UNIVERSITY CITY, Mo. — Many residents on Elmore Court hauled the last of their belongings out of their homes in University City on Tuesday.
The community is adjacent to a new $211 million retail development center under construction in the area of Interstate 170 and Olive Boulevard.
Both sides of the busy intersection will be transformed into a commercial corridor with stores and apartments. Sixteen acres out of 50 will be used for the region's fourth Costco, which is set to open at the end of October.
Residents told 5 on Your Side they had until Wednesday to be moved out and received “late to no notice.”
Some were pleased with the development at large but frustrated they had to be displaced because of it.
"It tells me that businesses don't care about little people like us," said Al Maurice. "They don't care about little people like him. Like Jackson. They don't care about his community, where he goes in the university. They just want the properties and all these properties got to go. We got to go. We're actually gone."
Many businesses on Olive already moved out of their storefronts this summer. Their storefronts will be torn down any day now.
Boris Klimenko, the owner of a medical supply store across the street from the site, was relieved to be staying put after two decades.
"I actually see myself getting gas at Costco, shopping at Costco, I actually like the development. I think it’s going to bring a lot of people to the area. A lot of customers to my shop. A lot of customers to the other shops. So I'm for it," Klimenko said.
Meanwhile many are left feeling like their futures are forgotten.
"Eminent domain or not does not override the right to own property or the right to reside in the property or the liberty for this young man to live where he wants to live," Maurice continued.
City Manager Gregory Rose with University City provided the following statement:
“We are all excited about what the project means in terms of added revenues and amenities for the University City community and specifically how it will facilitate the revitalization of the area north of Olive Boulevard.”
Costco is set to open on Oct. 25.
Over the next couple of months, we'll see the remaining buildings torn down, and construction will start on four new buildings.