ST. LOUIS – It’s a deserted property that many of you drive by every day on Interstate 44. It’s also classified as an active hazardous substance clean-up site by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, but regulators have determined it can be cleaned up to a level that will make it safe for people to live here again.

Neighbor Donna Valli called the area “the cornerstone of The Hill,” as she described waiting for development on the lot for a long time.

“Live brought back to this corner. It’ll be a good thing for the Hill,” she said.

It’s on the corner of Wilson and January Avenues—the former site of what was called the Hubert Wheeler State School. That was until the St. Louis Health Department and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources shut it down over air quality in 1994.

“I believe we are on a landfill. It used to be called ‘the dump’ and it’s kind of where we all played as kids. We called it the dump, but obviously they built on it,” Valli added.

St. Louis Alderman Joe Vollmer has lived here his entire life.

“It used to be clay mines which were then used for dumps, so they found dioxin on the property – so they put an incinerator on site,” he said. “They dug down and burned off the soil and made it usable, and then after that Harris Stowe had the Anheuser Busch business school in there.”

He said the university leased the property from about 2005 to 2015, but disturbing anything on the property with construction requires an entirely new safety plan.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources confirmed to FOX 2 that a developer enrolled in a voluntary cleanup program last month. That program, called a VCP, will oversee not only cleanups of landfill related contaminants under the school, but also proper asbestos cleanup inside the building.

McBride Homes is behind the effort, with the intent to build 58 town homes here, under the supervision of environmental regulators.

“They do a great project,” Vollmer said, “They’re part of the neighborhood some of the people, the Eilermanns who own McBride live here now – in the neighborhood.”

“It’ll be something good now,” Valli added.

The site has been a target for vandals for years, which is why it now constantly has two security guards monitoring the area in unmarked cars.

“Lets’ do this,” Valli said. “Let’s beautify – keep the Hill beautiful.”

She also feels confident in the safety of the project. There’s an entire neighborhood, where she lives, that’s also sitting on that former landfill.

“I grew up here. I played here as a kid. I’ve been on those grounds and obviously I think I’m ok,” she said.

Closing on the sale may happen by the end of the year.