Participants spent a major part of the two-hour session in roundtable brainstorming, which resulted in the identification of these priorities:

• Stabilizing/restoring historic buildings, especially the Old Post Office and Kiel Opera House
• Creating tree-lined streets with flowers, seating areas and signage to connect major downtown attractions/areas
• Developing more downtown housing, especially along Washington Avenue
• Improving downtown retail with inviting store fronts, sidewalk cafes, unique shops and convenience stores

Other ideas ranged from a public school downtown to riverfront jogging paths. An observer who's spent years in similar meetings termed the enthusiastic participation by St. Louis citizens "fabulous," noting it's an indication they care and are eager to get something done.

A likely explanation for the level of enthusiasm is that this project, unlike some previous initiatives, is stakeholder driven with citizen buy-in at every point along the way. When the final draft of the action plan is completed, thousands of metro-area residents will feel the pride that comes with having a hand in its development. And that's a strong foundation on which to base the implementation phase of the action plan.

On behalf of the City of St. Louis, Mayor Clarence Harmon has extended sincere thanks to NationsBank for its commitment to the future of Downtown St. Louis. The bank, a relatively new financial presence in St. Louis, has emphasized its belief in the future of the metropolitan area by committing $100 million for the downtown revitalization projects and underwriting $425,000 of the cost of the Downtown Now! planning process.

Phase One:

• Oct. 15, 1997 - Mayor Clarence Harmon announced the formation of the 100-member Downtown Now! Task Force.
• Nov. 1, 1997 - Priorities were identified for encouraging reinvestment in downtown are downtown housing, the Washington Avenue Loft District, reconnecting the Mississippi River to the downtown core and building the convention center hotel at the first public meeting.
• Dec. 6, 1997 - At a second public meeting, the development principles and priorities that will guide the downtown planning process were established.

Phase Two:

• January 1998 - A housing study by Zimmerman/Volk Associates, Inc. revealed a market for nearly 470 new and rehabbed housing units downtown.
• March 6, 1998 - The task force selected EDAW, Inc. of San Francisco to guide the creation of the revitalization master plan for the downtown core and riverfront.
• April 1998 - The EDAW team launched the data-gathering phase of the master planning process with a tour of downtown and meetings with more than 200 representatives of downtown-related agencies, transportation officials and local developers.
• May 1998 - After meeting with nearly 300 downtown stakeholders, four major strategies were developed for revitalizing downtown.
• June 2, 1998 - More than 300 participants provided input on the proposed strategies at the third public meeting.