Mississippi Riverfront Master Plan

debaliviere · PostMar 08, 2005#12005-03-08T22:55+00:00

Buried in the 2/17 edition of the Business Journal was this blurb:

"The Great Rivers Greenway District has begun its search for consultants to prepare a master plan for redeveloping the St. Louis riverfront.

A request for qualifications was issued Feb. 3 to attract interested parties, and a pre-submittal meeting is planned for GRGD's offices in Union Station.

'We are looking for a multidisciplinary team of professionals - architects, land planners and people who know how to do projects along the river,' said Todd Antoine, senior planner with GRGD. He said $500,000 has been budgeted for the master plan project this year.

The master plan's aim is to redevelop the St. Louis riverfront into a destination showcasing the city and the Mississippi River, focusing on the area between the Eads and Poplar Street bridges. It will help make the riverfront an integral part of The River Ring, a long-term GRGD project involving an interconnected system of greenways, parks and trails encircling the St. Louis region."

xing · PostMar 08, 2005#22005-03-08T23:15+00:00

Yeah I knew about this. Look it up at the Army Corps of Engineers site.

smsplanstu · PostMar 09, 2005#32005-03-09T02:57+00:00

Funny how St. Louis just like many rustbelt cities has a lonely, depressed riverfront with a plethora of abandoned and old factories. Ohh yeah when looking at U.S. govt's survallience shots half of the north and south business district along the riverfront are vacant, wasted, or just open concrete swaths with no purpose.

I am definitely for a revived riverfront but not the touristy Cincinnati kind with all its museums and stadiums that generate people but lack thriving neighborhood activity. We need a grand riverfront park, and I do not mean the modernist concrete slabs and pointless road and walk infront of the arch. No buddy, I mean something with terraced levels with promenades both classic, styled, and innovative, trees, flower beds, areas like Central Park's reading bench area under vaulted hanging trees. Let's not forget open grass stretches for picnicing and throwing around a frisbee and other physical activities.

This riverfront park would attract people in it's own and make the Central West End look like a second option. The neighborhoods should also be filled with a mix of housing with the major bulk being middle class and yeah let's not forget those artsy people and their cool unfinished places.

I guess I'm jived or more wired, but I'm not a professional and do not have experience. I would just stress making this a major civic project and great place to live alongside some industry. Industry needs to be included in the mix, but not in the old fashioned way or today's industrial parks. Depending on industry they could be mixed in comfortably so as each's needs be met. Separate routes for trucks and railroad tracks from urban streets that serve pedestrians and leisure cars.

I wish there could be a massive ornamented warf like Boston where one of their main ports is grandiose with its attention to details like a massive arch to make Downtown and the bay visible to each other.

So many trucking facilities, river boat or barges, and a large railyard exist on the southside riverfront BD south of A-B that could be consolidated to make wise use of the space and make cargo handling between shipping transports easier. This means billions more than Downtown is getting but in the end, it's well worth it.

Be a visionary, don't just settle for today's sad state or even what many port cities already have that tends to be plain and a quick fix.

Let's stand out!

suburban lou · PostMar 10, 2005#42005-03-10T01:33+00:00

I really wonder what they are going to put on the riverfront since the area is prone to flooding.

xing · PostMar 10, 2005#52005-03-10T02:21+00:00

A lot of parks, I think. ^

arch city · PostMar 16, 2005#62005-03-16T16:24+00:00

LATEST NEWS

St. Louis Business Journal - 8:47 AM CST Wednesday

12 teams submit proposals for riverfront master plan

Twelve teams from across the nation submitted proposals to develop comprehensive master plan for the St. Louis Downtown Riverfront, the Great Rivers Greenway District said.

The project is to redevelop the riverfront area in to a nationally recognized destination over a 10-year period.

A steering committee made up of representatives of the Great Rivers Greenway District, the city of St. Louis, the National Park Service, Downtown Now and Metro will select a winning proposal in May. Development of the master plan is expected to take about a year.

