Courtesy of Design Downtown STL
A Design Downtown STL rendering showing Tucker
Design Downtown STL, a neighborhood nonprofit with a plan for STL’s downtown infrastructure, has completed a draft and is looking for public input before sending the plan to the St. Louis Planning Commission.
The 10-year proposal for the downtown and Downtown West neighborhoods has five main goals: realize downtown’s potential to be “the region’s premier walkable, diverse urban neighborhood”; expand the economy; pave the way for bike, pedestrian, and transit network; create public spaces and “green infrastructure”; and “uncover the stories, people, and places that make downtown unique,” according to a press release.
The plan has dozens of recommendations to improve downtown, including a tree-planting campaign, a walking loop and recreational path, and riverfront gardens, park space, and bicycle paths to connect downtown with the river. The plan also suggests pricing 25 percent of housing below market rates, boosting business with post-COVID loans and grants, and a change in downtown zoning to enhance downtown business.
“This plan aligns and empowers downtown residents and businesses with a unified, diverse vision for change for our common future,” said LaShana Lewis, Board Chair of the Downtown Neighborhood Association and member of the Design Downtown STL Advisory Committee.
The plan was created by a 30-member advisory committee and was based on feedback from the public—focus groups, survey responses, collaborative map comments, and notes from event attendees. “Design Downtown STL was developed over the past year through a community-driven process and represents the hopes, dreams, and vision of all who participated,” Lewis said. “It also reflects their input and hard work.”
In a press release, CEO of Design Downtown STL partner Arch to Park and Design Downtown STL Advisory Committee member Jason Hall noted that this is the first project downtown St. Louis has seen in a decade. The last plan to improve the downtown area resulted in the new Arch grounds, the Central Library, revitalization of the Old Post Office Plaza, and the Washington Avenue Loft District.
“Downtown St. Louis has challenges to be solved and unique opportunities on which we can capitalize to help St. Louis reach its full potential,” Hall said in a press release. (SLM covered some of them in our April issue.) “To move forward, our community will need to work together around shared priorities and take collective action. Following robust engagement and terrific community leadership, Design Downtown STL will help us all do that together.”
Design Downtown STL is just one of $8 billion worth of developments already in progress in STL including The Brickline Greenway, the Northside-Southside Light Rail Transit Study, and the Downtown St. Louis Transportation Study.
St. Louisans are invited to view the plan on Design Downtown’s website and offer comments until October 4. Input will be integrated into the plan before being submitted to the city adoption process.
