Demolition of St. Bernard shopping center hinges on tenant relocations as residents question 192-unit plan

The St. Bernard Committee Improvement Corporation told residents at its April 23 meeting that demolition of the village shopping center will wait until tenants are vacated, and board members reaffirmed their current relationship with a developer while acknowledging alternatives exist.

“We still have to have have the tenants vacated before we can do that,” the Chair said in response to a question about timing, adding that demolition and a subsequent redevelopment cannot proceed until remaining leaseholders are relocated.

Resident Jeff Edwards pressed the board for specifics about timing and developer commitments, saying he has heard community resistance to the current plan. “I wouldn’t say hundreds of people but scores of people and not one person I’ve talked to is excited about 192 units with very little retail,” Edwards said.

A board representative and a presenter emphasized that the current plan reflects market and financing constraints. “When you actually get into the financing component and the market viability component of this there was a market study conducted that supports the amount of retail that is shown in the current development,” the presenter said, framing the proposed mix of housing and limited retail as a product of what lenders and the market will support.

Board members confirmed Pizza Hut will cease operations soon, leaving Ace Cash Express as the lone tenant, a fact the board said must be resolved before demolition. The board also said it remains committed to working with the current developer for now but that it would consider other options if necessary and appropriate.

Residents and board members debated trade-offs between increasing density to support retail and the risk of adding a large number of units in a village with a declining population; the transcript notes the village population is “down to under 4,100,” which board members said factors into market projections.

No formal vote on the redevelopment plan or developer contract was recorded in open session during the meeting. The board said it will proceed with tenant relocation efforts before scheduling demolition and invited further public engagement at upcoming meetings.