Pruitt-Igoe May Finally Get New Development

The long-abandoned St. Louis housing project, Pruitt-Igoe, is finally primed to get a new tenant. According to a story by Alan Greenblatt in Governing, "The city began demolishing the complex in 1972 -- one building was imploded on live television -- with the last tower coming down 40 years ago. The site, just two miles north of the Gateway Arch, has been vacant for so long that acres of it have grown back into forest."

The tract now belongs to a single developer, Paul McKee, and is near the newly renovated headquarters of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. In the past, many parties shared ownership of the land, making it more difficult create large developments.  What’s more, Greenblatt says, "Having a major anchor tenant has been a huge factor in the revival of many urban neighborhoods," Greenblatt reports, though he concedes that one tenant does not guarantee a renaissance in North St. Louis.