ST. LOUIS – FOX 2 has exposed loopholes contributing to the repeated chaos and violence in downtown St. Louis, and also uncovered new information about the frantic efforts to close those loopholes.
There was a vision of downtown can be Wednesday: live music at lunchtime with food trucks on the Old Post Office Plaza.
The plaza is right next to the OPOP Lofts on Locust Street, where out-of-control parties have led to fighting and gunfire during each of the past two weekends.
2B Residential of St. Louis manages the property for the building owner, Strategic STL Lofts, which is actually in New Jersey. 2B Residential has pinpointed the apartment hosting the parties the past two weekends.
The woman holding the lease does not live in the apartment. She’s rented it for single nights both weekends, and is now being evicted, according to 2B Residential.
Leases for the apartments explicitly state that leaseholders “may not sublet” their apartments.
Court documents show more than three dozen eviction proceedings in the past year and a half at the lofts and at the nearby OPOP Tower, also owned by Strategic STL Lofts.
Still, Airbnb and Front Desk continue to list single night rentals at the lofts, for as low as $58.
2B Residential has just reminded them that such rentals are not allowed and that there will be security guards on-site beginning Wednesday night.
St. Louis Police Chief Robert Tracey noted that there were no other issues downtown this past weekend, aside from the chaos outside the OPOP Lofts.
“Other than that event, the officers did a tremendous job downtown, the amount of officers that were down there,” he said. “They de-escalated it twice when people are able to carry guns. Because it’s legal to carry guns, but it’s not legal to commit a crime with a gun.”
Alderwoman Cara Spencer, whose 8th Ward includes part of downtown, has just filed a new “unlawful display of a weapon” bill. State law does not require a permit to carry a gun, but it does allow cities to require them for anyone wanting to open-carry within its city limits, she said. Given inaction on gun restrictions by the Republican-controlled Missouri Legislature, she said city officials have to at least try something.
“This is clearly a major issue to have people walking around with semiautomatic weapons, brazenly in Downtown St. Louis and our state legislature thinks it’s just fine,” she said. “I think it’s nothing short of ridiculous that the state legislature ended session without doing a single thing.”
Also, the City of St. Louis has zero regulations when it comes to short term lodging rentals. Anyone can rent any property to whoever they want.
FOX 2 has confirmed a bill with new regulations is headed to the St. Louis Board of Aldermen on Friday.
