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4 National Chain Stores Planned For Vacant Value City Building
By Carol Arnett
The old Value City store on Lindbergh may once again be home to retail establishments. The Florissant City Council held a public hearing regarding a proposal to redevelop the property. Richard Obertino, with National Retail Properties, the developer, spoke to the council.
The proposed development would put four new stores in the existing Value City building. In addition, the existing garden center would be replaced with another building that connects to the existing building and holds another store. Also, a new building would be built near Lindbergh, between the Bread Company and Aldi. The new building would house two businesses. Obertino said that it would probably be a restaurant on one side and other retail on the other side.
Obertino said he could not name the retailers, as leases have not been signed yet. A previous plan included Best Buy and Dick’s Sporting Goods, but Obertino indicated that those businesses were not among the tenants, as neither one is opening new store now.
Obertino did say that the retailers were national chains. He said that National Retail Properties was in negotiations and confident that the center would be full.
Obertino said that the existing building had approximately 91,750 square feet. The building will be divided into four new tenant stores. The existing front wall will be removed and be replaced with a new façade. Some council members expressed concern that the new façade will include EFUS, a non-brick material.
“The vast amount of EFUS concerns me,” Councilwoman Karen McKay said. She noted that if tenants change, the signs cannot be removed without leaving marks. “It looks terrible where the sign was,” she said.
“I’m not a big fan of EFUS,” Councilman Mark Schmidt said. “But it looks like what’s going on at Cross Keys, which is a beautiful center. The tenants want their own identity.”
City Economic Developer Bob Russell said that the city had been working with the developer for quite a while to get the property leased.
Mayor Tom Schneider said that although he couldn’t name the tenants, he was excited about the project and the tenants.
No one from the public spoke opposing the plan.
In other action, the council passed an ordinance calling for an election for the purpose of bringing to the voters the proposed annexation of the area known as area 13. This area includes the area from the existing city limits to the intersection of Lindbergh and Old Halls Ferry Road. It includes St. Angela Merici church and the neighborhoods south and around the church.
