Downtown St. Louis is home to flourishing innovation districts, robust job centers, world-class cultural amenities, acclaimed academic institutions, professional sports teams, a national park and unique neighborhoods. It’s the place where St. Louisans gather to celebrate, learn, collaborate and make change.
Powered by more than $8 billion in development recently completed, planned or under construction, St. Louis’ urban core is experiencing tremendous momentum. To further regenerate our urban core, we are leading strategic projects and programs that promote innovation, employment density, and population growth in the central city.
Arch to Park Equity Fund
The Arch to Park Equity Fund invests in real estate and real estate-based opportunities in catalytic parcels and connective corridors to strengthen and knit together the central city and the adjacent neighborhoods. This privately funded $190 million fund aims to accelerate inclusive economic revitalization and generate modest returns over a 20-year term.
The Fund’s investments include:
- Butler Brothers Building — one of the largest, most historically significant, and long-vacant buildings in Downtown St. Louis
- Union at the Grove — an inclusive housing development in the Forest Park Southeast neighborhood
- Kingsway Development project — a multiple-parcel, mixed-use on Delmar Boulevard
Design Downtown STL
Design Downtown STL is a result of a year-long collaborative process to create a vision for the future of Downtown St. Louis. Thousands of people engaged in conversations about the issues, opportunities and potential of Downtown. The result is a roadmap for the next 10 years that will guide the implementation of the community’s vision for Downtown.
Adopted by the Planning Commission of the City of St. Louis in December 2020, Design Downtown identifies these key goals:
- Realize Downtown’s potential to be the region’s premier walkable, diverse urban neighborhood
- Expand the Downtown economy to support startups, entrepreneurs, existing, and growing businesses
- Redesign and activate our streets for a dynamic bike, pedestrian, and transit network
- Invest in an open space network to provide vibrant public spaces and green infrastructure throughout Downtown
- Uncover the stories, people and places that make Downtown unique
Read more about the planning process, the goals and strategies in the Executive Summary (PDF) and the complete Design Downtown STL plan (PDF).
Downtown Advisory Board
This board meets quarterly and champions, advocates and stewards a revitalized Downtown St. Louis through strategic urban planning and economic and business development.
Downtown Retail Incentives Program
An initiative of Greater St. Louis, Inc. in partnership with the St. Louis Development Corporation to facilitate four retail incentive programs to attract high-quality retail businesses to Downtown St. Louis.
Restore the Core
Outlined as a key strategy in the STL 2030 Jobs Plan, Restore the Core asserts that metro-wide inclusive growth will not happen without a strong urban core. Three key actions guide this work:
- Finish the Brickline Greenway — 20 miles of greenway connections in the core of the city
- Launch a Neighborhood Transformation Initiative to regenerate historically disinvested Black neighborhoods in the City of St. Louis
- Invest in existing and emergent Innovation Districts to drive inclusive growth
Tower Grove Connector
The Tower Grove Connector features a 1.4-mile protected bike path connecting Tower Grove Park to the Grove neighborhood. Identified as a key corridor by the community, this vital connection is one of the busiest bike routes in the region. The Connector will create a safer way for bicyclists of all ages and abilities to get to work, school, transit, their favorite restaurant, the Missouri Botanical Garden and more!
As a recipient of a federal grant and private funds, this nearly $9 million project is currently in the design and engineering phase and is expected to begin construction in 2023. To learn more about the project and sign up for project updates go to TowerGroveConnector.com.