Is downtown Clayton blighted? You wouldn't think so from looking at it. It's a bustling commercial and governmental hub--the site of St. Louis County government and dozens of prestigious law firms. Yet according to the Clayton City council, five businesses along Forsyth boulevard are blighted. Fortunately, those businesses are fighting back:
Clayton business property owners who would be forced out by a proposed $190 million development along Forsyth Boulevard lambasted city officials Tuesday night for authorizing use of eminent domain and blocking a public vote on the matter.At an aldermanic meeting, they accused the city of unfair treatment of owners of viable businesses, many of which have been operating for decades.
Mayor Ben Uchitelle said Clayton was committed to ensuring that the owners would be fairly compensated. Uchitelle said the project--a mixed office and retail development centered on a new headquarters for Centene Corp.--would benefit the entire region and bring in hundreds of jobs.
There's a simpler way to ensure that those property owners are "fairly compensated": don't use eminent domain in the first place. If Centene needs that land to build its headquarters, it should be willing to offer the property owners the market rate for their property.
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