The Festus City Council recently approved a preliminary improvement plat for the Legion Apartments, an upscale apartment complex to be built on 11 acres next to American Legion Post 253, which is at 849 American Legion Drive.
Council members voted 7-0 at their Feb. 24 meeting to approve the plat for the apartment complex to be developed by Debrecht Properties. Ward 4 Councilman Jim Tinnin was absent from the meeting.
According to city documents, plans for the project call for a five-building apartment complex with 152 units, including one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, to be built.
In September 2024, the council approved a Debrecht Properties’ request to rezone 9.88 acres of the property from B-1 (local business) to R-4 (multiple housing). The Legion Apartments are near Debrecht’s West Village Apartments, an upscale housing complex with 200 units on a 15.62-acre tract at the southwest corner of Hwy. A and South Truman Boulevard.
Festus City Administrator Greg Camp said the approved plat included a couple of changes Debrecht made since announcing its initial plans for the development. The number of apartments to be built was reduced to 152 from the initial plan for 168. Also, the company changed the location of the road that will lead into complex. Originally, Debrecht planned to build the road on the north side of the American Legion Post, and now it will be built on the south side of the post.
Lorenzo Debrecht, chief operating officer of Debrecht Properties, said moving the road will be better for the apartment complex and will address concerns Festus School District officials have expressed. School officials said they were worried that building a road on the north side of the post would have increased traffic near the R-6 district’s Early Childhood Center.
Debrecht said work on the property has begun.
“We’re just really excited about the Festus area and its growth,” he said. “We’re happy in Festus. Everybody’s been supportive.”
Debrecht said he hopes to see at least some of the apartment buildings completed by early fall.
He said the Legion Apartments will not offer as many units as the West Village Apartments, but the new complex will offer a number of larger apartments.
“It will have 36 three-bedroom apartments,” he said.
For more information about the apartments, contact Debrecht Properties at 314-624-2016.