Five Key Qualities of the SLUP

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Foundations for the SLUP: Existing Conditions Analysis and Community Engagement

Two important elements of the SLUP update process that helped shape the qualities of the plan were the review of the context and history of St. Louis (documented in the Existing Conditions Summary on page 178) and extensive engagement with the St. Louis community (documented on page 142).

Existing conditions that informed the Land Use Plan

St. Louis city stands on an area with a rich history of land use and development. That history has shaped the current context, form, challenges, and opportunities in St. Louis. The SLUP team reviewed the context for a wide range of topics, including population change, demographics, history, economics, transportation, housing, and climate resilience. Throughout this document, there are maps and details that point to this analysis and share how the SLUP builds on the current conditions and the past history to move towards St. Louis’ future.

Some important takeaways from this analysis include:

• Population in the city of St. Louis has continued to decline, with residents moving to the surrounding region — an important context for thinking about future land use, where St. Louis must both retain current residents and attract new ones;
• St. Louis has a strong cultural and architectural history with many robust assets such as parks, cultural institutions, and a vibrant creative community;
• There are many areas of economic strength, including new sectors that are growing;
• While there are many upcoming investments in bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, as well as a strong urban grid, many commercial corridors have a history of automobile-centric development;
• Like many parts of the country, St. Louis faces increasing risks of flooding and extreme heat; and
• Persistent racial segregation and inequities have had a lasting impact on Black residents and their quality of life across St. Louis.

For more about the current conditions, trends, and context in St. Louis, see the Existing Conditions Summary on page 178.

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Community Engagement

This update to the SLUP was developed with people who care about St. Louis. The experiences, expertise, and dreams of the people of St. Louis guided this plan in its creation and will continue to shape its implementation and impact for years to come.

Community engagement was a key part of every phase of this planning process: before any planning started, as initial ideas and challenges were identified, as drafts began to emerge, and as the plan was finalized. Throughout this process, we sought to demystify land use as well as learn with and from people. Most people who shared their wisdom are or were residents of the city. The team also heard from potential future residents, as well as visitors and other stakeholders. Feedback and input from the St. Louis community was carefully assessed, identifying important priorities and opportunities that apply to the whole city.

Throughout the document, you’ll see quotes and images from residents and other stakeholders — these are representative of the strong, shared perspectives that have informed the SLUP.

Residents clearly shared that they want to see more walkable areas, emphasizing the need for access to amenities, and the desire to build on the strengths and assets in St. Louis, among many other things. They also consistently called out the potential and opportunity St. Louis has for positive, unifying change. Read more about the process of community engagement on page 142.

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This diagram shows a snapshot of all the ways the people of St. Louis participated in this process. In the following pages, learn more about each type of engagement.

1. The SLUP Is Yours

The SLUP was developed with people who care about St. Louis. The experiences, expertise, and dreams of the people of St. Louis guided this plan in its creation and will continue to shape its implementation and impact for years to come.

What we heard from people...

“Participation in the process will encourage belief in the results.” -City Resident

“People who are involved and understand their community have a better sense of ownership and pride in what happens there.” -City Resident

“You have to have people working together on a shared goal.” -City Resident

“It’s important to engage the community. There will hopefully be more pride shown when the community feels it is respected and attention is paid to them.” -City Resident

What we’re doing in the plan...

The SLUP lays out aspirations that seek to build upon our rich culture of community-based efforts. It offers everyone involved in the development process-including individual residents, community groups, and small and large developers-a shared vision so that the city can move in the same direction toward these goals. And, the SLUP will continue to evolve with the input from the residents of St. Louis. Through neighborhood and district planning, and through other engagement with the community, core elements of the plan (like the Parcel Map) will be continually updated. The Planning Commission will consider regular amendments to the plan to ensure it reflects community vision and other citywide priorities and changes.

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2. The SLUP Is Urban

St. Louis city is unique in our region in that it maintains the bones of a walkable, human-scale city of neighborhoods. The SLUP aims to build on this unique quality, further encouraging a desirable mix of uses and pedestrian-oriented styles of development that will help the city maintain its population and even grow with new residents into the future.

What we heard from people...

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“We must fill in the gaps in our streetscape with good, practical, pedestrian and transit-friendly development so we can redensify languishing neighborhoods. Most cities don’t have the rich built environment that St. Louis has and reinvigorating what is already there should be our strength and opportunity.” -City Resident

“St. Louis has all the infrastructure bones in place to return to a walkable convenient city all over. Expanded public transit would certainly help with that. Encouraging development for services and also good jobs that are convenient to get to and not car-dependent will help tremendously.” -City Resident

“The best way to attract new residents to St. Louis will be building dense, walkable and transit-oriented spaces. Walkable neighborhoods are already the most expensive and in-demand in St. Louis, as they are in other cities.” -City Resident

“The presence of people always walking or biking about creates a sense that this place is worth being in and makes it feel safe and pleasant.” -City Resident

What we learned in analysis...

