Bad to Worse?---Influx of Seniors Headed for Andy Busch's Land!!

The actual headline reads "Cor Jesu plans to double size of campus". The truth behind the headline is that the highly controversial residential development originally planned for the dozens of acres west of the school (owned partly by Andy Busch) are now going to become senior housing.

The Suburban Journals reported this week that Andy Busch and Erickson Retirement Communities of Baltimore have agreed to give Cor Jesu the land they wanted for future expansion in a deal that is part purchase and part donation. All this hinges on the change in zoning needed which is scheduled for hearing on Oct. 31. Your Mayor is pleased that the school has come out a winner in this deal, however this development will insure that Affton gets bombed back to the Stone Age.

Voting records and friends of the Mayor's with the County will confirm that it has been the Affton seniors that have voted down increased funding for Affton and Bayless schools, my beloved water park plan, and now hey are trying to kill the trash consolidation program. All of these things would make life better and more attractive to new families which would propel with future economic viability of the Affton area. Instead we will now have potentially hundreds of new seniors that will likely continue the status quo in our area.

It is my sincere hope that the great work done recently by the Affton Community Betterment Association and the fine folks at UMSL will be successful in reaching out to the Bosnian community in the area. Our only hope to get anything approved that might involve a vote on any tax increase for schools or amenities in Affton seems to lie in their hands. The families with children are far outnumbered by the seniors already.

Let me also make clear...I'm not a "senior hater" by any means. (I could not have been elected without them!) Not everyone over 55 automatically votes down a tax increase. But the recent trash consolidation issue could actually get us some savings on trash removal. It makes great sense financially and environmentally and the hundreds of vocal seniors are the ones trying to shut it down.

Links to some previous posts and backstory on the original land deal:
http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2005/11/14/story1.html
http://afftonmayor.blogspot.com/2006/04/power-of-prayer-hotline.html
http://afftonmayor.blogspot.com/2006/06/gravois-creek-bridge-and-grants-view.html
http://afftonmayor.blogspot.com/2006/08/sour-grapes-grantwood-village-people.html
http://afftonmayor.blogspot.com/2006/09/deal.html
http://afftonmayor.blogspot.com/2006/09/pray-for-land-or-god-will-smite-you.html
http://afftonmayor.blogspot.com/2006/10/waking-sleeping-dog.html