The Jewish Community Center (JCC) is selling 50-plus acres of its land to Pulte Homes for $4.35 million.  The acreage, part of the JCC’s I. E. Millstone Campus in the Creve Coeur area, is primarily a wooded, undeveloped section of the property but includes the land that currently serves as the JCC’s softball fields.  

Pulte’s plan for the land calls for 168 single family homes, and the entrance to the new homes will be through an access road at the far west of the JCC property. The sale is expected to close in the fall.

Lynne Wittels, president and chief executive officer of the JCC, said the sale was part of the JCC’s strategic plan adopted in 2005, which also included the construction and renovation of its facilities.  The J’s intent to sell the land was first announced at that time and endorsed by the late I.E. Millstone, Wittels added. 

“With support from a community-led task force and the J’s board of directors, we’ve sold this land for which the most part has been unused since moving our campus to its current location in the mid 1960s,” said Jonathan Deutsch, Board Chair of the JCC. “This is more about ensuring the future of the J than selling land. The J does not foresee needing this property in the future,” he added.

Wittels said proceeds from the sale will support work that has already been completed as well as work to be done in the future. She explained that while the intent was to sell the land since 2005, “when the economy took a downturn, those plans came to a halt. We’ve been working with Pulte for the last year or so.”

Wittels added that even with the sale of this land, the JCC still has sufficient room to expand on its site. Plans are underway to build a new day camp pavilion, which will be located near the Biblical Playground in the back end of the property and is expected to be ready next summer, as well as two larger, lighted ball fields, which should be ready by late spring, she added.

“There is still plenty of space to serve as the future home to other Jewish agencies, specifically day schools, ” said Wittels. “We hope they will join our campus whenever they are ready.”