Businesses frustrated by latest warehouse fire along Mississippi riverfront
ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - Only a few smolders remain at a former cold storage facility gutted by a fire earlier this week.
Smoke from the fire filled neighborhoods near downtown St. Louis for more than two days straight, even shutting down the Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge.
Bill Hibdon, the owner of Hibdon Hardwoods down the street, said the air quality had been so bad at times that a contractor working onsite had to quit for the day.
Other businesses along North Broadway described similar issues.
“The smoke was just terrible,” Hibdon said.
The fire marks the latest loss of a massive historic building along the North Riverfront. Several other fires have gutted other buildings, some under suspicious circumstances.
The owner of the building, Adam Keune, told First Alert 4 earlier this week that he had been dealing with metal thieves and other crimes in the area.
Other businesses nearby reported similar issues.
“City services are terrible. Calls for service go unanswered,” Hibdon said.
Hibdon said he and his neighbors have discussed ideas for the unused stretch of land near downtown. Hibdon’s ideas have included a comprehensive care facility for homeless populations that would include access to city services, and a museum honoring Native American burial mounds that once dotted the landscape.
“This is one of the only places in the city with open land so almost anything is possible,” he said.
Conner Kerrigan, a spokesperson for Mayor Tishaura Jones' office, said on Wednesday that engaging the neighborhood would be a key part of potentially improving services and investment in the industrial areas near downtown.
“If those businesses are reaching out to us we’re more than happy to work with them,” he said.
Cara Spencer, who is challenging Jones in the mayor election, said cultivating investment in and around downtown could potentially spark an interest in realizing the full potential of the area.
“Making St. Louis a place where investment makes sense is the key to securing these buildings and putting them to better use,” Spencer said.
South of downtown at Chouteau’s Landing, plans are developing to transform a similar zone into an innovation hub called “Gateway South” by Good Development. The city recently approved tax incentives for the project over the summer, and according to the company’s website, its first phases should be activated sometime in 2026.
Dave Weglarz, who owns the Still 630 distillery near Chouteau’s Landing, has been excited for the prospect of redeveloping many of the historic buildings south of downtown.
“These guys have a plan and a vision to make it happen,” Weglarz said. “It’s something that St. Louis needs and deserves.”
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