ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) – City of St. Louis aldermen are looking to tap into a state resource approved last year to make Downtown a destination.
Alderwoman Jami Cox Antwi and Alderman Rasheen Aldridge introduced legislation Friday at the Board of Aldermen meeting to formalize the Downtown St. Louis Sports and Entertainment Community Improvement District. The proposed district includes the Downtown and Downtown West neighborhoods.
The effort aims to invest and enhance public safety and infrastructure, making the area more attractive to visitors for events and activities.
“They have a perception that Downtown St. Louis is not safe or viable. Those things are just not true, but I think these tools will allow us to help change that narrative in a way that addresses some of those concerns that people have been spreading for a very long time,” Alderwoman Cox Antwi said.
The legislation follows a state law passed last year that allows for the creation of an entertainment district in the City of St. Louis. The boundaries are on the north end Carr and Cole Streets, the Mississippi River, I-64 and Jefferson on the west side.
“What makes it unique is that we’re not basing this off of any sort of city locally based revenue. Most of the revenue will come through resources from both the Department of Economic Development at the state level and other general bond obligations that the CID will be able to enact to help cover some of the cost of doing the things we need to do here,” Alderwoman Cox Antwi said.
The terms of the bonds would be up to 20 years.
Missouri Department of Economic Development funding will be capped at $2.5 million a year to start. In 2031, it increases to $4.5 million a year. The funding becomes available starting July 1, 2026.
“I think this is exactly the type of partnership that when you look around our country, most cities and states have when it comes to investing in their downtown areas. Again, the entertainment district is a statewide tool, but in the City of St. Louis, I think downtown is the perfect place to establish something like this,” said
The funds would be used for public safety and infrastructure improvements, including streets and lighting.
“People have been asking us to think creatively about how and what we can do to help get the vital investment we need downtown,” Cox Antwi said.
Mike Ebert, who lives in St. Louis County, regularly visits downtown for sports and entertainment.
“I think my perceptions of downtown is a lot better than, honestly, a lot of my friends and all,” Ebert said. “I live in West County right now. I actually grew up in North County, and we’ve always come to the downtown area. Still today, we come down to the downtown area. We come here to Ballpark Village, but we also really go to Soulard more so than anything.”
He said downtown needs more police, cameras and better education to overcome perception issues.
“If we can secure our downtown area and if we can kind of change the perception, because, you know, perception is not always reality,” Ebert said.
The board bill would establish a seven-member body to oversee the use of funding in the downtown district. The bill still needs to go through the city’s legislative process to become a reality.
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