BRENTWOOD, Mo. – Three Brentwood businesses are fighting a redevelopment plan that could see their shops demolished along Manchester Road.
Time for Dinner, Feather-Craft Fly Fishing, and Convergence Dance & Body Studio are in a legal battle with the City of Brentwood to stop a $436 million redevelopment project along Manchester Road.
Convergence Dance and Body Studio believes this is wrong and potentially illegal under Missouri law.
“But when we found out it was to give private property to another private company just for economic benefit to increase tax revenue to Brentwood, that’s what really hit us hard,” owner Carter Maier said. “We didn’t even think that was allowed in this country. It’s not allowed; Missouri has laws against that thing they are trying to do.”
The lawsuit, filed after the city declared the area “blighted,” challenges Brentwood’s use of eminent domain to take over their properties. Business owners stated the city wants to knock down all buildings and businesses from Mary Avenue to South Hanley Road to build apartments, a luxury hotel, a brewery, and office buildings.
“We are certainly for progress, and this area can use a little sprucing up. But it doesn’t mean you have to run us out and build brand new. It’s not the way it should work, and its not fair for the government to do that,” Amy Stanford, co-owner of Time for Dinner, said.
Time for Dinner is a meal prep business that has been helping customers for 20 years. Stanford said that she was told her business was blight due to paint peeling, trash outside, and cracks in the parking lot.
The City of Brentwood responded, “While that litigation is pending, the City simply cannot do or say anything that might give those litigants a chance to jeopardize these critical community improvements. These civic issues were fully debated and decided in public meetings spanning over two years.”
Both businesses FOX 2 spoke with stated they have no alternative plan or funds for relocation if their businesses are demolished.
Their battle in court will begin in May 2025.
