By Tom Weber, KWMU
St. Louis, MO. – Barnes-Jewish Hospital's plan to lease 12 acres of Forest Park is moving forward, but it faces more scrutiny in the future.
One potential snag is the three-member Board of Estimate which must approve the lease.
Two of the members oppose the plan in its current form. They are Comptroller Darlene Green and Aldermanic President Jim Shrewsbury.
Shrewsbury says one question he'd like answered is what Barnes plans to do with the land.
"This may be worth giving up land for a center that cures cancer; it may not be worth giving up land for an office building," Shrewsbury said. "I think we need to have a much fuller discussion, and the public needs to be apprised of what's going on."
The third member of the Board of Estimate is Mayor Francis Slay who supports the current plan.
The land in question is separated from the rest of Forest Park by Kingshighway.