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By Christine
Imbs
Ask any Cardinal fan and they’ll tell you, St. Louis has one of
the finest major league franchises around. But it takes more than
just a major league baseball team to make a major league city. It
also takes a number of heavy-hitters willing to step up to the plate
to make things happen—and with the lineup we have, revitalized downtown
St. Louis is knocking them out of the park.
TOM
REEVES
former executive director, Downtown Now!
and president, Pulaski Bank |
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"It’s amazing what’s happening in St. Louis,” says Tom Reeves,
former executive director for Downtown Now! and now new president
of Pulaski Bank. “There’s been an attitude change. We’ve lost our
inferiority complex and created a ‘can-do attitude.’ People are
responding to it and they’re getting excited.”
Of course that wasn’t always the case. Previous attempts to revitalize
the City failed. Businesses were leaving the area and buildings
were left abandoned. Some had even decayed to the point where cornices
were crumbling to the ground. Traffic lanes and sidewalks had to
be blocked off to keep people from being hurt. But in 1999, both
St. Louis public and private sectors did something unique—they set
aside their differences and focused on bringing the City back to
life.
“It was like the perfect storm,” Reeves explains. “As everyone came
together and began working to finalize the downtown development
plan, they began to trust each other. They realized that working
together, we could accomplish so much more than if we just argued
among ourselves. It really started to make sense, and so we developed
a kind of bond.”
That bond was strengthened through a special purpose entity called
Downtown Now! Created specifically to finalize the development plan
and put it into action, this non-profit entity gathered together
a consortium of members representing both the public and private
sectors—the City, St. Louis 2004, the RCGA, and the Downtown St.
Louis Partnership chartered Downtown Now! The goal was to create
an environment attractive to investors, lenders, business owners
and residents. It turned out to be a critical step in the City’s
success.
“It was absolutely essential that we develop a true public/ private
partnership,” says Reeves. “A lot of the past attempts over the
years failed because that piece of the puzzle wasn’t in place. There
were ideas, plans and certain organizations trying to push ahead,
but it wasn’t as inclusive an effort. Now, there is some real progress
being made.”
Over the last few years, downtown St. Louis is experiencing a renaissance.
There’s a brand new ballpark, thousands of new residencies, and
restaurants and shops are springing up all around town. According
to the Downtown St. Louis Partnership, over 6,500 residential rental
and sales units are currently available with 1,700 more under construction.
By the year 2008, another 3,000 plus units will be added to that.
What’s more, people and businesses are beginning to return—something
many thought would never happen.
“Initially, when people heard about the plans for St. Louis they’d
politely nod their heads and say, ‘It’s a great idea, but why are
you wasting your time? St. Louis was too far gone,’” comments Reeves.
And national opinion wasn’t much better.
Neal Peirce, the Washington Post urban affairs columnist
and an expert in urban development, visited St. Louis for an extensive
assessment in 1996. The result of that visit was a scathing series
of articles which suggested the only thing left for the city to
do was to turn off the lights and shut the doors.
“Peirce basically said St. Louis was dead. But he came back last
year and called St. Louis one of the most amazing turnaround situations
he’s ever witnessed,” says Reeves.
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The
New Busch Stadium |
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To help with the City’s turnaround, the Danforth Foundation provided
$3 million to set up the Downtown Now! operations. But it was projected
that $1.2 billion in new investment was needed to carry out the
Downtown Now! plan and no one knew just where that money would come
from. Early on, the new public-private partnership worked with the
East West Gateway Coordinating Council to allocate $13.5 million
of federal transportation funds to help create an attractive pedestrian
environment along Washington Avenue.
“It was a huge win, because it took the vote of nine surrounding
counties in St. Louis and Illinois to agree to this,” say Reeves.
“Then Senator Bond backed an additional $4 million special purpose
HUD grant, bringing the total deal to $17.5 million. It got the
ball rolling.”
Since that time, over $3.7 billion has been committed to the effort
and is expected to surpass $4 billion in investments by the end
of this year. But as incredible as this is, Reeves admits in the
beginning the whole project was a bit overwhelming.
