Over 11 years after the Millennium Hotel vacated its property on 4th Street, the Gateway Arch Park Foundation has selected the Cordish Companies to redevelop the prime site.
Born out of the November 2024 request for proposals (RFP) issued by the Gateway Arch Park Foundation, the $670 Million plan presents a grand vision for 1.3 million square feet of residential, office, retail and public spaces on the edge of the Gateway Arch National Park. Plans call for:
41-story residential tower with 600 apartments.
10-story, Class A office building with 250,000sf of space.
60,000sf Arch archive.
52,000sf of retail space (overall).
35,000sf food hall and winter garden.
Amphitheater.
1000 space parking garage underneath the residential tower (2 floors below-grade, and 3 floors above-grade).
The also includes a public plaza that "extends" Clark to 4th Street to Memorial Drive and additional landscaped areas along Memorial Drive to Walnut Street. Although not part of the plans yet, this project, plus Ballpark Village a block away, make a compelling case for eventually removing the Busch Stadium East Garage.
Unlike other Downtown projects, the project is one of the more daring due to it demolishing a complex of vacant buildings that has been an eyesore to the City for over a decade now. It also represents a significant change in the development patterns for Downtown from an area that has been mainly focused on conversions of historic buildings to mixed-usages to more new construction. Transforming the skyline overlooking the Arch is a great way to demonstrate to outsiders that St. Louis is an evolving place that's open to change.
While some have raised questions around Cordish's involvement in this project, considering how long it has taken for Ballpark Village to get half-completed, the difference here is that Cordish isn't tied to a development partner (the Dewitt family) which also owns a baseball team (Cardinals) and needs to continue investing money there. Since the announcement, I've heard that the development team might move faster on this project than expected as a result of obligations defined in the Arch Park Foundation's RFP. Getting the property redeveloped has also been a priority for the City of St. Louis due to the visible presence the property has on the skyline.
Because of the residential building's height, and limits placed on building height east of Broadway, a variance is certainly going to be sought. Current regulations limit building heights east of Broadway, south of Carr, and north of Chouteau to around 300ft+/-.
On February 25th, the LCRA is expected to designate Cordish as the redeveloper of the property after previously approving a 20-year, 90% tax abatement for the property in September of 2024. This project, at 200 South 4th Street, is on the agenda for that meeting.
Mayor Tishaura Jones, who's in the midst of a tough reelection campaign against Alderwoman Cara Spencer, Recorder of Deeds Michael Butler, and Businessman Andrew Jones, released a statement in support of the project.
"Back in May of 2024, I asked SLDC and GSL (Greater St. Louis Inc.) to bring me a plan to address the Railway Exchange and the Millennium Hotel within 120 days. In September, they established a path forward to address both buildings. And now, as a result of a successful public-private partnership, the Gateway Arch Park Foundation stepping up for our community, and The Cordish Companies’ exciting plan, this property at the front door of our state will again be one that St. Louisans can be proud of, and which will contribute immensely to downtown. This is what leadership and collaboration look like, and I want to thank everyone involved. I am thrilled that a trusted and successful developer like The Cordish Companies will bring this home.'
The Mayor's comment mirrors comments issued by others associated with the project.
Cordish Companies Principal Blake Cordish's own statement focuses on the potential this project brings:
“This development is a once-in-a-generation moment to reimagine and continue to reinvigorate downtown’s urban core. By linking new and existing assets to thriving corridors, this project will act as a catalyst for further revitalization, bringing more residents and visitors, attracting new businesses, and driving long-term growth and vitality for St. Louis and the region."
SLDC CEO and President Neal Richardson has an incredibly optimistic tone for this project:
"This redevelopment plan will transform the St. Louis skyline. Working with Gateway Arch Park Foundation and The Cordish Companies on this project will provide the rejuvenation St. Louis desperately needs to transition into a world-class city."
Although, I do take issue with his comment about St. Louis needing to desperately transition into a world class city. Isn't it already a "world-class city"?
I'll listen in to the LCRA meeting and will provide updates on the project that are shared there.
Update 2/20/2025
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch is reporting that Cardinals President Bill Dewitt III said that the Cardinals might invest into this project as its further along than a 3rd phase of Ballpark Village. Depending on how fast the Millennium Hotel redevelopment moves through the approval process, and the economics and finances of the deal, the Cardinals might just invest.
The admission that a 3rd phase of Ballpark Village isn't as far along as this proposal is an indictment of sorts. Ballpark Village has seen strong leasing numbers at One Cardinal Way and only a few retail spaces remain vacant in the half-built development. Bill Dewitt has previously said that he would like to see an additional residential tower at Ballpark Village because of the strong numbers the team was seeing from One Cardinal Way. Who holds the fault for pushing a response to a RFP ahead of an existing development district is unknown, but it'll probably be a topic of discussion at the February 25th LCRA meeting.