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   Meacham Park:
A Neighborhood with History and a Growing Future

 A Brief History

Purchased in 1892 by Elzey E. Meacham, a real estate broker from Memphis, Meacham Park was a total of 158 acres surrounded by open fields and forests.  The streets were simple dirt paths and Meacham subdivided his land, creating a grid pattern of streets with 25-foot wide lots.

Meacham Park was a cohesive and self-sufficient community throughout the early and mid-twentieth century.  Many residents grew their own vegetables and raised chickens and pigs for food.  Following World War II, the population was over 1,365 with five groceries, five beauty salons, two service stations, one dry cleaner, an auto repair shop, a radio/television repair service, a trash disposal service and six churches.  However, basic water and sewer services were sorely lacking.  Local concerned citizens began lobbying for improvements in the early 60s and finally, in 1968, the Metropolitan Sewer District and the St. Louis County Water Company installed water and sewer systems via a Federal Grant from H.U.D.

In 1988, Meacham Park was still an unincorporated area of St. Louis County, suffering from crime, drug problems, and inadequate housing.  But within the year, the County Planning Department initiated a study of how residential and community improvements could be made.   In addition, the County hired the Urban League to survey Meacham Park residents regarding their interest in redevelopment, annexation and general concerns.  The consensus from the survey was that residents were in favor of redevelopment and annexation.  In response to this interest, the County Planning Department appointed a committee to develop a redevelopment plan … the Meacham Park Community Study.  Monthly open meetings were held with residents to determine land uses and a plan was finalized in July of 1990.  The highest priority was elderly housing, which was suggested in several different locations.  In addition, commercial development was proposed for the area adjacent to South Kirkwood Road along with single-family housing sites and community service facility locations.

During this same time, the City of Kirkwood was seriously considering annexing Meacham Park.  The annexation proposal was placed on the ballot in November of ’91 and it was overwhelmingly approved by both residents of Meacham Park and Kirkwood.  Following annexation, the Meacham Park Community Study was adopted as part of the city’s Comprehensive Plan.  Based on the Study, the City of Kirkwood compiled a Request for Proposal and distributed it to numerous developers in the Midwest.  Over seven responses were received and OPUS Corporation was selected in March 1994.

The Redevelopment Plan

The Meacham Park Redevelopment Plan, originally created by the OPUS Corporation, is multi-faceted and will benefit both the Meacham Park neighborhood and the city of Kirkwood.  OPUS pulled out of the project in the Spring of 1995, but the DESCO Group is now successfully completing the plan.  Out of the total land area of 106 acres, a total of 55 acres was commercially developed, the core of which includes a 522,500 square-foot retail mall with four major retailer:  Lowe’s, Wal-Mart, Target and T.J. Maxx.  Also included in this commercial development are smaller outlot businesses:  Uno’s Pizza, Eagle Bank, and Payless ShoeSource, O'Charley's, and Sonic.  In order to preserve the character of the residential areas, a large, landscaped buffer zone was placed between the retailers and the homes.

Meacham Park neighborhood, the City of Kirkwood and DESCO will benefit from Tax Increment Financing (TIF).  A total of $17 million in TIF revenues was used by DESCO for demolition, buy-outs and commercial construction.  In addition, a total of $4 million in TIF revenues went back into the residential portion of Meacham Park neighborhood for residential rehabilitation, single-family home construction, streetscape improvements, landscaping and demolition.

The Housing Plan

A total of 62 homeowners were relocated due to the commercial development.  Of those 62, six residents chose to have a new home constructed in Meacham Park neighborhood.  Replacement housing was priced in the $90,000 to $100,000 range.  And, as an example, if a resident was displaced from a $20,000 home and relocated into a $90,000 home, he/she did not pay the difference in the valuation.  The primary goal of the Housing Plan is to encourage home ownership versus renting.

Those homeowners outside of the buyout area, but still within the neighborhood, were eligible for up to $37,000 in forgivable loans from the City of Kirkwood for interior and exterior renovations.  In addition, the Housing Authority of St. Louis County renovated 35 single-family public housing units and made them available for purchase.

In response to the need for affordable elderly housing, a new facility was built on Rose Hill Avenue by the Lutheran Altenheim Society, not far from Meacham Park neighborhood.

Kings Gate, a large private apartment complex was completed on 5.5 acres on the southside of Big Bend Road.  And, the Housing Authority replaced a deteriorated multi-family public housing complex with a gated 85-unit townhouse development with swimming pool in 2002.

Additional Services and Benefits

Beyond the obvious commercial and residential development, Meacham Park neighborhood is realizing additional services and benefits.  A brand new daycare facility, Educare was opened in the spring of 1997; park areas have been consolidated into one large neighborhood park; 600 to 700 new jobs have been created, including construction jobs; goals were set for minority participation by suppliers, businesses and individual jobs; and major commercial tenants have been practicing a First Source policy, providing first notice of new jobs to residents.

Meacham Park neighborhood has been a strong and cohesive area for over 100 years.  And, with this commercial and residential redevelopment, this neighborhood will continue to flourish well into the 21^st century.