Downtown NEXT
Downtown Next: The 2020 Vision Charts the Course
Community Feedback: “We’d like a vibrant, regional hub offering an authentic Downtown experience for residents, employees and visitors.”
At Mayor Francis Slay’s request and after engaging more than 1,100 community participants, The Partnership for Downtown St. Louis has released Downtown Next, the 2020 Vision for Downtown St. Louis.
In 1999 the public/private initiative to revitalize downtown, the Downtown Development Action Plan (Downtown Now!), set forth specific goals to ensure a focused path to success. Far exceeding its original expectations, the results of Downtown Now! can be seen through the more than $5 billion in investment, 130 new shops and restaurants, 13,000 residents and 2,500 new hotel rooms. Downtown Next, Downtown’s Vision for 2020, is a roadmap for Downtown’s future, including goals, objectives and strategies for taking Downtown St. Louis to the next level. The public consistently urged Downtown to focus on the following themes: connectivity, activity, density, valuing our assets and accomplishments, competitive business climate and inviting environment.
Partnership for Downtown St. Louis President Maggie Campbell commented, “Downtown Next is about building on the foundation of the last ten years, seizing the momentum to take Downtown to the next level, and making it more inviting and active for all users.”
Taskforces made up of experts from the public and private sector took the public recommendations and refined them to reflect Downtown’s goals and objectives. Some of the objectives for 2020 include: achieving a Downtown residential population of 20,000, growing the workforce to 105,000, adding 2 million square feet additional office space as well as 200,000 square feet additional in concentrated retail.
The Partnership is committed to realizing the Downtown Next vision and will advance strategies through its committee structure and work with the City of St. Louis to track the vision’s progress.
Click here to review the Downtown Next Executive Summary and here for the full report.
For more information, contact Matt Schindler via mschindler@downtownstl.org or by calling 314.436.6500 ext. 223.