Mine:



A new condo building will break ground on a vacant lot downtown.



The condo building proposed for Laclede's Landing will begin construction.



The MetroLink Green Line will open one month behind schedule but will be a huge success.



The hotel in the Loop will break ground.



The Loop Trolley will get funding.



The CWE will land a funky lounge of some sort in the Forest Park Hotel.



We'll finally see some decent infill in Midtown.



STL-STYLE will roll out some new edgy designs that pay homage to the Red Brick Mama.

A moderately strong tremor will occur, centered south of STL along the New Madrid fault. Damage will be minimal, but the event will prompt intense debate about the soundness of the area's building stock.



(Don't ask me why, I just have a feeling. It's been almost 200 years since that major earthquake.)



And oh yes, another grocery store will announce plans for a location in or near downtown. Unfortunately they will ask for a big TIF and an even bigger parking garage.

LouLou wrote:And oh yes, another grocery store will announce plans for a location in or near downtown. Unfortunately they will ask for a big TIF and an even bigger parking garage.

That's completely unrealistic. There's still plenty of locations for a set-back with a huge surface lot.

Funding for the Arch Lid will be confirmed and a construction date set



Southwest will increase its non-stop flights out of Lambert by 25%



Dierbergs will actually confirm its going to build a store in the City



Metro will open Cross County at the end of September



Delmar Trolley project will get a large donation(~$10m) from area philanthropist



22nd street/I-64 interchange project will be reopened



major residential development announced for inside Union Station



Spivey Building in ESL will be purchased by someone who will announce redevelopment plans



GM goes broke forcing it to shutter plant in Wentzville



Grand Center Inc. dissolves



FPSE aka the Grove continues to evolve into a preimeire nightlife district



Completion of the Century Garage Mahal, powers that be declare this will usher in a new era of downtown progress





...and the not likely to occur



New MRB is declared dead, MoDOT/IDOT decide to spend money on building a dedicated KC-STL-Chicago high speed rail line instead

Cross-County is a smashing success with county voters galabantering to do the Denver hop with a region-wide tax of several billion to expand Metro all over.



The OPUS high rise at Euclid and Lindell breaks ground with other national developers proposing more highrises for the CWE and midtown.



The Ville gains rehabers

Old North St. Louis completes several million dollar rehabs of buildings without roofs

Hyde Park neighborhood gains rehabers



Mixed-use retail/residential/office is proposed for Delmar east of Wabash railway station



Downtown St. Louis pedestrian crossing lights are replaced or put in with visible countdown timers.



A development group chooses to rehab the Clemens mansion



A coalition is formed for urban improvement and FOCUS St. Louis is given teeth



Lid over I-70 begins

Carrolton is destroyed with rapid speed of the new runway progressing.

A loft community is proposed in the North Riverfront business area.



I get an internship with a municipal or private planning department.

I'm still waiting for my 2005 "predicition" to come true and hope that it does in 2006 - that a major office tenant will sign a lease downtown.



Other predictions:



- A record year for the downtown Famous/Macy's

- Work starts on the revival of St. Louis Centre

- Grand Center/Midtown becomes a hot market for more affordable loft living

- Construction begins on the SLU arena

- A major retailer sets up shop downtown and downtown/downtown west see a significant increase in the number of retail shops and restaurants

DeBaliviere wrote:- Work starts on the revival of St. Louis Centre

It was reported today in the St. Louis Business Journal that the St. Louis Development Corp. (SLDC) is setting aside $8 million for the redevelopment of St. Louis Centre.

Has there been any movement to get rid of the St. L Centre walkway? It would be great to have that gone to really "open up" all the developments.

Xing wrote:
Downtown begins streetscaping.

Amen brother! IMO this is the most important project DT !!

I will take a stab... maybe more realisitic in some maybe more dreamy in others.





Metro Cross County will open, exceding all ridership predicitions and working to slowly wipe away the bad memories of the delays, rewnewing intrest in future expansions. An open discussion in the region with the public and politicians will at least put the topic on the table.



MODOT will do something frustrating.

No, seriously, MODOT will drag its feet on the MRB and nothing will be accomplished, with some wondering this time next year if the project will ever be done.



Ballpark Village diffinitave plans will be announced and condos/ apartments will sell fast.



The Bottle District will see condos sell fast, leading to the proposal of a fifth tower along Cole.



Lambert will continue to see steady improvements, but St. Louisans will still say it's a dump.



The Days Inn project will finnaly move forward.



With most buildings along Washington already consumed and the speed at which BD and BV lofts/condo's sell, a new major infill project will be propsed in the Washington/Locust coridor. (maybe even 2)



A new Class A office building will be propsed in downtown (not part of the BV)



Danforth will announce that there is little support for the riverfront plans announced this year and the topic will once again fall off to the wayside. Some action on a proposed lid, but nothing substantial.



