In recent years, The Hill has seen a level of construction activity more typical for wide-open suburbia than a dense neighborhood in the City of St. Louis. Moda at The Hill recently brought 225 new apartment units online, part of an 11-acre development. Land that once held a special education school is now becoming a cluster of 78 townhouses. And on just about every block, you can see infill housing and rehabs that bring much bigger residences to lots that once held one or two-bedroom homes.
Not everyone is sure about all this growth. And now some neighbors are taking tentative steps towards something that could dramatically change the rules for development: creating a historic district.
Nicole Robben is a third-generation resident of the neighborhood (her children are now the fourth generation to attend St. Ambrose Catholic School). She’s one of the residents exploring the idea of a historic district, though she stresses it’s still in its infancy…