Recreation Oriented City

Transit Oriented City

By: Andrew Ewing

          Problem: A vacant 10 acre space located on the previous Busch Stadium site across from the current Busch Stadium.  The vacant site is currently a softball field and parking lot.  Since the tearing down of the previous stadium, this site has been a hot topic of debate.  The initial proposal was a $700 million "Ballpark Village" that entailed a mixed-use retail, office, and residential district.  However, due in large part to the economic downturn, the project has been halted.

         While the concept of a "Ballpark Village" is a great idea, and a much needed plan to help revitalize the downtown, it is missing several key components.  Funding seems to be the largest problem.  There is a no clear goal for this project.  The initial phase has beeen proposed to the public, but there is not a final proposal, nor is there a time table of how long this project is expected to take once it breaks ground.  What happens to the parts of the site not being worked on during construction are not explained either.  The public, city, and state, mostly agree something needs to be done with this piece of property, a clear plan just needs to be laid out.

         Solution: It was not until recent months that this project has again gained traction.  In Jun of 2012 Anheuser Busch joined Phase-One of Ballpark Village and become an anchor partner.  Phase-One will also include Cardinals Nation, which will be linked to the Anheuser Busch project.  It will include a restaurant with three patios, a museum, Cardinals Hall of Fame, and a seating deck that will look into the ballpark.   Another part of Phase-One will be the St. Louis Live Entertainment Plaza.  Which will have a live stage, and forty foot LED screen above it.  These three things will make up about half of the total Phase-One space.  Phase-One will also include improvements to streets, sidewalks, utilities, and ifrastructure.

          This project is moving in the right direction, but has a lot of loose ends that need tied up.  This thesis proposed how to make this project into a successful Recreation Oriented City.  Instead of going to downtown St. Louis for a Cardinals game and leaving.  This site will become a destination for people to visit before and after the game, as well as become a venue that supports the local economy year around.

The Project can become very successful with a final master plan that has several phases incorporated in it.  A clear, laid out path that allows everyone involved with the project to know the end goal is key. It also allows the public to have something to get behind.  This is key, because in order for this project to be a success it's going to be necessary to get a financial contribution from the tax base as well as the private sector.