MARQUIS FEB 2024

VOLUME 45, NUMBER 1 Founded by the residents of Lafayette Square February 2024 Inside the Marquis LSNA President’s message.2 Editor’s note.............................2 Presidents Day.........................3 Beautification news.............. 4 Arts Council ............................ 6 Kids Corner...............................7 Holiday events photos..... 8-9 LSNA members list............... 11 Holiday Parlor Tour raises $71,000 for the neighborhood B y B ev M urphy More than 2,500 people enjoyed the annual Holiday Parlor Tour and Market on Dec. 10. Eleven beautiful and unique homes were featured, as well as more than 20 local vendors at the market. Attendees enjoyed a horse-drawn carriage in Lafayette Park and trolley rides through the neighborhood to Bellwether Hall for complimentary drinks and snacks. Many local businesses offered amenities as well. Tickets were sold out at a total of 2,200 with an additional 365 complimentary tickets distributed. The tour netted $71,000 for the LSNA. Thanks to the homeowners, volunteers, sponsors, attendees and all involved! Before the pandemic, the LSNA offered house tours twice a year: spring and holiday. In order for a spring tour to happen, the organizers need a minimum of five volun- teers to serve on the planning committee with an additional volunteer to chair it. In addition, at least six homeowners need to The Holiday Parlor Tour on Dec. 10 featured trolleys for attendees to ride. Photo by B. Bastien be willing to be on the tour. Without sufficient volunteers, the spring tour will be postponed to 2025. To volunteer, email fundraising@lafay- ettesquare.org . To help plan next year’s Holiday Parlor Tour offer your home for the tour, email housetour@lafayettesquare.org. Steering group proposes a special taxing district A group of neighbors have been exploring the benefits of creating a taxing district in Lafayette Square. It all started with the five-year strategic plan for the neighborhood, which was commissioned in May 2019. “It was a detailed planning process to imagine the future of Lafayette Square and establish goals to meet the needs of the residents,” said steering group member Matt Negri. Through pop-up events, online surveys and well-attended community workshops, hundreds of residents joined in the vision of making Lafayette Square a better place for the future. Goals included the enhancement of overall safety and livability, including improved lighting in Lafayette Park and residential streets, better sidewalks and improved traffic calming. The list also included maintenance of existing infra- structure, such as medians and entrance features and other beautification efforts. However, capital improvements and maintenance detailed in the strategic plan come with a cost that is much more than any current volunteer-based fundraisers could cover without some method of sustained funding. The solution? A special taxing district. Special taxing districts were estab- lished to provide public improvements and services that otherwise may not be provided to stakeholders of the district. There are more than 130 taxing districts in St. Louis today. “A taxing district will allow Lafayette Square to improve and maintain the neigh- borhood in a manner that the City of St. Louis is unable to manage,” said Tom Murphy, who is part of the neighborhood steering group. “A special taxing district by law brings the money directly back to Lafayette Square without decreasing the B y P at F aust , M att N egri and B eth C oncepción services the city currently provides. Resi- dents of Lafayette Square are generous with their time and contributions, but the current fundraising efforts are not able to sustain the growing needs of the neigh- borhood.” The establishment of a Lafayette Square taxing district will be up for a vote in the election on Aug. 6, 2024. “The list of challenges we face is long and a taxing district, in and of itself, will not solve all of them, but it is a good start to consciously pool resources that we can then use to protect the history and legacy of the oldest park west of the Mississippi,” saidApril Breeden, another member of the steering group. “Doing so is a wise invest- ment that should increase the property value of our homes for years to come.” Steering group member Michael Quinn is not new to the concept of a taxing district, having lived in one in the Central West End for 21 years. “Anyone who has lived in St. Louis for long knows that the Central West End steadily improved over the decades — along with its property values. I believe Lafayette Square could benefit by following the same approach as the CWE and other neighborhoods,” Quinn said. “In my opinion, a special taxing district that adds a few hundred dollars per year to a homeowner’s real estate taxes is a small price to pay to help us ensure that our property values and our neighborhood are protected.” The maximum rate allowable for a Missouri SBD is .85 per $100 of assessed value of real property. The steering group of residents exploring the SBD initia- tive set a lower goal of 75 cents per $100 assessed value, with a cap of $750. That means a property that has an appraised value per city assessor of $350,000 would have an assessed value is $66,500. Aproposed SBD rate of 75 cents Continued on Page 2 The Light Up the Square and Holiday Pet Parade events, held Dec. 2, were some- thing out of a Hallmark movie. The day featured local vendors selling hot drinks and holiday favorites, crafts for kids, a visit from Coco Santa and Mrs. Santa (donated byMoms on the Square), holiday music, cozy fire pits, caroling, candle lighting and, of course, the countdown to lighting up the tree — all of which made this truly a magical evening for everyone to enjoy. The third-annual James LKing memo- rial Holiday Pet Parade offered prizes for Best Homemade Costume, Most Holiday Spirit, Most Original Costume, Best Group Costume and Best St. Louis Representa- tion. Prizes were donated by Four Muddy Paws and Purina. All proceeds of the Light Up the Square, Pet Parade bring out community B y J ill P eckinpaugh parade went to the Animal Protective Association of Missouri in memory of Jim L. King. Thanks to all who contrib- uted and volunteered to make these two events happen. Neighbors came together for the annu- al tree and candle-lighting ceremony. Photo by B. Bastien A local canine brings a human along for the pet parade. More photos on Pages 8-9 Photo by B. Bastien A home on Park Avenue also fea- tured live music as part of the tour.