City officials have moved to seize dozens of properties owned by longtime North St. Louis developer Paul McKee, escalating a yearslong standoff over stalled redevelopment near the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency on Jefferson Avenue.
Last month, Mayor Cara Spencer’s administration authorized the St. Louis Development Corporation to pursue eminent domain lawsuits against more than 80 parcels tied to McKee’s company, Northside Regeneration LLC. Eminent domain allows governments to seize private property for public purposes, with compensation at fair market value.
The following day, SLDC announced plans to file a condemnation petition for 89 properties in the Jeff-Vander-Lou neighborhood, near the NGA campus…