“Just walking around the 2-1/2 square miles of downtown, you’d wonder
where do you start? You could easily sprinkle a billion dollars
around the area and it would never be seen,” he explains. “So the
efforts were concentrated on in the most strategic areas. We were
kind of like Dirty Harry—we took on the jobs no one else wanted
to. But by doing that, we succeeded in creating a space where developers
could start seeing the city’s commitment.”
RODNEY
CRIM
executive director, St. Louis Development Corporation
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Rodney Crim, executive director for the St. Louis Development Corporation,
says had they not taken on the tough projects right away, it’s doubtful
that developers would be as enthusiastic about St. Louis as they
now are.
“Success is contagious,” he says. “Of course, our local developers
have always seen an opportunity here. But now we’re seeing developers
and investors from all over the country looking at us seriously
as a place to build and invest. “We’ve had developers from Los Angeles,
New Orleans, Dallas, Las Vegas, Chicago and Minneapolis, and they’re
all putting serious money on the table.”
A key member of the Downtown Now! team, Crim says one of the roles
of the Development Corporation is to provide incentives for developers.
The result is that St. Louis has become a leader in using federal
and state tax credits to encourage developers and homeowners to
rehabilitate older buildings. It’s also developing a reputation
for being pro-development and developers are taking notice.
“Developers talk and they know we’re committed to making things
happen for St. Louis. I think they appreciate working with us because
everything’s straightforward,” says Crim. “They don’t have to worry
about any landmines. They know if they work with us, together we
will meet our mutual objective. We’ve created a lot of excitement
because of it.”
Crim adds that not only are more and more out-of-state developers
jumping on the bandwagon, but some are even partnering with local
developers. What’s more, they aren’t stopping with one project.
“They’re telling us, we want to do more,” he says. “So when you
look at all these projects coming online and all these developers
making large investments, it’s a testimony to what this City can
do.”
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Old
Post Office Rededication |
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Just take a walk downtown and you can see a difference. All along
the former Washington Avenue garment district are condominiums,
bistros and shops. The 122-year-old Post Office has undergone a
$47 million renovation that has generated another $300 million in
development in the surrounding square. Several hotels have been
built downtown during the past five years including the Renaissance
Grand across the street from the City’s convention center. And of
course, there’s the new $365 million Busch Stadium.
BARBARA GEISMAN director of development,
St. Louis |
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Barbara Geisman, director for development, St. Louis, says without
a doubt building the new stadium was a major accomplishment.
“There was a six month period when no one was certain whether or
not the Cardinals would remain in downtown,” she says. “People and
the businesses were really concerned. Had the mayor not stepped
up to the plate and formulated an arrangement that helped the ballpark
come about, downtown’s future would have looked bleak. Now we have
a wonderful new ballpark that’s attracting positive attention.”
That attention extends across the country thanks to prominent articles
in national publications such as The New York Times and USA
Today, and stories on National Public Radio. In USA Today,
May 11, 2006, reporter Charisse Jones writes “The sound of jackhammers
downtown rings out like a serenade as long-empty spaces are reborn
as posh lofts and new neighbors walk streets that recently were
desolate after nightfall. A $365 million baseball stadium for the
St. Louis Cardinals opened downtown, perhaps the most conspicuous
sign of a comeback that one former critic Neal Peirce has called
one of the nation’s strongest.” As a result, businesses and residents
are both beginning to move back into the city, even some that originally
moved to the suburbs to escape the City’s decline. Geisman credits
the City’s team approach for this.
“The mayor is always saying, and rightfully so, that revitalizing
downtown is a team sport. And we really have a great team,” she
says. “That’s what’s brought us where we are today. And everyone
is key. Downtown Now!, the Downtown St. Louis Partnership, the City,
banks, investors, developers, architects, engineers, appraisers
and contractors, as well as the people and businesses who move downtown,
all have played a vital role.”
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Strolling
downtown residents. |
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A
downtown resident and his dog. |
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Of course without the City’s involvement, it's likely that very
little would have gotten done. Prior to Mayor Slay taking office,
the number of tax increment financings that were issued numbered
less than half a dozen; under Slay’s administration, that number
has risen to over 80.
“Obviously, the mayor’s commitment to the City, his hard work and
can-do attitude has been invaluable, Geisman adds.”
