The family that donated the land for Green Estate Park has filed a lawsuit against the City of Mexico, saying that the city has failed to maintain the property under the terms of their agreement, and is asking that the city comply with those terms, or alternatively, return ownership back to the donors.
The suit was filed on August 6 by Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, was brought by Warren C. “Renny” Smith, Jr. Smith donated approximately 143 acres to the city in November 2005.
The complaint says that the city accepted the gift subject to the terms that they would performing ongoing maintenance of the bridges, Rabbit’s Foot Lake, the property’s split rail fence, the Churchill Gate, and the rest of the grounds, while also limiting what could be built there. The original agreement reportedly included a reversion clause, meaning that the land would see ownership returned to the Smith family if any deficiencies were not remedied within 90 days of a formal notice.
The complaint states that Smith’s counsel made a formal notice to the city in September 2024, and that the city failed to take sufficient steps to make improvements.
A court date has not yet been set.