Local Developer Pushing for More Downtown Living Space
Date Posted: May 10, 2022
Posted In: Discussion, People,
From KMOV: We’ve shown you the flashing lights, blood-stained floors and ongoing crime sprees in downtown St. Louis. However, people are still moving back East into the city. One local developer said he’s working to change the trajectory of the heart of St. Louis.
“This area that we’re in right now has 800 or so units coming online in the next two years,” Matt Masiel said.
It’s staggering numbers covering just two blocks of downtown St. Louis and it’s purely renovations.
“It’s too expensive to build like this, so having the beauty of the buildings we do have, and being able to show those, is something we enjoy a lot,” Masiel said.
Masiel’s the owner of Screaming Eagle Development. The Missouri native said he’s pushing for more living space downtown and advocating for people to move back into the city. His goal is “bringing it back to life.” To Masiel, that means driving down crime one renovation at a time.
Screaming Eagle’s newest project is the MacDonald Building on 18th and Washington. Just south, they’re now leasing Lofts at the Hupp, another renovation. Down the street from city hall, they finished rehabbing the hold Post-Dispatch building, which is now Front Page Lofts. This means dozens of more living spaces downtown.
“The reason crime went up is because we had less people. We need people down here to have a thriving and successful city. Without people in these giant, vacant buildings, it’s going to be a worse city for everyone living down here,” Masiel said.