Population Change

Population change has been very uneven across the city: land use and development are important factors.

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Since 2010 there has been significant population growth in the Tower Grove South, Tower Grove East, and Fox Park neighborhoods.

Areas in North St. Louis have suffered the greatest population losses. Restoring access to core services in safe, walkable environments is an essential part of the strategy to stem out-migration and begin to attract residents back to these important parts of the city.

The Central Corridor has seen some positive population growth, in large part due to the growth of major employment centers and concerted investments in services, amenities, transit, and other infrastructure.

The foreign-born population, especially those of Indian, Mexican, Chinese, and Bosnian descent, has grown steadily in recent years. The Dutchtown and Bevo Mill neighborhoods have high numbers of foreign-born community members.

Source: 2020 TIGER/Line features published by the US Census Bureau, February 2021

What we learned in analysis...

Walkability to Key Spots (15-minute City)

Most of the neighborhoods that are growing are ones where people can access essential goods and services by foot.

Walkable access to essential services and amenities is especially important in areas with low car ownership such as Hyde Park.

The Central West End is one neighborhood with a high density of essential services and amenities.

Some walkable neighborhoods are isolated with little connectivity between them. It is difficult to reach one walkable area from another.

Boulevard Heights is a neighborhood with a relatively low density of essential services and amenities despite recent population growth.

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Certain neighborhoods have plenty of walkable access to amenities while others have very little access.

The darkest spots represent the most walkable neighborhoods.

The amenities included in the walkability assessment of St. Louis include public facilities (schools, rec centers, pools, libraries, community gardens); food (grocery stores, restaurants, cafes); health (hospitals, clinics, pharmacies); education (elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, higher education); transportation (MetroLink stops, bike routes); places of worship; and entertainment (theaters, concert halls, galleries, artist studios).

Source: Open Street Map, Google Maps

What we’re doing in the plan...

The SLUP doubles down on the qualities that make St. Louis urban. The designations in the SLUP are focused on supporting more walkable, pedestrian-oriented patterns of land use, making it easier to build things that are less car-oriented. Some of the things the SLUP recommends to promote this include:

• Promoting appropriate development types and new mixes of uses near new or planned bike, pedestrian, and transit infrastructure.
• Encouraging parking to be located in spaces that do not interfere with people walking along an active street.
• Supporting active uses on the ground floors of buildings so areas feel vibrant and full.
• Allowing a greater variety of uses in areas, including supporting the historic pattern of neighborhood-serving businesses tucked in between places where people live.
• Locating places that concentrate amenities, businesses, and housing near where people currently live so they can easily access what they need.
• Supporting a range of different building shapes and sizes, including historic buildings and new construction, across the city.

Many current residents (and potential future residents!) want to live in areas that are walkable and where they feel connected to their neighbors and to the history and culture of the city; these guidelines call for strengthening and rebuilding those places across our 62 square miles.

3. The SLUP Is Optimistic (Yet Realistic)

St. Louisans are hopeful and optimistic about the future of St. Louis. Yet, they are realistic about the many challenges that face the city.

What we heard from people...

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Optimistic...

"We have a mix of housing types, accessible green spaces, and most importantly, excellent elementary schools which truly anchor the area by attracting families." -City Resident

"Build new homes where there are lots. We need an increase of families to move in. I like people! More people means more fun with neighbors!" -City Resident

Yet Realistic...

"It's hard to stay optimistic about the city's future if we keep losing population." -City Resident

"We are much more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change than many realize, and in 25 years we will be appealing to climate refugees from other parts of the country." -City Resident

What we learned in analysis...

Existing & Planned Greenways & Transit

Major investments are being made in public transit, bike, and pedestrian infrastructure. The SLUP focuses on restoring density and services around this infrastructure and in areas that connect to it.

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Source: Great Rivers Greenway, Metro St. Louis

What we learned in analysis...

A Sample of Planned and Potential Catalyst Projects

Major new industrial, commercial, multifamily, and institutional projects have the potential to transform St. Louis. There are many major development projects underway in St. Louis that are receiving incentives. The map shows a sample of catalyst projects that are in planning and/or under development, including several SLDC Priority Projects, large projects receiving incentives, recently awarded affordable housing investments, and more. The truth is, there are more projects than could be shown on this map!

