A vacant parcel of land near the St. Louis neighborhood known as The Hill could soon be sold.
The property, which is located on Wilson Avenue, was formerly a state school for students with disabilities, and was also used by Harris-Stowe State University for a time. The property has now been vacant for over three years, leading Governor Greitens and the state legislature to consider selling it.
The property, which comprises four acres, was the Hubert Wheeler State School in 1968. The school was named for Missouri's first education commissioner, and Wheeler was also the father-in-law of Jay Nixon, a former state governor. The school was closed by the state in 1994, when a substance resembling tar began oozing from cracks in the playground. Officials said the land where the school stood had once been a facility for processing coke, a byproduct of coal, and was contaminated. The 110 students at the school at the time were placed in other state schools.
The site was cleaned, and Harris-Stowe began using it for its administrative offices and business school in 2005. The university left approximately four years ago. The future of the site, which belongs to the state, is uncertain, but developers have shown interest.
Projects like this can benefit if officials consider working with a newsletter printing company to create a mailer keeping area residents informed of developments.
