The plan to revitalize the Rolling Hills goes into the community next week with a meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Hayti Heritage Center to hear residents' concerns about the neighborhood and the project.

"We will just be there to listen and learn at that meeting mostly," said Karl Schlachter, senior vice president for McCormack Baron Salazar, the St. Louis urban revitalization firm the city has hired to lead the planning process for the Rolling Hills and Southside neighborhoods, and surrounding areas.

The goal is to have the bulk of the master plan done by early January, he said.

Thomas Gallas, a consultant working with the firm, said the firm and other stakeholders are currently in the "pre-workshop" planning phase. That phase includes analyzing the site, developing strategies for consensus building and community participation, and evaluating the area's existing population and land capacity, Gallas said.

Starting Nov. 16, the firm plans to hold a weeklong series of community meetings where anyone can come talk with planners. Midweek, officials plan to have a third community meeting to make sure they are accurately incorporating what community members say they want in the plan, Gallas said. A draft will be presented at the end of the week.

City Councilman Howard Clement expressed concern that a Nov. 17 planning work session conflicts with a City Council meeting. Clement said he feels elected officials should be present when the city has so much at stake.

Mayor Bill Bell and Councilman Farad Ali asked that the appropriate city representatives attend the meeting and report back to the council.

For years, the Rolling Hills project has created significant and expensive challenges for the city as two different developers have failed to build out the site, now dotted with dilapidated and boarded-up homes.

In 2007, the council approved a $6 million strategy to revitalize Rolling Hills and parts of the adjacent Southside neighborhood. The city put up $325,000 for planning, which McCormack Baron was supposed to match.

The city also set aside nearly $6 million to buy up the 51 private properties, out of a total 88 parcels, in Rolling Hills and move current residents.

Since then, the city had acquired or contracted with all but five properties. The project, however, has been stalled as McCormack Baron said it was unable to raise its $325,000 match for planning costs, citing the weak national economy.

In the past two months, the council has approved investing up to $745,000, which includes a $65,000 Fannie Mae grant, to move the planning process forward.