Aldermen on the St. Louis City Housing, Urban Development and Zoning Committee voted to advance Board Bill 107 after a public hearing and presentations from property owners and counsel. The bill would amend the existing 1100 Washington Avenue Community Improvement District (CID), add eight parcels, add a community-focused project estimated at $500,000 over five years and extend the district’s term from 2049 to 2053.

The petition’s attorney, Robert Klar of Armstrong Teasdale, told the committee the petition was filed with the city register on 09/18/2025 and met procedural requirements including affidavits of publication and certified-mail notices. “This petition … seeks to alter the boundaries of the existing district to add 8 additional parcels of property, to add an additional project that is estimated at $500,000 over the next 5 years, to extend the term of the district,” Klar said. He also said the petition does not change the original blight determination made in 2009.

Craig Heller of Oliver Properties, who represents several property owners in the petition, described recent private investment along Washington Avenue and the intended use of CID funds. “We’ve purchased over, I think, 8 properties, invested about 120,000,000 in the last 2 years,” Heller said, and explained that CID dollars “will not go into any of our buildings… It’s all about doing things with our partners in the community … to rebuild Wash Avenue as a vibrant place.” He said the expanded CID would focus on marketing, joint promotions and small events to attract customers and support existing storefronts.

Public commenter Mister Conley said he remained undecided and urged greater city oversight on the CID board, suggesting that the Board of Aldermen, the comptroller and the collector of revenue each have an appointed representative on the CID board and that the ordinance require annual budget submissions for public accountability. He also asked whether a new blight study had been performed given years of private investment; counsel responded the petition reaffirms the prior blight determination and does not alter it.

Committee members asked about overlaps with other SIDs and funding for streetscape maintenance. Presenters said the CID coordinates with the Downtown St. Louis SID and the Downtown North SID but that the proposed expansion would concentrate on economic development and marketing rather than streetscape projects (which the TDD and other partners currently handle). Presenters estimated the expanded CID would collect between $60,000 and $70,000 per year initially and that the $500,000 figure is the multi‑year project total, not an annual amount.

Vice Chair Saulnier moved the committee’s due‑pass recommendation; the clerk recorded the roll call and the motion carried (recorded as six ayes, one present). The bill will proceed to the Board of Aldermen for further consideration.

The committee’s actions leave key accountability questions on the table (who sits on the CID board and whether annual budgets will be submitted to the Board of Aldermen), which proponents said could be addressed in ordinance language or future oversight steps.