The winning firm will be chosen for its ability to produce a design as well as its ability to get input from stakeholders and the public.

The Great Rivers Greenway District, formed by the passage of Proposition C in 2000, is working to develop a more than 1,200 square-mile area of interconnected greenways, parks and trails. The group plans to hold public meetings to generate interest on the master plan.

Source

Link:

The Great Rivers Greenway District

urbanstlouis · PostMar 16, 2005#72005-03-16T18:16+00:00

I caught a small mention and renderings of a few of the plans on FOX2 last night. They flipped through the renderings so quickly, I don't recall the specifics of each one, other than they each had very different possibilities.

DeBaliviere wrote:A request for qualifications was issued Feb. 3 to attract interested parties.

Here is the RFQ that was issued by the Great Rivers Greenway District:

Request for Qualifications - St. Louis Riverfront Master Plan

St. Louis Riverfront Master PlanGreat Rivers Greenway District, Missouri

Proposals Due: March 14, 2005

The Great Rivers Greenway District is soliciting qualifications for consultants to prepare a St. Louis, Missouri Riverfront Master Plan.The Great Rivers Greenway District (GRG) was established in November 2000 in St. Louis City, St. Louis County, and St. Charles County, Missouri. GRG is spearheading the development of The River Ring, an interconnected system of greenways, parks and trails that will encircle the region and the three jurisdictions comprising the district. The Mississippi River was identified in GRG's regional plan as a major greenway corridor with emphasis placed on the St. Louis Downtown Riverfront.

GRG is providing funding for the Plan and is the lead agency on the project. The project is a partnership with the City of St. Louis; the National Park Service Jefferson National Expansion Memorial whose centerpiece is the Gateway Arch; Downtown Now! a public/private partnership dedicated to the revitalization of Downtown St. Louis; and Metro (the region's public transit agency), which operates the transportation system that takes visitors to the top of the Arch and operates two public excursion boats off of the riverfront adjacent to the Memorial.

The goal for this project is to produce a definitive design for the St. Louis Downtown Riverfront that will, when implemented, position this Riverfront as a nationally recognized destination showcasing the Mississippi River and St. Louis. The selected consultant will be expected to produce this design, and conduct the public engagement process necessary to ensure that the design can proceed from the concept stage through design development to the implementation stage with the consensus of stakeholders and general public firmly in place.

Implementation is a key component of this plan. The engagement of a variety of parties and organizations, including those from both the public and private sectors, is essential to ensuring that implementation can be readily achieved. The consultant will be expected to successfully design and conduct the engagement process and ensure that consensus is achieved so that implementation can move forward.

Qualifications are due by 3:00 (CST) on Monday, March 14, 2005. There is an optional pre-submittal meeting on Thursday, February 17 th at 10:00AM (CST) at the Great Rivers Greenway offices.

For more information contact:

Glenna Brown

Great Rivers Greenway District

1000 St. Louis Union Station, Suite 102

St. Louis, MO 63103

(P) 314-436-7009

gbrown@greatrivers.info

courtland · PostMar 16, 2005#82005-03-16T21:54+00:00

only problem I have with all of this is "where is the funding going to come from"? just like the proposed lid over the depressed lanes on the riverfront..great ideas but no funding to do the freaking project!

smsplanstu · PostMar 16, 2005#92005-03-16T22:55+00:00

I thought they said the tax which seems limited unless nationally supported. Maybe the feds have something instore that we do not know of.

MattnSTL · PostMar 16, 2005#102005-03-16T23:14+00:00

The National Park Service is involved, so maybe some funding will come from them along with the sales tax for the great rivers greenway district.

mattonarsenal · PostMar 17, 2005#112005-03-17T04:10+00:00

only problem I have with all of this is "where is the funding going to come from"? just like the proposed lid over the depressed lanes on the riverfront..great ideas but no funding to do the freaking project!

Usually you need a plan to get some money. Without a plan and a vision its hard to get buy-in from anyone

"Hey courtland, we're going to fix up the riverfront and make it look really pretty. Trust us it is going to be really cool. Now vote for the tax increase."

