A $750,000 tax reimbursement request from TriStar Properties — first aired at a February 19 Planning and Public Works Committee meeting — is drawing sustained opposition from Chesterfield residents, with no City Council vote yet scheduled.

The developer wants Tax Increment Financing funds to help cover road construction costs tied to its planned 105-villa development at 16401 Chesterfield Parkway West, a 16.8-acre site. The money would go toward building and expanding Burkhardt Place, a road the city's master plan shows eventually connecting through the TriStar site to the former Chesterfield Mall property — now the $2 billion Downtown Chesterfield redevelopment.

"The choice to use TIF funds should be whether or not it is for a public purpose, otherwise it would set a precedent for other developers," Mayor Dan Hurt said at the committee meeting.

The numbers

TriStar initially asked for $1.5 million in TIF reimbursement. After discussions with city staff and advisors from Stifel, the request was cut in half to $750,000. A preliminary budget pegs the full Burkhardt Place road construction at $1.385 million, meaning TriStar would cover roughly $635,000 out of pocket. TriStar has not publicly disclosed the total development cost for the 105-villa project.

According to Justin Wyse, the city's director of planning, approval would add $2.25 million to the city-managed TIF project fund, of which $750,000 would reimburse TriStar. Where the remaining $1.5 million would be directed was not explained at the meeting — a gap that matters given the resident opposition to public spending on the project.

Road design drove the cost up

The higher price tag stems from the road's redesign. City officials wanted Burkhardt Place to have controlled access and on-street parking that wouldn't block travel lanes, Wyse said. That prompted TriStar to reorient the road layout, increasing construction costs beyond what a simpler design would have required.

Representatives from TriStar Properties and The Staenberg Group, which is leading the adjacent $2 billion Downtown Chesterfield redevelopment, appeared at the meeting. The Burkhardt Place road would eventually connect the two properties.

Community pushback

The proposal has sparked sharp pushback on neighborhood forums. On Nextdoor, a post by AJ Moll asking "Thoughts on Chesterfield using another TIF?" drew dozens of comments in recent weeks, nearly all opposed.

"Why is it multi million dollar companies can't build something without a TIF," wrote Dan Hendricks of Valley Park. "If the project is legit and will bring in profits and make them money what's the problem?"

Diane R. of Forest Club was more blunt: "Let the people that are going to live there pay for it when they buy the housing. If you can't afford to build it, don't."

Not everyone agreed the opposition was well-informed. Rob Rodermund of Country Place pointed out that "Chesterfield has only created two TIFs and one has been repaid early."

At least one resident, Char Eizember, said she sent a letter to the mayor and council urging them to vote against any public incentives for the project, arguing that subsidizing residential units "in an already crowded market" undermines free-market principles.

What's next

The TIF request requires City Council approval. As of late April, no vote has been scheduled.