Sunset Hills Board: No Library on Paraclete Property

The Sunset Hills Board of Aldermen unanimously rejected a request to convert the former Paraclete property into a library, based on a lack of compromise between the property's owner, Al Moore, and residents in the Tapawingo subdivisions.

In August Moore proposed converting the former estate of "Papa" Joe Griesedieck into a cultural center. The plan was met with pushback from residents living in three subdivisions near the Tapawingo National Golf Course, who had concerns about its effect on the character of the neighborhood, the potential 'transient' population coming in, the safety of their children, additional traffic on private streets, and the lack of specific details in the business plan (particularly hours of operation during special events and the gamut of events that can take place on the property).

Last month a Tapawingo resident told the board 21 out of 31 properties within 185 feet signed a notarized petition against the project; 101 of 166 in the surrounding subdivisions were also against the library.

Prior to his vote on at the March 12 board meeting, Alderman Richard Gau said he "hoped that we could reach reasonable accommodation" between Moore and the residents, but his nay vote signified that they hadn't.

Alderman Dee Baebler, who resides near the property, was absent due to health issues, Mayor Bill Nolan said.

This was Moore's third attempt to find a use for the property that serves the community and preserves its historic elements--fourth if you count the latest proposal's shift from community center to library. In 2011 an effort for the city to purchase the property and convert it into a park fell through, according to Suburban Journals. The site’s carriage house was proposed as a new home for the St. Louis Children’s Illustrated Art Museum, according to South County Times. Moore previously told the South County Times that he considered using the property to house the city’s first public library, the report said.

Moore purchased the property from the Paraclete Fathers for $2 million.