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Where Flood Waters Once Raged, Development Booms

Development hasn't finished in the valley. Still to come: more stores, a 14-screen movie theatre, and many more restaurants.
(photo: Hillary Wicai)
Development hasn't finished in the valley. Still to come: more stores, a 14-screen movie theatre, and many more restaurants.

By Hillary Wicai, KWMU

St. Louis –

Some of the most indelible images of the 1993 flood occurred as the Missouri River overflowed into the Chesterfield Valley.

This area, which was under at least 10 feet of water, has since become the site of what will be one of the largest strip malls in the nation. Not only has the valley recovered from the flood, it's become one of the region's most dynamic centers of new economic growth.

Proponents say such growth is necessary for the region's tax base. Opponents fear another flooding disaster.

KWMU's Hillary Wicai looks at development in a flood plain.

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