I remember about ten years ago one of the downtown plans called for hundereds of millions in investment. People asked where the heck the money was going to come from. Now we have over a billion in investment in downtown.

toastedravioli · PostMar 17, 2005#122005-03-17T04:12+00:00

This is great, but we need to put that lid over the highway first. Making that highway area pleasant and connecting the arch with downtown will add so much too our downtown credibility. Right now it feels like the arch is on an island and not part of downtown.

xing · PostMar 17, 2005#132005-03-17T04:25+00:00

are these renderings or other cities? I cant tell. I think it's other cities.

Riverfront Plans Show Off Exciting Future For St. Louis

created: 3/16/2005 10:24:16 PM

updated: 3/16/2005 10:30:11 PM

It is our biggest asset and our defining feature. Yet if you ask tourists and locals alike, they'd all say the St. Louis riverfront is underutilized. "It could definitely be a lot better than it is," said carriage driver Cindy Kasino.

The idea is to fix that with a big, comprehensive master plan. Todd Antoine, a senior planner with the Great Rivers Greenway District, said, "Reconnect to the river, reconnect to the history of St. Louis. Why St. Louis was founded in the first place is because of the river."

And so the deadline was Monday. 12 different teams submitted their proposals and credentials. It's up to the Great Rivers Greenway Project to decide who gets to develop the area, and how. "It could be promenades, it could be kiosks for vendors to be down there," said Antoine.

They're looking to other cities for ideas.

Everything from walkways and wading pools to park benches and play areas "There's concessions where people can get services, such as a bike rental to ride up the riverfront trail. They can get refreshments, potential helicopter rides, and visit the riverboats," according to Rollin Stanley. Stanley is the Director of Planning and Urban Design for the city of St. Louis.

For the city, this all part of a larger downtown redevelopment plan. Stanley says, "Surveys taken in the city show the vast number of people want to be able to touch the water and to do that now you have to stumble over cobblestones."

As soon as the Greenway District picks a proposal, it goes to the public for input. "The worst part I found was the parking," commented tourist Andrew Rose. And Cindy Kasino noticed, "It's kinda hard for them to find a bathroom around here after the Arch closes sometimes."

The planners know they've got their work cut out for them. The project could take a decade. "I'm very excited about it. This is something I think the whole region is going to be excited about," said planner Antonine. Adds designer Stanley, "I think in 10 years you'll see a completely changed area over by the Gateway Arch, on either side."

urbz · PostMar 17, 2005#142005-03-17T04:34+00:00

I always imagined something like the first rendering; very Forest Park-like, something like the grand basin. Afterall, the bottom of the stairs is the best place to view the arch and the river at the same time.

MattnSTL · PostMar 17, 2005#152005-03-17T04:35+00:00

The renderings I saw on channel 2 last night were all from other cities presenting ideas for our riverfront based of other developments. You can see the one rendering is Memphis with the pyramid. Bridges could not be as low as is portrayed either.

smsplanstu · PostMar 24, 2005#162005-03-24T09:08+00:00

In one week Rollin Stanley informed me (after introducing myself as a fan and MO planning student deeply interested at the Amer. Plan. Assoc. conference) that the Riverfront/Greenways project is going to be big and make the highlights in one week or two at worst. I will try to learn more and share soon.

btw What happened to the forum site? The conference has made known many new projects to make headway in city design and policies like much better New Urbanism, managing growth, sustainability, and much more.

matguy70 · PostMar 24, 2005#172005-03-24T15:07+00:00

In the PD Today:

Work begins on master plan for riverfront

Jim Merkel

Improvements may be coming to the riverfront area near the Eads and Poplar Street bridges.

An advisory committee will begin work in May on a master plan for the area along the city's riverfront between Biddle Street, Chouteau Avenue, Leonor K. Sullivan Boulevard and the river to the east. The plan is expected to take a year to complete.

