The Alton Riverfront is a rare natural asset at the core of our community. This treasure has the potential to become an outdoor recreation destination, a wonderful place for residents to enjoy, an attraction for visitors from around the country, and an economic driver, providing stability for generations to come.
A reimagined riverfront could connect historic downtown Alton to our iconic Mississippi River in a way that promotes active living, job creation, and lower greenhouse gases, and spurs investment into the region, while also adapting to the realities of nature. These aspirational ideas embrace the best of the Great Streets Program and demonstrate how transformational and inclusive big dreams could be for the entire community.
At AltonWorks, we believe the Alton Riverfront could create major economic growth if utilized as a natural outdoor attraction, rather than one that houses big businesses in big buildings that block the views and are surrounded by acres and acres of concrete parking.
Over the next few years, the City of Alton and its residents will have an important decision to make about its long-term use and how it intersects with the future of downtown Alton.
The vision for the riverfront is an aspirational idea, like the Wedge Innovation Center and other AltonWorks projects designed to change the trajectory of Alton and position the city as a community that can attract and retain residents from all economic, cultural and racial backgrounds to find a home in this great community.
https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2023/12/04/altonworks-great-rivers-national-park-alton.html?cx_testId=40&cx_testVariant=cx_5&cx_artPos=0#cxrecs_sAltonWorks, which was founded in 2019 as a social impact company designed to help revitalize Alton’s downtown business districts, aspires to transform the city’s riverfront into “the front door” of the nation’s next national park.
But don’t expect it to happen anytime soon; receiving national park status is a years-long process in which many city, state and local government agencies will be involved.
AltonWorks' proposed Great Rivers National Park, would encompass 135,000 acres of lands along 144 miles-long stretches of the Mississippi, Missouri and Illinois rivers. It is also proposing a redevelopment of Alton’s Riverfront Park, which would transform the area into a family-friendly outdoor recreation destination. “We tend to think of things as first, in ‘the dream phase;’ second, in ‘the planning phase;’ and third in ‘the implementation phase,” AltonWorks COO Kevin Carlie said.
“For the Great Rivers National Park, I would say that’s still in the dream phase, but you’ve got to start somewhere,” he continued. “When it comes to the riverfront, we’re still in the dream phase, and we’re moving to the planning phase.”
National parks are usually established by an act of Congress, although the president also has authority to proclaim national monuments on lands or waters under federal jurisdiction, according to National Park Service materials.
Before Congress establishes a new park, it needs information about the land and whether it meets established criteria, such as possessing nationally significant natural, cultural or recreational resources. This information is collected through a so-called reconnaissance survey, which officials said takes about two years to conduct.
If the area appears to have potential as a unit of the national park system after the survey concludes, Congress will authorize the gathering of additional information, like outlining park management options and setting park boundaries, before deciding whether an area should be added to the park service or whether some other action might be appropriate, via a series of congressional committee hearings, park service materials said.