Although the return of businesses to the downtown area and the new
development taking place are a sure sign that things are looking
up, Geisman says the best indication lies in the number of people
walking the streets.
“I’ve lived in downtown for about 14 years. When I first moved here
you’d go outside at night and there’d be no one around for miles.
It was like living in the country,” she says. “But now you go outside
in the evening and there are all kinds of people going to restaurants,
clubs, and ice cream places. It’s really nice to see people enjoying
downtown again and upbeat about its potential.”
JIM
CLOAR
president and CEO,
Downtown St. Louis Partnership |
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Jim Cloar, recruited from Tampa as president and CEO of the Downtown
St. Louis Partnership in 2001, says this resurgence of people is
due in part to the number of new restaurants that have opened over
the past few years.
“From an investment standpoint, the biggest impact on downtown St.
Louis has been residential,” he says. “But from a perception standpoint,
it’s definitely been the new restaurants. They’re written up in
the Riverfront Times and other publications and it gets a buzz going.
Naturally, people want to give them a try. And once they get down
here and see all the changes taking place, they realize that this
City is coming alive. And they want to come back. Some may even
decide they want to live here.”
It’s also becoming a great place to shop. In addition to the restaurants
that have opened, small boutiques are also occupying the street
level spaces of many of the new developments.
“It’s part of our retail strategy,” says Cloar. “By bringing in
these unique little boutiques and restaurants, people are drawn
back into the area. And as the people return, the larger retail
businesses like The Gap or Ann Taylor begin to take notice. So we’re
working very hard to attract some of these larger retail stores.
And so far this strategy has been working very well for us. Almost
60 restaurants and small shops have opened on street level since
2002.”
Also working well, says Cloar, is St. Louis’ attempt to renovate
its historical buildings.
“I believe we’ve done a much better job than we may give ourselves
credit for,” he says. “The developers, the state’s historic tax
credit program, the City, the preservation community have all done
a great job in keeping as many of these buildings as possible and
putting them back into productive use.”
According to a report on fiscal year 2005 by the Department of the
Interior’s National Park Service who oversees the program, Missouri
ranked first in the nation in the number of federal historic rehab
tax credits projects successfully completed.
But as important as it is to maintain the City’s heritage, Cloar
says he believes it’s also important to intermingle new development
with the old.
Currently, the City’s newest major office building is at least a
couple decades old. But this will change once the Ballpark Village
is completed. In addition to the new Cardinals Hall of Fame, the
six-square block Village will feature a mix of 300,000 square feet
of offices, 1,200 residential units including townhouses and condominiums.
The centerpiece will be a one-acre pedestrian plaza surrounded with
restaurants, retail, and year-round family entertainment venues
equating to 360,000 square feet of retail/entertainment space.
Another project that will infuse brand new development into the
landscape is the $430 million Pinnacle gaming, entertainment and
residential development. It will be located on 18 acres just north
of Laclede’s Landing. It will include a 90,000-square-foot casino,
a five-star hotel, nightclub, retail space, a safe pedestrian connection
to the Edward Jones Dome and the Convention Center, and a parking
garage.
Of course St. Louis wouldn’t be St. Louis without its riverfront,
and this too is scheduled for a facelift. Plans are to redevelop
the riverfront in front of the Arch and to create a pedestrian connector
from downtown to the Arch grounds to provide the Arch’s three million
annual visitors a convenient route into the downtown core.
“Clearly, redeveloping the riverfront is important,” comments Cloar.
“We have a number of folks working on it including the City, Great
Rivers Greenway, the Danforth Foundation, the National Park Service
and the Downtown St. Louis Partnership. Our goal is to make it more
than just a place for big events. We want it to be a place where
you can still go and enjoy it, even if you’re by yourself.”
Cloar says although there still remains a lot to do, people are
starting to change their minds about St. Louis.
“It’s exciting. I had folks in from out-of-town and they were just
blown away by St. Louis. And we’ve done all this in just the last
two or three years,” he comments. “Of course, there are still skeptics.
But I believe these are people who haven’t visited the downtown
area in quite some time. To them I say, you need to come. You need
to walk the streets and see for yourself what’s going on. Once you
do, you’ll change your mind. There’s no doubt. St. Louis is making
a come back.” |
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