Downtown Now! Newsletter
October 1998

FIRST DRAFT OF ACTION PLAN
UNVEILED TO CROWD OF 250
AT OLD POST OFFICE ON SEPT. 15

Excited about their on-going role in the creation of a downtown revitalization plan and eager to see the latest results of their input, 250 people gathered at the old Post Office Sept. 15 for the unveiling of the first draft of the action plan. The meeting was the fifth in a series of public workshops hosted by Downtown Now!, Mayor Clarence Harmon's Downtown Development Task Force. The Mayor told the crowd that the planning process is at a critical stage, with difficult but important choices to be made in drafting recommendations for projects that will make downtown as full of spirit and vitality every day as it was on Sept. 8, when, Mark McGwire hit home run #62. Harmon emphasized that the final plan must meet the needs and expectations of businesses, residents and visitors. The plan must also achieve a balance of rehabbed and new buildings and projects reflecting public policy goals and those of private interests. He also stressed that, in order for the plan to be successful, it is necessary to stay disciplined and focused on market-driven, financially feasible proposals.

The first draft of the plan focuses redevelopment in four specific districts -- Old Post Office Square/Central Business District, Washington Avenue, the Arch grounds/Gateway Mall, Laclede's Landing/Riverside North -- and the overall renewal of the downtown environment.

  • The plan suggests three options for the creation of an urban square around the Old Post Office, with new and renovated offices, housing and green space. To the west of Old Post Office Square a new residential mixed-use district, Olive Square would be created to help reuse and rebuild vacant Class C and D buildings.

  • Washington Avenue would be enhanced with the conversion of existing buildings to mixed-use residential, widened sidewalks, enhanced streetscapes and the addition of parks, athletic fields and parking.

  • The Gateway Mall would become St. Louis' "Central Park," a location for the celebration of downtown events. It would include restaurants, botanical gardens, fountains and an ice rink. Pedestrian connections to the Arch grounds would be improved and a restaurant and amphitheater with views of the Arch would be located on the grounds.

  • Riverside North would become a new neighborhood, and Laclede's Landing would strengthen its identity as an entertainment district with the addition of a new 20-screen cinema with themed restaurants.

  • The overall downtown environment will be renewed through a comprehensive streetscape program, an enhanced pedestrian environment and improved maintenance management and safety.

Following the presentation, about 120 of the workshop participants "took to the streets" for a guided tour of the proposed Old Post Office Square and downtown core business district. The input from both tour participants and those who remained at the meeting site for roundtable discussions will be reviewed and included in the action plan.

After eleven months of research and public input, the plan is about two-thirds complete. The next in the series of public workshops is scheduled for Tuesday Dec. 8 at the City Hall Rotunda, located at 1200 Market Street.

DOWNTOWN NOW! SIXTH PUBLIC WORKSHOP

5:30 - 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday, December 8, 1998
City Hall Rotunda
1200 Market Street

Review a Preliminary Investment/Cost Analysis
for Revitalizing Downtown St. Louis

share the planning, the progress, the pride!

DOWNTOWN NOW! - JUST THE FACTS

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.
  • July 14, 1998 - The largest group ever -- nearly 500 participants -- reviewed the Revitalization Framework Plan and responded enthusiastically.
  • Sept. 15, 1998 - About 250 citizens were present at the Old Post Office for the unveiling of a draft plan, then "took to the streets" for guided tours of the proposed Old Post Office Square and core business district.





This page was last updated 11.11.99