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Sara Lou Cafe Be Well Cafe Gateway Global Griot Museum NGA Campus Tucker / Locust Garage City Block 177 Jubilee Grand Motel Eliot School Redevelopment Preservation Square V Carr Square Village Railway Exchange Building Millenium Hotel Gateway South Municipal Courts Building Clinton-Peabody Redevelopment Phase 1 Benton Park Place Apartments Baden School Apartments Wellston Loop Historic Pavillion Easton Mixed-Use MLK Redevelopment Chuck Berry House Marshall School Enterprise Cleaning Building Weissman Theatrical Supply John Cochran VA Medical Center Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Center (AMIC) Virginia Plaza Cleveland High School

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• Catalyst projects in planning and/or under development

Source: STL 2030 Progress, Greater St. Louis Inc., St. Louis Development Corporation, MHDC, CDA, AHC

What we’re doing in the plan...

The SLUP takes the view that change is possible over the long term, with dedication and attention. For example, many parts of the city have high levels of vacancy. Population has been declining on the north side and parts of the city’s southeast, and regional population growth has been almost stagnant. In the 2005 SLUP, reactivating vacant spaces required unrealistic levels of population growth. Instead, this updated SLUP:

• Proposes a system that will create a better environment in St. Louis, whether the population increases or declines.
• Focuses on improving access to what current residents need and creating a higher-quality environment so more people will choose to stay in the city.
• Sets specific aspirations and goals to make St. Louis an attractive location for new residents, such as young families, immigrants, and those who want a lower cost of living, or a more climate-stable home, or to be part of the rich history and culture that makes St. Louis great.

The SLUP takes an optimistic view that change is possible and draws from examples around the country where cities have stabilized their population, reduced the danger from climate change, reduced segregation, and created more walkable, accessible communities. This change is a long-term effort that will take dedication and attention, but it is possible.

4. The SLUP Is Strategic

Making strategic decisions means being intentional about how land use decisions, policy decisions, and investments move together toward a vision for St. Louis. These decisions help focus energy on places and issues that have historically been underinvested or have high needs and benefit the whole city by making the most of the opportunities we have.

What we heard from people...

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“[The Grand MetroLink Station] is disconnected from everything. It’s scary at night. It’s not accessible... we need transit-based development.”

• City Resident

“For far too long, the northern reaches of the city have been ignored and abandoned, left to decay as decades of neglect have taken their toll on the population and perception...”

• City Resident

“The whole north side is a scandal — it’s so bad, coming and seeing that as a newcomer. People who are fixing up a house and they have to live by the vacancy — it’s not fair. [We] must focus [on the north] and make the whole area a better place to live.”

• City Resident

“MetroLink stations often desert riders into the pit of parking that surrounds. If a car is needed to get both to and from the station, how can rail be considered meaningful transit? St. Louis should prioritize high-density development with accessible pedestrian corridors near transit connections.”

• Steering Committee Member

“I wanted to prioritize the people who were displaced due to flooding to stay in the neighborhood.”

• City Resident

What we learned in analysis...

Population Density 2020

Most growing neighborhoods are building the population density needed to sustain the services and retail that add to quality of life. Re-establishing both population density and desirable amenities will help rebuild areas with extensive vacancy.

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Population density is concentrated in the Central West End and in the south.

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● 1 dot = 15 people

Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2020

What we learned in analysis...

Flood Risk

St. Louis has experienced significant flooding in the past and will likely flood more in the future as a result of climate change. Flood maps like this one can help frame discussions around what should be built where.

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The Yellow areas represent the extent of the FEMA Flood Risk zone

Sources: National Flood Hazard Layer, FEMA; The City of St. Louis Metropolitan Sewer District

What we’re doing in the plan...

The SLUP intentionally builds on strengths and assets:

• Increasing activity and density in areas near existing and planned transit and greenway infrastructure so more people can connect to and benefit from these investments
• Aligning higher-and medium-intensity corridor designations with transit infrastructure to encourage development in areas that are accessible to many people
• Recommending specific strategies for coordinating work across City departments and local and regional partners toward greater collaborative impact
• Beginning to define where connections to the Mississippi River could be strengthened for public access

And the SLUP looks ahead to address long-term risks:

• Increasing green space that serves as a neighborhood asset while also mitigating risks of flooding and urban heat impact
• Encouraging design standards that mitigate effects of the changing climate, such as increasing tree cover
• Providing a broad framework for identifying areas for new open space and green infrastructure investments to guide ongoing policy and planning

5. The SLUP Is Implementable

The SLUP is a guide that sets a long-term vision. It’s also a robust tool for helping to catalyze and guide change in St. Louis.

