ST. LOUIS – The long wait may soon be over for Ballpark Village.
A vision that began more than 10 years ago could actually become reality in the coming months with the Cardinals unveiling of their latest plan for the 10-acre site to the north of Busch Stadium.
The new plan features a 100,000-square foot retail and entertainment district that will include a three story building just beyond left field that will have a Cardinals-themed restaurant, a Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum and seating decks with views into the stadium.
Best of all? The plan is entirely privately funded.
"It bodes well for our chances," said Cardinals President Bill DeWitt III. "It's nice to be back drawing and designing and doing things that lead us to that finish line. I'm excited about this."
The Cardinals unveiled a master plan for Ballpark Village nearly 12 years ago that included an aquarium, a 21-story condo tower with views into the ballpark, retail stories, restaurants and more. But by the time the old Busch Stadium was torn down and the space to build it became available, the economy and real estate market had both plummeted and the plan was put back on hold.
At least twice the Cardinals thought they had large companies ready to move their headquarters to a high-rise office building on the grounds but both instances fell through. The land currently holds a large parking lot and a softball field.
The new plan is a much smaller version of the original idea but doesn't eliminate the other elements of the project from eventually happening.
"The overall vision is still the same," DeWitt said. "The retail-entertainment piece was always part of the process. It just leaves the rest of it. It really only covers two blocks in the first phase. There's five blocks yet to go after that so the full vision is there, we're just doing it in a little more sequence this time.
"We feel by getting that part done first, that streamlines it, we can see our way to the finish line a little easier. We would have that infrastructure done around the site so it makes it easier for an office or residential tenant to come in after."
The Cardinals plan to announce other tenants of the retail and entertainment portion in the coming weeks, but another element of the plan that was announced includes an open-air space called Live Plaza, which would have a retractable roof and hold events throughout the year.
The current project would leave nearly five blocks of available space, which the Cardinals hope can still eventually develop into their original plans of an office building or high-rise condos.
The Cardinals still have some legal hurdles they need to clear with both the city and state, but DeWitt is confident they finally have the package needed to push the plan into action.
That's because the Cardinals and their development partner Cordish plan to pick up most of the $100 million bill themselves. The Cardinals also plan to buy $18 million in bonds that will eventually be paid back with city and state taxes from the businesses on the site grounds.
Both are changes from previous plans.
"Since we've agreed to do that, it takes a lot of the uncertainty away," DeWitt added.
Final approvals from the state of Missouri could come later this summer and the Cardinals hope to break ground this fall. If all goes as planned, the retail and entertainment district will open in the spring of 2014.
