North Riverfront Land Use Study

Photo Caption: The land use study is looking at the area of St. Louis shown in pink.

The City of St. Louis is in the midst of a major land use study that is looking at how we can best use our north riverfront corridor. The study area, shown above, includes roughly 30% of St. Louis's riverfront, the Riverfront Trail, the McKinley Bridge Bikeway, and the proposed Trestle bikeway.

If you ride the Riverfront Trail, you know that the corridor being studied is currently used by many of St. Louis's heaviest industries, including scrap metal recyclers, junk yards, and coal shippers, as well as a series of lighter industrial uses, such as machine shops, wholesalers, manufacturers, and Produce Row. In addition, the corridor has long served as a hub for major movement of goods into and out of the region due to its proximity to the river, rail lines, and I-70.

As our City develops this major land use study (it is an $800,000 study), we have a rare opportunity to think big and develop a vision for the corridor that serves the triple bottom line of profit, people, and planet. With the industrial era in America's rear view mirror, river cities throughout our country have been re-tooling their riverfront corridors to include a softer mixture of uses (lighter industry, offices, recreation, housing, retail, etc.) that reflects the modern value that environmental stewardship and profit can co-exist. If you visit St. Louis's north riverfront corridor today, you see the past -- fragments of the industrial era literally scattered across the land and spilling into the streets. The current state of the corridor is enough to scare off even hearty urban explorers, let alone the creative class that St. Louis so desperately needs to retain and attract.

Two great examples of city's that have re-invented their riverfronts are Saint Paul, Minnesota (our neighbors up river) and Pittsburgh's recent Alleghany Riverfront Vision Plan. Here is an image of Saint Paul's riverfront from the Saint Paul Riverfront Corporation website:


Here is an image of Branch Street in St. Louis -- the only remaining direct connection between St. Louis neighborhoods and the north riverfront. In the distance you can faintly see the flood wall painted with the words "Riverfront Trail." Not exactly an inviting scene:



The Land Use Study underway presents an exciting opportunity to envision the future of our riverfront. If you would like to learn more about the land use study and share your input, please plan to attend the upcoming Public Information Meeting, Thursday, March 24, 4-6pm. The invitation (in italics) and meeting flyer are below:

On Thursday, March 24, 2011, the St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC) in coordination with HNTB (the lead consultant), will be hosting a Public Informational Meeting, about the Port/North Riverfront Land Use Study, at the Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD), Bissell Point Treatment Plant, in St. Louis.

The purpose of the meeting is to share the Study goals and to learn more about your vested interests in the area. We encourage you to attend because your input does matter. For more information, please review the flyer attached, or contact Hudson and Associates, at 314.436.3311.

We would like to hear from you!