ST. LOUIS — The region’s main business lobby is pushing City Hall to spend the vast majority of the Rams relocation settlement — about $233 million — on street repairs, safety upgrades, beautification, building rehabilitation and more.
A little more than half would go to neighborhoods on the city's struggling north and southeast sides. And $100 million would help fix up downtown.
City leaders are skeptical.
The proposal from Greater St. Louis Inc. aims to build broad support, pairing the money for downtown with another $130 million to build up poorer areas, a major focus for Mayor Tishaura O. Jones and aldermen in recent years.
Both the city center and the neighborhoods would get tens of millions of dollars for street repairs, new sidewalks, safety upgrades and beautification efforts. Both downtown and the north side would get $30 million or so to rehab vacant, blighted buildings, and more to attract new retailers and residents. Money would also be made available to rehab big buildings on the southeast side, like the historic, long-vacant Cleveland High School.
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Kurt Weigle, Greater St. Louis’ downtown czar, told aldermen at a hearing Tuesday that the entire city would benefit.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to improve quality of life for all St. Louisans, to grow St. Louis’ economy, and to expand the city’s tax base,†he said.
But key leaders downplayed the idea and questioned the wisdom of the plan, which would consume most of the $250 million Rams settlement.
“It’s a tough sell,†said Aldermanic President Megan Green.
North St. Louis needs far more help than downtown, she said. She said aldermen have spent more than a year soliciting public input on how to spend the money, and found more support for ideas like increasing child care access, repairing water mains and increasing salaries for city workers. Some would also prefer to invest the money and use the interest to pay for programs forever.
“I think there are ways to make this money work in perpetuity for everyone in the community,†Green said.
Jones spokesperson Conner Kerrigan said the mayor’s office appreciated Greater St. Louis’ passion for downtown, but it has its own plan, to be presented in the coming weeks.
“These funds are meant to benefit the entire City of St. Louis, not just one area,†Kerrigan wrote.
Greater St. Louis, whose board includes chiefs from heavyweights like gas company Spire, financial firm Edward Jones and technology company Emerson, has made improving downtown one of its top priorities in the wake of a pandemic that emptied offices and saw high-profile shootings and late-night mayhem foster a sense of lawlessness on the streets.
And from the beginning, it has insisted that the city be a leader on the issue.
As early as 2022, its leaders were calling on City Hall to spend money to put up more surveillance cameras, improve streetscapes, build new housing and attract new businesses downtown and on the riverfront.
It has put some of its own skin in the game, partnering with the city’s economic development arm to award grants to retailers and restaurants willing to fill storefronts downtown, and to come up with plans to address two of downtown’s largest vacant buildings.
It recently pledged $5 million to put ambassadors on the street to “add a sense of security†and used its real estate arm to purchase a third big building that state government is vacating.
But there is more that could be done. Office vacancies remain elevated. Big buildings remain inactive. Public safety concerns persist.
And Weigle, the Greater St. Louis executive, said downtown needs a big public commitment to keep up with competitor cities like Detroit and Columbus, Ohio, where he said the public and private sectors are going all-in on their cores.
“We must make downtown thrive again,†he said. “Because downtown is our heart.â€
Alderman Rasheen Aldridge, whose ward covers part of downtown and some north St. Louis neighborhoods, said he appreciated Greater St. Louis’ ambition, and attention to poorer areas.
But he said the $232 million plan was a big ask, and could leave other ideas submitted by the public with crumbs.
“I support the concept,†he said. “I don’t know if I support the whole package.â€
Alderwoman Cara Spencer, whose ward covers the rest of downtown and neighborhoods to the south, also applauded the concept. But she balked at putting the St. Louis Development Corp. in charge of the money for building rehabs, housing initiatives and retail pushes — a total of more than $100 million. She noted that SLDC, the city’s economic development arm, is currently struggling to administer a $37 million grant program for North Side businesses properly.
“They’re still on a learning curve over there,†she said.
Alderwoman Sharon Tyus, who has represented parts of north St. Louis for more than 20 years, said she had not yet made up her mind.
But she said downtown has gotten a lot of investment over the years, some of which, she said, should have come to north city.
“They may have to dial back what they want for downtown,†she said.