The Riverfront Advisory Committee will consist of a variety of local governmental officials, the Coast Guard, the Army Corps of Engineers and developers.

"There'll be an extensive public engagement process," said Todd Antoine, senior planner for the Great Rivers Greenway District.

The steering committee for the St. Louis Riverfront Master Plan is the Great Rivers Greenway District, the city, Downtown Now, the National Park Service Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (Gateway Arch) and Metro. The Great Rivers Greenway District is the public organization leading the St. Louis Riverfront project and funding the development of the master plan for the riverfront.

"It's really about reconnecting Downtown to the riverfront," Antoine said.

In preparation for the planning process, 12 teams, each representing a collaboration of five to six architectural, urban design or engineering firms, submitted proposals for the development of the master plan. The deadline for submissions was March 14.

The steering committee will select a firm or combination of firms in May to help develop the Downtown riverfront over the next 10 years.

The greenway wants to develop the riverfront as part a region-wide system of interconnected greenways, parks and trails known as The River Ring.

The planning process is similar to what's been done in river cities like Cincinnati, Memphis and Pittsburgh, Antoine said. "They're all looking at ways to reconnect their downtowns to the major waterfronts," he said. "A lot of the folks are looking at the rivers as amenities to their downtowns."

The Great Rivers Greenway District wants to extend the 12-mile Riverfront Trail from Chain of Rocks Bridge past its present terminus at Biddle Street to the Gateway Arch, Antoine said. The trail is used by bicyclists and hikers.

After the 12-month planning process, the beginnings of construction drawing would be developed. Implementation of the plan would come after that, Antoine said.

PostMar 24, 2005#182005-03-24T15:18+00:00

another article:

Master Plan for St. Louis Downtown Riverfront Attracts Nationwide Interest

ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com) March 17, 2005 - The competition for developing a creative and comprehensive Master Plan for the St. Louis Downtown Riverfront has captured the attention of leading planning, architecture, urban design and engineering firms across the nation.

Proposals from 12 teams, each representing a collaboration of five to six firms, have been submitted in response to the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) issued last month by the Great Rivers Greenway District, the public organization leading the St. Louis Riverfront project and funding the development of the Master Plan.

The Great Rivers Greenway District, formerly known as the Metropolitan Park and Recreation District, is one of the largest districts of its kind in the nation. The Greenway District was established in November 2000 by the successful passage of the Clean Water, Safe Parks and Community Trails Initiative (Proposition C) in St. Louis City, St. Louis County and St. Charles County, Missouri.

Riverfront development is an integral part of The Great Rivers Greenway District's overall vision for a region-wide system of interconnected greenways, parks and trails known as The River Ring, joining two states and covering an expanse of 1,216 square miles.

"Despite the best intentions of a platoon of planners over the years, the last people to take full advantage of the St. Louis riverfront's amenities were probably French fur trappers. It's well past time to use more of the river as a major draw for visitors and residents alike," said St. Louis Mayor Francis G. Slay.

The goal for the project is to redevelop the Downtown St. Louis Riverfront into a nationally recognized destination and the RFQ requested firms to present their credentials for developing a framework to implement the phased development of the Downtown St. Louis Riverfront over the next 10 years.

The consulting firm or a combination of firms will be selected in May 2005 by a steering committee comprised of representatives for The Great Rivers Greenway District and its partners for the project, which include the City of St. Louis, the National Park Service Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (Gateway Arch), Downtown Now!, and Metro (Bi-State Development).

The process of developing a comprehensive Master Plan is expected to take approximately 12 months. The winning team or teams will develop a framework to implement the phased development of the Downtown St. Louis Riverfront over the next 10 years.

In a statement, David Fisher, Executive Director of The Great Rivers Greenway District, said "Selecting a team that can draw upon the energy and interest that will coalesce around the Master Plan is very important." He added that following the selection of a team, The District will host a series of public meetings to generate citizen interest, comments and participation to assist in preparing the Master Plan.

