St. Louis may sell downtown park. Buyer wants a parking lot.

ST. LOUIS — Aldermen advanced a plan this week to sell a small, fenced-off city park to the owner of the former Post-Dispatch building, who wants to turn the site into a parking lot.

The StarWood Group, which bought the old newspaper building and renovated it to house tech firm Square, is offering the city $275,000 to buy InterCo Plaza, just south of the building.

John Berglund, managing partner of StarWood, said the company's interest is in part a “defensive move” in light of previous problems with homeless camps, and in part an attempt to attract new tenants.

“The most common issue we get when we try to get tenants is, ‘Where do I park?’” Berglund said.

The plaza — a grass-and-concrete space covering about three-quarters of an acre at the intersection of North Tucker Boulevard and Ma