What we heard from people...

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"St. Louis needs a cohesive plan to bring new businesses and residents to the city. Whether through immigration or migration from other more expensive and overcrowded areas of the US, we all as a region need the city to be a vibrant, active area that contributes significantly to the US economy."

• City Resident

"The City/County divide is very frustrating. The lack of coordination hampers the region."

• City Resident

"We need to align our land use plan with our neighborhood plans initiative to rebuild the centers of the neighborhood, promote pedestrian life and activity along the main corridors, and create the housing that supports the communities through innovative and diverse affordable missing middle housing types."

• City Resident

"We were one of the first cities in America to engage in zoning. We need to evolve and use what worked to have a clear path forward to promote population growth and wise land use and regulation so that our city can continue to grow."

• City Resident

What we learned in analysis...

Economic Justice Action Plan

SLDC’s Economic Justice Action Plan provides a powerful framework for equitable reinvestment. While the SLUP shapes the urban form of future land use and lays out allied strategies to advance that vision, the proactive and holistic investments called for by the Economic Justice Action Plan are an essential, implementation-oriented complement to the goals, vision, and values put forward by the SLUP.

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EJI 1 and EJI 2 areas on the Economic Justice Index represent areas that have high need and high opportunity. This Index can help SLDC determine where and how to make investments that will prioritize economic justice in St. Louis.

EJI 2 areas have high need and some opportunity for implementation. These areas are the second-highest priority for SLDC.

EJI 1 areas have both high need for economic justice and have high opportunity for implementation. These areas are highest priority for SLDC.

Source: Economic Justice Action Plan, SLDC

What we learned in analysis...

Market Value Analysis and Vacancy

Challenges like vacancy can be overwhelming. But tools like the Market Value Analysis can help the city and its partners understand different types of housing markets in the city and help inform the strategic approach to addressing vacancy or giving new life to vacant buildings. Together with this information, the SLUP provides clarity for how future land use can guide the investments in and around these areas with different market characteristics.

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Source: The City of St. Louis, St. Louis Vacancy Collaborative

• “A” markets have the highest housing values, low levels of vacancy, very little non-residential land, and few distressed or investor sales.
• “B” markets have high housing values, experience the highest levels of permitting investment, few vacant buildings, and below average levels of distressed or investor sales.
• “C” markets have above average housing values and permitting activity, low levels of vacant residential land and buildings, and their share of distressed sales below the city average.
• “D” markets have slightly above average housing values, low levels of residential vacancy, low levels of cost assisted renters and the highest share of owner occupants.
• “E” markets have below average housing values, low levels of permitting investment, and slightly above average share of distressed and investor sales and residential vacancy that is below the city average.
• “F” markets have housing values below the citywide average, have more renters than owners, above average shares of distressed and investor sales, and the third highest share of renters receiving federal subsidy.
• “G” markets have below average housing values, low levels of permitting activity, high levels of distressed sales, below average share of vacant land, but above average share of vacant buildings.
• “H” markets have below average housing values, low levels of permitting activity, have more renters than owners, above average share of distressed sales and investor sales and the highest levels of vacant residential land and vacant residential buildings.
• “I” markets have the lowest average housing values and lowest levels of permitting activity. They have more owners than renters, the highest share of distressed sales and investor sales and the second highest levels of vacant residential land and vacant residential buildings and the highest share of renters receiving federal subsidy.

What we’re doing in the plan...

In the past, land use planning in St. Louis has focused solely on the legal role of the SLUP map. But to bring the vision for land use to life, this updated SLUP includes:

• Tools and resources that allow the SLUP to serve its important legal role, including robust land use designations with descriptions applied to each parcel in the city, and design guidelines that illustrate the aspirations for each designation
• Visualizations and details about the vision and goals for land use in St. Louis, including a framework plan that shows what goes where and why
• Allied strategy recommendations that lay the path to advance the goals and vision of the land use plan, including recommendations on how the zoning code can be updated to match these aspirations

And, the SLUP can’t achieve this vision on its own, so the process to create this land use plan has involved partners from across the city, including staff in City departments, organizations, residents, developers, investors, and more, who will be able to take on the charge to move this vision forward.

The City is also planning to take a key implementation step to bring the SLUP to life: in 2025, the City will begin a comprehensive update of the Zoning Code, something the City hasn’t done since the 1950s.