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Source: St.存倉 Louis Post-DispatchSept. 05--ELLISVILLE --The quest to transform a couple of derelict car dealerships and an apartment complex into a Walmart supercenter has turned into a high-stakes chess match with one of the area's premier developers facing off against a small-town mayor.The $50 million project, approved by the Ellisville City Council last year with more than $10 million in tax incentives, had been in legal limbo until last week, when Sansone Group, the developer, overcame a significant challenge in the Missouri Court of Appeals.But whether the store, planned for the corner of Manchester and Keifer Creek roads, will ever be built remains uncertain.At a City Council meeting on Wednesday, Mayor Adam Paul asked City Attorney George Restovich to research whether the city could legally terminate its agreement with Sansone."It's a constant rain cloud over our city," Paul said of the project. "I don't think it's going to get any easier."Sansone, meanwhile, appeared to be racing the clock to meet the terms of a conditional-use permit set to expire today.The developer obtained a quitclaim deed for two parcels of land totaling about 8 acres last week, but the company has yet to acquire the rest of the property, including the Clarkchester Apartments.The city issued Sansone a building permit on Wednesday, Public Works Director Bill Schwer said, but only for the eight acres of land, not for the entire project.Schwer said he thought Sansone may break ground today.At Wednesday's meeting, no one seemed certain that Sansone had done enough to keep the permit from expiring.Councilman Matt Pirrello, a champion of the project, said he believed the company had met its obligation, but Restovich declined to comment on the matter.No one from Sansone was at the meeting.If the company must obtain a new permit, it faces a much more difficult challenge than the last time around, namely a City Council with new members who are unfriendly to the endeavor.Furthermore, some the contracts Sansone had for the apartment complex -- made up of nine owners -- expired in July. At least two groups of owners have declined to renew.Barbara Ellebrecht, whose family owns four of the 25 buildings that make up the Clarkchester Apartment complex, said the units still provide a nice income for her 87-year-old mother.She faulted the company and city for迷你倉not keeping residents well-informed."I have to deal with the tenants and answer their questions," she said. "My family is very strong Christian believers and it is very difficult for us to join forces with something that is detrimental to others."At the meeting, a few tenants at the complex said some of the owners had begun boarding up buildings and giving residents as little as 72 hours to vacate their homes."People are confused," said Liz Schmidt, a Clarkchester tenant. "They are worried. Some of them border on panic."But Ray Massey, who also owns four buildings in the complex and hopes to sell them to Sansone, said one owner was giving financial incentives to residents to move out.The owner, Massey said, wanted to renovate one of his buildings if he wasn't going to be able to sell it."I'm holding my breath," Massey said. "Until the lawyers get done shaking you don't know."Jane Dueker, the attorney who unsuccessfully sued the city to block the project, urged the council to rescind its agreement with Sansone, arguing the company violated it by not acquiring the properties on time."They have been in violation for months," Dueker said. "Cut them off."Also on Wednesday, the City Council voted 4-3 to have Restovich draft a resolution to terminate long-time City Manager Kevin Bookout, who many believe has been working behind the scenes to see the project through.Councilman Mick Cahill, who introduced the resolution and opposes the Walmart, said Bookout had been selective in how he shared information with council members. "He wasn't listening to us."The move comes only months after the council fired former City Attorney Paul Martin. Both Martin and Bookout were key figures in a failed attempt to oust Paul from office. Paul insisted the actions taken against Bookout and Martin had nothing to do with revenge. "This wasn't initiated by me," Paul said. "This is coming from constituents."Bookout headed for the door shortly after the meeting adjourned and could not be reached for comment.Pirrello said that Cahill's motion had caught him off guard and that Bookout had shared information with all the council."It's a shame," Pirrello said. "I think any city would be lucky to have him."Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Visit the St. Louis Post-Dispatch at .stltoday.com Distributed by MCT Information Services自存倉