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Key Takeaways
- Project will revitalize 7th St. from Ballpark Village to America’s Center
- Adds new sidewalks, lighting, trees, and protected bicycle lanes
- Project funded with mix of public and private funds
- Follows announcements on major vacant properties and Public Safety Ambassadors, continuing public-private partnership’s efforts to make Downtown safe, vibrant, and beautiful
ST. LOUIS – Traffic cones have gone down and old sidewalks are coming up as construction work has begun on the project to connect two major Downtown anchors with a new-look 7th Street between Ballpark Village and America’s Center on Washington Avenue.
“This is a critical infrastructure project that will provide a better connection between Ballpark Village and the America’s Center and add vibrancy and street-level activity in the heart of Downtown,” said Bill DeWitt III, President of the St. Louis Cardinals. “We are proud and excited to be a part of this public-private partnership that is helping to strengthen and revitalize Downtown St. Louis.”
The project, funded with $3.7 million in public and private funds*, continues the work of the partnership between the City and the business community to make Downtown safe, vibrant, and beautiful. When complete, the critical piece of 7th Street Downtown will have new sidewalks, trees, lighting, protected bicycle lanes that connect to the Brickline Greenway, and more.
“The most exciting downtown areas worldwide are those packed with people, not cars,” said Mayor Tishaura O. Jones. “Making 7th Street, from Ballpark Village to the Convention Center, a more walkable and bikeable space with new sidewalks, lighting, trees, and a bike path is another way we’re using public-private partnerships to build a more safe, vibrant, and beautiful downtown St. Louis.”
7th Street Project a Continuation of Downtown Momentum
The work on 7th Street continues a string of recent announcements Downtown that highlight the neighborhood’s positive momentum in the months since GSL, Mayor Jones, and other city leaders came together to launch a public-private partnership to make Downtown “safe, vibrant, and beautiful.”
“The 7th Street improvements will make Downtown more pedestrian friendly and encourage connectivity to improve the overall experience for residents, employees and visitors,” said Neal Richardson, President & CEO of St. Louis Development Corporation. “Investing in infrastructure improvements in the heart of the city is just one more way the public and private sectors have come together to make Downtown safe, vibrant and beautiful.”
On May 17 of this year, GSL joined with City leaders – including Mayor Jones, Richardson, SLMPD Chief Robert Tracy, and Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore – to launch the public-private partnership to revitalize Downtown and to announce they would develop a plan in the ensuing 120 days to address the major vacant properties that have been hurdles to Downtown St. Louis reaching its full potential, specifically the Railway Exchange Building and the Millennium Hotel.
Since that press conference, the partnership has taken bold action to address Downtown priorities, including:
- The City of St. Louis filing an eminent domain petition to take control of the Railway Exchange.
- Gateway Arch Park Foundation signing a contract to bring the Millennium Hotel under local control.
- Arch to Park Equity Fund, the patient capital real estate investment fund coordinated by GSL, signing a contract to ensure the historic Wainwright Building stays under local control.
- The awarding of funding to several small businesses to open new or expand street-level retail establishment through the GSL-SLDC Downtown Retail Incentive Program.
- The launch by GSL of the Downtown Public Safety Ambassadors Program to increase the visible public safety presence on Downtown’s streets.
“Over the past few months we’ve worked together with the City and Downtown partners to get major vacant properties with out-of-town owners under local control. We’ve put new public safety personnel on the street. We’ve helped new retail businesses open and expand into street-level spaces that are adding vibrancy. We’ve started work on this great new project to connect to major Downtown anchors. And we’re just getting started,” said Kurt Weigle, Chief Downtown Officer for GSL. “We will continue our collaborative work with the City and our partners until everyone can celebrate St. Louis having the best downtown in America.”
Construction work began October 1. Landscaping work is expected to begin in March of 2025 with the project expected to be wrapped up in June of 2025.
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* The $3.7 million in funding for the project is broken down as $2.4 million in federal grants awarded by East West Gateway and $1.28 million in contributions from Greater St. Louis, Inc. and its investors, LCRA, and private businesses via the Missouri Development Finance Board's Tax Credits for Contributions Program.
Some images of 7th Street, the early construction work on it, and some of the images of how it will look when complete are available HERE.
Media Contact: Tony Wyche | 314-398-9991 | Tony@GreaterSTLInc.com