Fisher believes the timing for the RFQ is significant. "The Gateway Arch will be celebrating its 40th anniversary in fall 2005 and this occasion will attract further attention to the planning process for riverfront improvements," he said. "Not only will we be looking at the qualifications of those responding to the RFQ, we will be considering proposals in terms of their economic, environmental and social impact on the entire region."

www.slfp.com

debaliviere · PostApr 29, 2005#192005-04-29T17:40+00:00

According to Mayor Slay's state of the city address, a design team will be announced on Monday.

courtland · PostApr 29, 2005#202005-04-29T19:31+00:00

DeBaliviere wrote:According to Mayor Slay's state of the city address, a design team will be announced on Monday.

great news! but more importantly, do they have the money for this project?

xing · PostApr 29, 2005#212005-04-29T22:48+00:00

Statue honoring Lewis and Clark's return is planned for the riverfront

By Elizabethe Holland

Of the Post-Dispatch

04/28/2005

The maquette (small model) cast in bronze that Harry Weber sculpted last year.

(HANDOUT)

Lewis and Clark ended their historic journey in 1806 at the St. Louis riverfront. So why, wondered Lucie Huger, is there nothing to mark that particular moment? The author and historian from Kirkwood has been at the forefront of an effort to commemorate the event with a statue.

"This is where they ended up, and we should have a big to-do - 'Hooray, we made it!'" Huger said. "I really want to see this happen."

It appears she will. A site has been approved, and a design has been drafted by a noted area sculptor. All it needs is some funding.

Huger and backers of the project expect to see a bronze statue depicting Meriwether Lewis and William Clark by September next year - the bicentennial of the explorer's return to St. Louis. The statue will sit alongside the Mississippi River at the foot of Washington Avenue within a few hundred yards of where historians believe Lewis and Clark landed. The statue will complement a planned riverfront revival, said Rollin Stanley, the city's director of planning and urban design.

Wright City artist Harry Weber already has begun preliminary steps required to craft the piece. His works, which dot the city and state, include a number of bronze portraits of Cardinals outside Busch Stadium.

His riverfront sculpture will have Lewis kneeling next to his dog, Seaman, on the front of the explorers' boat as it approaches shore. Clark will stand to the left, waving his hat in triumph. The figures will be larger than life - about 10 feet tall for Lewis and Clark.

Though Weber has a good deal of work ahead of him, "the big deal for me," he said, "was actually getting the site approval."

With that taken care of, Huger, Weber and others involved in the project say they now have to raise about $700,000. The total would include an endowment for maintenance and repair of the statue, which will be portable in case of flooding.

Bill Durham, a marketing consultant, is leading the fund-raising effort. Already, a private foundation has kicked in $75,000, he said.

Raising the rest of the money won't be easy, "but for what it represents, it's a drop in the bucket," he said. "St. Louis should own Lewis and Clark. We should be the No. 1 Lewis and Clark venue in the world. They planned it from here. They took off from here. They came back here."

He said he also sees the statue as a sort of symbol of the rebirth of St. Louis.

"And it's going to be beautiful down there," he said. "It's going to be a real jewel."

Reporter Elizabethe Holland

E-mail: eholland@post-dispatch.com

Phone: 314-340-8259

trent · PostApr 29, 2005#222005-04-29T23:04+00:00

It shoudl be 20 feet tall. Why stop at 10?

There also should be a cool L&C museum within proximity of the statue.

debaliviere · PostApr 30, 2005#232005-04-30T15:12+00:00

That statue is a great idea!

soulardd · PostMay 01, 2005#242005-05-01T23:41+00:00

Statue honoring Lewis and Clark's return is planned for the riverfront

Pardon my lack of enthusiam, but someone please tell me that's not all they're going to do down there. If they want to make this a destination it's going to take more than a nice park or statues.

xing · PostMay 02, 2005#252005-05-02T01:03+00:00

Oh, no. That's not all. Read the beginning of this thread. They're planning on re-doing the whole thing. The statue is just an additional element.