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Committee advances 'Northern Lights' event‑district incentive after debate over encampment displacement
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Summary
The committee gave board bill 166 a due‑pass recommendation to enable tax abatement and a blight plan for the proposed Northern Lights Special Event District; supporters touted jobs and community benefits while service providers and unhoused‑outreach advocates warned about displacement and pressed for concrete plans for people living in a nearby encampment.
The Housing, Urban Development and Zoning Committee advanced board bill 166 on March 17, sending the developer‑sponsored proposal for a tax abatement and blight plan in north St. Louis to the full Board of Aldermen with a due‑pass recommendation.
Sponsor Alderman Aldridge presented the project, described as the Northern Lights Special Event District, which would use abatement and other incentives to support an event center, a kids zone, amphitheater and housing near the 10th/Cass corridor. SLDC representative Zach Wilson told the committee the bill could allow abatement up to a 25‑year maximum and that financial scoring would occur if land and financing are secured.
Janetta Hawkins, who described herself as the project lead and a long‑time local business owner, framed the development as community‑focused, citing jobs, programming and a plan for a kid‑oriented events center. Hawkins and supporters said the project has been in planning for years; Hawkins described the vision as a way to "bring light" to north St. Louis.
Several speakers, including Pastor Battle of Bread of Life Church and an online unhoused‑outreach worker, raised concerns that the site currently hosts an encampment and warned that any displacement must be handled with humane, long‑term housing plans. SLDC clarified the board bill contains no eminent domain authority and that the property in question is privately owned by Paul McKee; the agency said outreach and due‑process steps would be part of any implementation.
Sponsor Aldridge and multiple colleagues emphasized the project's potential to leverage low‑income housing tax credits and other financing for seniors and families: developer Eric McMahan of Select Development said two projects tied to the district would create 227 units, most with project‑based Section 8 support, and identified development costs in the tens of millions.
After discussion about community‑benefit commitments and outreach, the committee moved and advanced the bill with a due‑pass recommendation. Committee statements and supporters emphasized the long timeline for complex development and the need to align incentives with financing timelines.
What happens next: the bill goes to the full Board of Aldermen for additional votes and any further amendments. Committee members requested continued coordination with human‑services outreach teams to address concerns about people currently living on the parcel.
Votes and formal action: committee advanced board bill 166 with a due‑pass recommendation; the transcript records the motion and second, and a committee vote was recorded as passed with no objection in committee minutes but a full roll‑call is not included in the transcript.
