The city could see its riverfront greatly improved while improving its standing as a global innovation hub thanks to Gateway South.
Good Developments Group, a firm founded and operated by former employees with New York City-based JDS Development Group, is pursuing an 80-acre project that includes Chouteau's Landing and areas south. Conceptual plans currently peg the development cost at $1.2 Billion. On August 11th, the project took its first step in the approval process as the Port Authority agreed to enter a cooperation and funding agreement. It should be noted that the Port Authority has the power to approve of tax abatements to facilitate development.
Good Development Group's plan, known as Gateway South, includes usages such as office, residential, retail, entertainment, green space, parking, and industrial. As seen in the preliminary rendering above, most of the old structures are preserved and redeveloped while a series of new buildings are constructed. Most notably, high-rises are seen on the northern edge of the development area helping link the district to the Arch Park. Presently, that area is home to grass lots and elevated rail bridges.
Exact specifics on the number of apartment units, square footage of the office, retail and entertainment space, and what other industrial usages might be included in the plan beyond a shipping container barge facility have not yet been revealed. However, Denis Lower, the former head of the Cortex District and an advisor on the project, stated that two tenants, from New York and San Francisco, who specialize in modular-based construction methods, have already signed on for some industrial space. A preliminary construction timeline calls for construction to begin later in 2022 and proceed through the remainder of the decade and into the 2030s. The architect is Henning Larsen of Copenhagen Denmark.
Based on the renderings, it's safe to say that the Chouteau's Landing area will become the densest area in all of St. Louis thank to the residential towers and additional infill development. It's also safe to assume that the area will become one of the most unique areas in all of St. Louis, and perhaps the United States, due to the multiple elevated rail lines that crisscross the neighborhood not to mention the close proximity to the Mississippi River and variation of usages included in the plan.
In a statement to CityScene STL, Good Developments Group stated...
"This district will position St. Louis as the advanced construction manufacturing capital of America, drawing and co-locating diverse, synergistic construction-related companies, catalyzing jobs and construction workforce development for St. Louisans, and establishing an inclusive downtown community and nationally marketable local knowledge base. A new Design & Construction Innovation District anchors the development. Coupled with a Recreational & Residential District and an Entertainment District, Gateway South will create a sustainable growth engine for St. Louis and transform the area into a vibrant, multifaceted community of the future".
Chouteau's Landing has been targeted for redevelopment multiple times over the past 18 years. Chivvis Development Group and the Apted Brothers both took a swing at the area. But the 2008-2009 recession killed the Chivvis plan and the sheer cost of such an undertaking hindered the Apted plan. Whether or not the grand, $1.2 billion vision by Good Developments Group actually happens remains to be seen.
The development area is roughly 80 acres and requires a ton of infrastructure work. Crumbling streets, broken streetlights, the shell of a burned out Crunden-Martin building, and potentially contaminated soil throughout the area means that this area is a candidate for a TIF and like Brownfield Tax Credits. The Chouteau's Landing area could also receive Historic Tax Credits.
Special Note: This post is dedicated to my marketing teacher, Rita Kiry-Ryan, who passed away this past July. Her love for St. Louis, the riverfront, and the projects being brought forward gave her great optimism about our city's future. This would've been the cherry on top in her eyes and she certainly would've been rooting for it.