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To: Honorable Mayor Adams and City Council From: Julie Feier, City Manager Date: October 192007 , Subject: Weekly Update East-West Gateway Council of Governments annual award I am pleased to announce that UCity--Bloom and the City have been awarded the -Infor public private partnerships. The Award is truly a testament to the decades of dedication by the many U-City in Bloom volunteers. The Award Ceremony will be Friday, November 16 from noon until 1:30 PM at the Hilton at the Ballpark, One South Broadway at Market. We will have two tables of eight. A table for U-City in Bloom and one for the City. Council Member Brot has already expressed her interest in attending. Please contact me if you are interested in attending, reservations will be “first come first serve”. th draft request for proposals for the Value City site blighting analysis and Please find attached a . The request for proposals addresses the Strategic Planning Goals and Objectives task C1. If you have any comments, questions or additions please let us know by October 29. We would like to send it to the development community by the end of the month.I have included a status report from Community Development Director Walker on the Land Clearance Development Authority and TIF Commission redevelopment plan. Please let me know if you have any questions or feel free to contact Mr. Walker directly. FOCUS St. Louis held a press conference in the rotunda today to promote and strengthen workforce housing in the St. Louis region. Loura Gilbert, Chair of the FOCUS St. Louis Workforce Housing Committee and Vice President at Commerce Bank spoke out about the simple and critical message: The St. Louis region needs the people who need workforce housing. Our region counts on these people not just to function, but to thrive. Yet today there is a widening mismatch between the places people work and the homes they can afford to buy. There are many professionals who earn $25,000-$50,000 a year who spend way beyond the 30 percent of their income deemed affordable to cover housing costs. Many workers spend half or more of their monthly income on housing. Many live in substandard housing or far away from where they work. University City was featured as a shining example for funding the “At Home in U City” program. The campaign stems from a FOCUS St. Louis task force report issued in 2005 entitled “Affordable Housing for the Region’s Workforce”. While making various recommendations for supporting workforce housing, the report recognized that misinformation was circulating in such quantities that a public awareness campaign was necessary to create essential support for zoning changes and employer assisted housing programs. The plan is that these zoning changes and assistance programs will then lead to workforce housing that is attractive, affordable, and desirable in communities everywhere. Update for Olive/I-170 project : ? By the end of the day on Oct. 26, the northbound I-170 exit ramp to Olive will open to traffic ? The week after Thanksgiving, crews will split traffic on I-170, with two lanes of traffic on the outside two lanes of northbound I-170 and two lanes of traffic on the outside two lanes of southbound I-170. ? By the end of the day on Dec. 8, traffic will move to its final configuration on I-170 – three lanes in each direction ? By Dec. 22, MoDOT expects all traffic lanes on I-170, the ramps and Olive Blvd. to be open. There may be temporary lane closures required after this date to complete remaining work on the project (striping, signage, and guardrails). Verizon settlement Attached is an invitation to a meeting the League is holding on October 24 to discuss the and possible contribution to the League. It will begin at 3:30 pm at the Des Peres City Hall. The purpose is to explain the League’s vision for the funds, answer your questions about the proposal, and get your input on how best to accomplish our goals. Also attached is a revised 4page history of the cell phone tax issue and the role of the County League and the MML in the lobbying ef-forts and negotiations. Thus far, St. John, Chesterfield, Ellisville, Hazelwood, Richmond Heights, have approved the allocation. went with a cash amount rather than a percentage at $5,000. eley and Florissant did not contribute. Corp of EngineersRiver Des Peres channel widening The has come to the realization that the induced flooding and increased flows that may be experienced upon completion of the proposed U- project make the previously approved project no longer fundable. These downstream impacts would have to be addressed or we would not be able to construct the authorized U-12 plan. Therefore, with the remaining FY07 funds our Project Delivery Team worked to complete an investigation of any potential detention areas in the River Des Peres watershed that may reduce flows and provide storage during rain events. The only site which preliminarily appears to be able to both reduce flows and provide storage, thereby reducing flood heights is the Value City site. I have attached Mr. Stephens's preliminary findings that include an aerial map of the potential site. It is currently a 17-acre commercial site located at the beginning of our project site off of Olive Street. The Corp is awaiting FY08 funds. If and when they receive funds, they plan to investigate the potential of this site even further and will get a rough idea of the costs associated with building a detention area at this site. In general, the detention area would have a long weir constructed parallel to the creek that would allow flood waters to enter the area during heavy storm events. The water would then slowly return back to the creek through a conduit as the water levels in the River Des Peres drop. Further investigation is required to determine the total flood height reduction in different geographic areas of the project. Due to the obvious impact to a commercial corridor, the Corp is asking for our feedback prior to continuing the investigation of the U Channels. If the detention area remains a viable option, we would be helping everyone below the detention area by lowering the potential flood heights over the entire area. The non-structural plan would have only protected certain areas. With the large detention area concept, we may be able to eliminate induced damages downstream of the project attributed to the original plan and the size of the original U-12 design would be reduced or eliminated. In addition, there should be a reduction in the number of buyouts/home raises needed. If the U Channel concept can not be supported we will no longer have an approved plan and the entire process will have to start over. I do not believe a structure of this size would be conducive to the overall redevelopment of this site or Olive Blvd. That being said I will await your feedback on the attached proposal before confirming. Ghisallo Running , located at 606 North and South Road, University City 727-www.ghisallorunning.com4786 or will host a ribbon cuttin g at noon, on Saturday, November 10. Ghisallo Running has footwear, apparel, classes and ample expert advice. Running–lowers blood pressure, decreases body fat and increases desirable lean muscle. So keep in mind that in January, Ghisallo Running will start up comprehensive training sessions for the St. Louis Half Marathon. Run on over to check out the newest addition to the corner of North and South and Delmar. Normandie I have included information from the (not Normandy) Golf Course as a follow up to Mr. Glickert’s question. You can access it directly atwww.savenormandiegolfcourse.com/history.htmwww.normandiegolf.co -- Homestead Program: ONE ww.dor.mo.gov/tax/personal/homestead The State Department of Revenue administers two real estate tax assistance programs for qualified senior citizens and 100 percent disabled individuals, the Missouri Property Tax Credit Claim (MO-PTC) and the Homestead Preservation Credit (HPC). If you own and occupy your home but your income restricts you from qualifying for the MOPTC, you may be eligible for the HPC. You can only receive -of the credits. You should determine which tax credit program is more beneficial to you. For more information regarding the HPC, contact the State at (573) 751-3505 or access info on the webw at .