North Side Rancor: A quartet of legal eagles aim to shoot down Paul McKee's grandiose vision to regenerate St. Louis

Comments (0) By Nicholas Phillips Wednesday, Feb 17 2010

...continued from page 4

A separate lawsuit filed in Cole County, meanwhile, threatens the developer from a different angle. A state incentive program awarded McKee $19.4 million in tax credits late last year, which he's already used to pay down debt. North-side residents Barbara Manzara and Keith Manquard are suing the state, claiming that the program is unconstitutional because it allows McKee to bail himself out with public money.

"These lawsuits certainly do one major thing," Allen suggests. "They force [McKee] to spend a lot of money on lawyers' fees at a time when he's cash poor."

Jennifer Silverberg

Near plaintiff Cheryl Nelson's house, a vacant lot languishes at the southeast corner of North Market and North 20th streets.

Jennifer Silverberg

Attorneys Eric E. Vickers (left), W. Bevis Schock and James Schottel, Jr. (seated) claim north-side land magnate Paul McKee will displace residents for a project he can't possibly pull off.

Details

Follow-Ups:
"Wash U. Economist Rips McKee's Plan for North St. Louis in First Day of Trial" (Feb. 17)

More About

Puricelli says he doesn't know whether the suits are having any financial impact on McKee. As for the all the legal opposition, he says, "I don't understand it. We're trying to do something good for north St. Louis." He adds that he's "comfortable" his side will prevail.

Meanwhile, Vickers and his team prepare for battle. "I think we can win," he says. "Our aim is to get this ordinance voided. That's where we're headed. And McKee needs to realize from the judge's ruling that that's a real threat to him."