BALLPARK VILLAGE In the Cards for Downtown

The site of the old Cardinals stadium has been filled in and new plans are in the works for Ballpark Village, the $650 million mixed-use project the Cardinals and The Cordish Company are building on the six-block site. Cordish and the Cardinals hope they can get the approvals they need and break ground this spring

Plans call for 100 residential units, along with 225,000 square feet of retail and 750,000 square feet of office space. The builders plan to seek LEED (Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design) certification and a hotel is possible for the development.

The plans include the ‘Live District,’ an element of many similar projects built by Cordish that features an area open only to pedestrian traffic, with a central space designed for concerts and festivals. “We wanted to make sure the middle of the district was a thriving space year round,” explains Chase Martin, Cordish development director. The idea is to generate foot traffic, as at Cordish’s mixed-use developments in Kansas City and Louisville, which draw 15,000 to 20,000 people on an average weekend and have 150 days of active programming per year.

Ballpark Village offers something else--a ballpark right next door. “You can basically put on top of the 150 days of active programming the 81 home games,” says Cardinals president Bill DeWitt. And certain features will be designed to take advantage of the stadium next door. The office tower just beyond left field, for example, will have bleachers hanging off levels three and four, perfect for viewing the game. There also will be a Cardinals-themed restaurant, store, museum and sports bar. Unlike other ball parks, DeWitt points out, “There isn’t anything like Ballpark Village as a satellite experience.”

“I think that this project is going to create a destination for downtown that we’ve never had before,” Alderwoman Phyllis Young said. Mayor Francis Slay added that, “It has the potential to bring many jobs to the city of St. Louis.” The developers estimate that Ballpark Village will generate 1,200 to 2,600 construction jobs and 1,200 to 4,500 ongoing jobs. Members of the Downtown Economic Stimulus Authority, who unanimously approved the plans, were similarly optimistic. “The demand for housing in downtown St. Louis remains strong,” said president Jim Cloar. “Every indication we get is that people still want to live downtown.”

Pending approval by the city board of aldermen this year and by the Department of Economic Development and the Missouri Development Financial Board early next year, the developers will go ahead with the bond sale this spring. DeWitt said they hope to complete the first phase by spring 2011. For the July 2009 All-Star game, they hope the site will accommodate a 100,000-square-foot gala tent. As for retailers, Martin says, “I can say that this project has captured the attention of retailers across the nation. We want to make Clark Street a great street.”