Bad Buzz: King Bee building residents have turned on downtown St. Louis developers Sam Glasser and Dave Jump

St. Louis Development Corporation, the agency that signed off on the tax benefit, has an agreement, signed by Jump, that says the developers would "obtain any and all permits and licenses required by the City," and "conform to all rules, regulations, codes and ordinances of the City."

The sticklers, it seems, reside in the fire marshal's office on Jefferson Avenue, and even breaking bread with an inspector didn't help Sam Glasser get past them.

On May 2, 2007, fire inspector Robert A. Jones went to lunch at Maggie O'Brien's on Market Street with a city parking supervisor named Barry Koenig. Jones apparently didn't expect to see Glasser, Cervantes or Bauer there.

"Prior to this meeting, I was unaware that members of the business community would be present," Jones wrote to Koenig the next day, copying the letter to his supervisors in the fire marshal's office.

Glasser and Bauer "voiced concerns about their inability to gain occupancy permits" for the King Bee, Jones wrote. Noting that he was not the inspector assigned to the case, Jones concluded, "I think it would best serve everyone if Samuel M. Glasser and his associates continued to work together with Inspector Joe Simon."

Deputy Fire Marshal Baron Ross says his office indeed tried to halt work on the King Bee, and for good reason. Ross says there was no proof that the antiquated sprinkler system was powerful enough to serve a residential building.

As recently as April, an inspector found that the sprinkler system was still untested. He also found a fresh violation: A new office tenant had moved into the ground floor — without the fire marshal's OK. Ross concludes, "They've done quite a bit of work, but they have quite a way to go."