District Plan

Update: October 2011

You are invited to attend the second Public Forum to discuss the progress on the Grand Center District Plan.

Date: Thursday, November 17
Location: Scottish Rite Auditorium
Time: 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm
Parking: Complimentary parking is available in the Scottish Rite Parking Garage, located on Olive, just west of Grand Blvd. There will be no fee to park provided you enter the garage between 5:00 pm and 6:00 pm. 

Access the building and auditorium on level 3 from the garage. 

Update: July 2011

Summary and Status Report from Donald Stastny & Jennifer Mannhard
The Grand Center Master Plan will produce a defined set of strategies and actions – initiatives that tie to an organizing physical framework that focuses on the public realm. We plan to deliver a “Framework and Strategy for an Evolving Grand Center District” that will provide guidance as well as flexibility for the continuing and sustainable evolution of the district, a plan that responds to both individual institutional and private development initiatives.  We anticipate that the final document will be a “living plan” and have a long shelf life that can be relied on for years to come.  This plan documentation will look somewhat different from what some people pre-conceive a Master Plan would look like.  We’re building a planning framework that will guide, not dictate, development over the coming years.

Summary: Key Areas to Address

• Visitor experience:  attractiveness, traffic, security, streetscape, pedestrian friendliness, lighting, way finding
• Future land use:  residential, commercial, vacant land and parking lot re-use
• Development of a clear, comprehensive planning framework
• Coordination of parking among all venues and commercial users
• The key businesses or functions that are needed to become a more complete community
• How to fill in between the cultural events and the school year so the district isn’t dependent solely on the institutions
• Identity and perception of Grand Center, independent of the institutions

Summary: Recommended Strategies and Actions

• Honor the history of the place and the people: e.g. architectural tours, art exhibits on place history and education programs
• Place the community in the context of the St. Louis region through branding and marketing
• Execute a success audit: record successes of the last decade and show on a time line
• Embrace the idea of “community,” not just a district
• Celebrate racial and cultural diversity using the arts
• Embrace a “quick wins” strategy to create momentum around any new vision
• Embrace teaching and learning as fundamental to the Grand Center identity
• Solve the parking dilemma – this is a condition precedent to other progress
• Create incubators for new activities and uses, e.g. community gardens, artist-in-residence programs, student programs
• Create the correct physical framework that provides connections and connectivity that encourages infill development and connects to surrounding neighborhoods

Over the Summer
The Planning Committee’s work will be subdivided into smaller task forces to address the following issues:

• Community Building – address issues and programs to develop an area where people live, work and create, emphasis on building diversity and cultural understanding within the district
• West-side Zone – Focus on Spring & Washington area, connectivity, pathways, etc.
• East-side Zone – Focus on connectivity between Midtown Alley, Locust Street Business District & Saint Louis University
• Spine & Transepts – Determine design approach to the improvements in rights-of-way along Grand and along Olive, Washington, Grandel Square and Delmar

• Housing & Land Use – Provide recommendations for location and types of housing and other land uses
• Parking – Provide potential strategies, policies, management solutions that would result in a coordinated and sustainable solution
• Urban Agriculture – Envision integration of urban agriculture into academic curriculums, the addition of community gardens, farmers markets,  the district as an incubator of culinary arts
• Governance – The Steering Committee will undertake this task with a goal to develop a clear, concise  and comprehensive organizational and leadership model to undertake the implementation of the Master Plan and Strategies

September/October
The Planning Committee will regroup with Donald Stastny to review the task force recommendations and conduct the next Master Plan workshop.  The result of the workshop will be a “Framework and Strategy for an Evolving Grand Center District.”

October/November
The second Public Forum will be held to show the framework and discuss the strategy that has been developed to date and receive feedback from the district partners, patrons and interested citizens.

Questions/Comments
If you have ideas/comments/suggestions or questions, please email them to gcplan2011@gmail.com.