on them. The only way to fix the situation is to gentrify the neighborhoods slowly by creeping up from the loft district and North/West county. By infusing the neighborhoods with new perceptions and outlooks on life, people will begin to change. Too long has there been an overwhelming negative attitude. The only question is how to entice these worthwhile folks to move into the area. McKee seems to think that quality homes at cheap prices close to the city center will help. Perhaps he's right. Maybe not, though.