Torah Prep School of St. Louis has reached an agreement to purchase an administrative building from University City School District, a move connected to the planned $190 million retail development along Olive Boulevard in University City. The Orthodox Jewish day school wanted to buy the Ronald E. McNair Administration Building for more than a decade, as its student body continued to grow, according to school leaders. But they had difficulty acquiring the building from the U. City school district because some residents saw the move as coming at the expense of the Black community. Novus Development, the group behind the retail complex, which is set to feature a Costco Wholesale store, joined the Torah Prep cause because it needed the land that Torah Prep currently occupies.Â