Date: September 20 – 25, 2009

Location: St Louis, MO

Sponsor: St. Louis County and the St. Louis Economic Council

Chair: Ray Brown

Subject Area: Economic Development, Urban Design

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Assignment

The panel’s assignment included offering a vision of how a redevelopment could look when completed and a program of potential uses that would enliven and animate the redevelopment. The sponsors asked the panel to provide exemplars for officials to visit and learn from, and to catalog some of the strategies required and the tools available to achieve the vision.

The panel also considered strategies for public coinvestment—through private/public partnerships—to address the challenging economic and infrastructural needs. Finally, the panel was charged with formulating implementation strategies for achieving its recommendations.

Summary of Recommendations

The recommendations set forth in this report envision a redeveloped Jamestown Mall as a mixed-use, active, vibrant center that can bring North Countians together to celebrate both their diversity and their shared sense of community in a walkable, green, clean, safe, and vibrant environment. Built around a great central square, Lindbergh Place will offer opportunities to experience entertainment, shopping, living, culture, education, and recreation.

It will provide convenient community services and both entrepreneurial and employment opportunities for the people of North County. People will enjoy being there, in part simply because they will feel that it belongs to them. It will be a place that exemplifies the authentic identity of North County, both restoring and reflecting the pride of residents.

Lindbergh Place will be scaled to be comfortable. The scale will encourage walking between destinations along streets filled with entertaining things to see and do. Programmed events such as art shows, concerts, holiday celebrations, civic events, and festivals will continually enliven and animate the central square or green space, which will become North County’s town square.

Forward-looking and future oriented, Lindbergh Place will be designed to boost the quality of life for every member of the North County community, regardless of age, race, or income. It will combine specialty retail that responds to the true needs and desires of residents with other uses of civic importance or for personal need, such as health care offices.

Sidewalk cafés and art galleries will overlook the central square, adding to the sense of safety and security. High-quality residences that respond to the community’s needs and tastes will add to the liveliness of Lindbergh Place. The development will respect the natural environment, incorporating sustainable strategies into design and construction.

Highly visible and easily accessed, well lit and beautifully landscaped, defined by high-quality architecture, and professionally and responsively managed, Lindbergh Place will become known for its quality. That will engender a sense of pride and civic identity among North Countians, who will come to regard it as their own special place. The rest of this report expands on these ideas and offers recommendations on how to revitalize the community’s core and reinvent the mall as a place that expresses the compelling character of North County.