St. Louis will see an increase in the number of conventions booked for comming years in the wake of the new casino and the BD.



The warehouses north of the King bridge will start to be converted into lofts, creating a neighborhood in the area.



Union Station will announce nothing in the face of mounting competition.



The city will begin condemnation procedings as St. Louis Center sits with no plans.



The Dillards building will not see construction being.



The Robert Brothers will propose and begin a fast selling of condos on the heals of the BD and BV sucess.



The CWE will see proposals for new towers along Kingshighway in the wake of the recent proposals.



The Mayor and city will continue to argue that the Gateway mall is a good idea, while it acts as a baren wasteland.

Predictions 2006:



1. Washington Avenue will continue to gentrify pushing loft developments further westward past Jefferson. Eventually connecting with the emerging mid-town loft corridor.

2. Locust Street near the 22nd street will emerge as a quasi club district. New clubs will open further turning the tide of urban decay in the area. The media will compare the new district to Washington Avenue. Towards the end of the year resentment will develop towards the clubs because of residents complaining about the unsightly spectator of patrons, & noise complaints.

3. Nemours newly opened business on Washington Avenue will subsequently go out of business because of a lack of foot traffic. On a side note two major retailers will located DT , including a Book Store + a Pharmacy.

4. STL Center will still sit semi vacant thus further deteriorating making the mall the blunt of many jokes about the poor condition of DT.

5. A solid plan to renovate City Hall will move forward.

6. DT will hemorrhage more law-firms, as the Class A office market remains flat. Fleeing business will sight a lack of new Class A office space, & the city earning tax as the primary cause.

7. The Convention Center hotel will continue to experience finical troubles resulting in a city / state bail out.

8. Nemours projects that have been proposed will still be stalled including:

? Mayfair addition / condo?s

? Bottle works district

? Kiel Opera house

? I-70 lid

? Ball Park Village

? Residential developments on the landing.



In conclusion I?m very optimistic about the progresses begin made DT, however that said I think that more grounded predictions about the state of DT in 2006 are in order.

I enjoyed reading JMedwicks post, because he is usually so cautious, if not negative about the progress going on downtown. But I thought that was a pretty positive series of predictions. JMed, don't tell us you're switching to the dark side!



I'm going to make some predictions, some which are tied to St. Louis, but not necessarily the city progress like stuff...so bear with me.



*The Cardinals will not significantly improve their team due to the lack of funding from ownership, and the Cardinals will make the playoffs, but will be bumped in the NLDS. The public outcry against the ownerships reluctance to raise payroll, leads to a bump and next offseason the Birds make two significant upgrades via free agency or trade.



*The Rams will make a dazzlingly smart hire for their head coaching vacancy. And next year they turn a corner winning the NFC West, making it to the NFC Championship game.



*The Blues sale becomes finalized, with the Lauries taking a significant cut in what they had originally asked for. There are wholesale changes made, but the Blues are bad again next year.



*Nothing happens on the progress of improving the riverfront. The recent plans introduced are scrapped from an overall lack of support.



*Funding for the I70 lid is put in place, and a tentative construction date is announced.



*The Bottle District phase one goes smoothly, popularity runs high.



*The Ballpark Village begins construction, sales for housing runs at almost a record pace.



*Plans for a permanent downtown skating rink are proposed, and set in place to be completed in time for next winter.



*Three major retailers are announced for either downtown, or the Wash Ave corridor, setting up for a huge 07 year. Not included, a major grocery store agrees to an urban store for new residents.



*PreSales for the current proposed highrises in the CWE go so well, that another highrise is announced, this time, it's a 35 story building on Kingshighway.



*Missouri continues to drag its feet on the new Bridge, prompting Illinois to walk away from discussions, twice.

Trent, must have been in a good mood when i wrote those. I will try not to let it happen again .

Humm? Interesting.



How bout these, some are hopes others predictions-



The cross county Metro exceeds all expectations prompting the proposal of 2 transportation oriented developments.



Downtown residential development slows as demand catches up to supply, but there is a slow steady increase in residents.



Downtown commercial increases with new stores and fewer vacant storefronts, to meet new residents demands.



Neighborhood development increases, corner shops, restaurants, and bars pop up as developers squeeze the most out of the historic tax credit.



Carondelete, Old North, Forest Park Southeast, Fox Park and Dutch Town become the new rehab darlings as Lafayette Sq., Soulard, The West End, and Benton Park fill up.



