For years, many of us have driven by the row of boarded up homes on Kingshighway south of 64. KMOX has learned, a Kansas City-based developer could soon give the Forest Park Southeast Neighborhood more curb appeal.
"Those buildings have been the face of our neighborhood for a long time," 9th Ward Alderman Michael Browning told KMOX's Total Information AM Thursday morning, "and really representative of decline in the city just sitting there falling apart year after year." Browning hopes that will change with the announcement that the properties have been purchased by a new company, NorthPoint Development.
Browning says any plans would have to conform to neighborhood building standards to maintain the character of the area. He says there's demand for new housing in the area. He adds, the location could help meet demand for housing so close to major employers like Washington University and BJC. "It's in close proximity to one of the largest job centers in the city and at a major intersection, so being able to develop this spot will be a huge benefit to the city and really just a message to the region that we are moving forward."
Earlier this year neighborhood leaders said they had hoped the existing buildings could be stabilized. Browning says since then the condition of the properties have deteriorated to the point that they will likely have to be demolished.
Related
@2023 Audacy (KMOX). All rights reserved.