Most suburban municipalities will start to develop ?downtown? business districts by looking at the success of Kirkwood station and Boulevard St. Louis. ?The result is higher density in the county.



Wellston begins to stabilize, developers start eyeing it.



St. Charles County development slows (but remains strong)



East side suburban development increases dramatically.



The Cardinals finish a disappointing 2 in the central behind the Cubbies. Depressed by this Beer City goes over the edge in his late summer visit to the ivy covered beer garden on the north side. He flies into a rage when Murphy?s Bleachers runs out of Budweiser and he is forced to drink Old Style. He angrily rips a Sosa jersey (dude, he has been gone for 2 years) off of a Lincoln Park Chad, soaks it in Bacardi 151 lights it on fire and hurls it across Sheffield into Wrigley. Which in turn goes up like a tinder box, due to the large part to the amount of dead gross ivy. Last seen he is being drug away by Chicago?s finest sobbing about middle relief. A Lincoln Park Trixie is over heard saying ?Bummer, where are we going to drink now?? Wrigley collapses with a mighty thud, Cardinal Nation rejoices, erects a statue of Beer ?The Arsonist? City next to Stan ?The Man? Musial in the new plaza of champions. Beer city spends the next 10 years in Joliet, makes friends with Steve Bartman.

^I already have my thousands picked out.

The Cardinals finish a disappointing 2 in the central behind the Cubbies. Depressed by this Beer City goes over the edge in his late summer visit to the ivy covered beer garden on the north side. He flies into a rage when Murphy?s Bleachers runs out of Budweiser and he is forced to drink Old Style. He angrily rips a Sosa jersey (dude, he has been gone for 2 years) off of a Lincoln Park Chad, soaks it in Bacardi 151 lights it on fire and hurls it across Sheffield into Wrigley. Which in turn goes up like a tinder box, due to the large part to the amount of dead gross ivy. Last seen he is being drug away by Chicago?s finest sobbing about middle relief. A Lincoln Park Trixie is over heard saying ?Bummer, where are we going to drink now?? Wrigley collapses with a mighty thud, Cardinal Nation rejoices, erects a statue of Beer ?The Arsonist? City next to Stan ?The Man? Musial in the new plaza of champions. Beer city spends the next 10 years in Joliet, makes friends with Steve Bartman.

I think you should still make this happen, even though the Cards will finish ahead of the Cubs. Keep yourself out of the big house though.

My added item for a 2006 wish-list is:



The LCRA/MDFB suit against Roger/Marcia be dropped, settled, dismissed or even found in favor of the defendents.



Most know my forum personality as a very outspoken critic of Mayor Slay on the Century ordeal. But in my wish list for 2006, I want to move on.



I moved to the City as a SLU planning student in the late 1990s, and was very supportive of Slay becoming Mayor. I actually donated to his first mayoral campaign and stood outside a Southampton polling place on a damp, cold primary, handing out literature supporting Slay.



Like our inspiring City CEO, I saw the potential of St. Louis backing a comeback. As a planning student and new resident to the City (initially 23rd ward btw), I saw and was excited about the new Downtown Plan taking shape in 1999. As such, I was ultimately then surprised when my ideal candidate seeking to revitalize our City then ignored the plan and public process for the Century-OPO deal.



Oh well, the building is gone, and whether or not you feel the garage was needed for OPO Square's revitalization, all of us want to move on. However, the City and State, through LCRA and MDFB, have sued two constituents that acted as neighborhood activists to have public process upheld and try to find private alternatives that might have saved the Century.



This law suit worries me even more than the Century's demise that I now accept. The Mayor has created his own blog and more on his website, showing he realizes how very grassroots our democratic process has become. But suing constituents certainly seems to counter the spirit of grassroots community involvement in our City's planning and development.



Your Honor, I know you and/or your advisors regularly read this forum. In the spirit of Christmas, and the hopes of a fresh new year in 2006, please have LCRA and MDFB consider dropping the law suit. All of us want to move on. The building is gone. Our downtown is strong. Only the law suit lingers. Please seek a clean slate for a new year that looks very promising for our City.

Thanks Southslider. At this point, we need to move on. With the new year, we need to focus on what's coming, not on mistakes that cannot be corrected. Unfortunately, we can't move on with that disgraceful lawsuit hanging over our heads. It is a dark, creepy cloud. If it could be dropped, dismissed, or whatever, it would go a long way in allowing St. Louis, and the preservation community throughout the U.S. to move on from this dark chapter in St. Louis.



I think Mayor Slay is great. He has been a positive force in St. Louis and I am proud to have him as mayor. Your Honor, if you are listening, please twist some arms and allow these good people to get on with their lives.



Happy New Year, St. Louis. It is going to be a good one!