Downtown St. Louis 'passed the bottom,' Cardinals owner Bill DeWitt III says, but street improvements are late
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https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2023/10/11/cardinals-president-downtown-passed-bottom-louis.html“I just feel like we've hit bottom on many levels, including activity levels, development levels and safety and security levels and it feels to me like we’re on a really good trajectory there,” DeWitt said in an interview.
But DeWitt also said a multimillion-dollar infrastructure project designed to better connect Ballpark Village to Washington Avenue, for which DeWitt has led fundraising, has been delayed from its original timeline. Officials behind the project say they expect it to begin soon. DeWitt said his enthusiasm about the state of downtown stems from increased security patrols, new public safety leadership and the team’s own internal efforts to provide safety around Busch Stadium.
While the Covid-19 pandemic significantly decreased foot traffic and events in downtown in 2020, with the Cardinals that year playing a season without fans in attendance at Busch Stadium, DeWitt said more downtown commuters have steadily come back as the pandemic has waned. But he noted trends like work from home and smaller office footprints have kept the number of daily commuters off from pre-pandemic figures. That led Webster University last year to close its downtown campus, citing a decrease in corporate activity in the neighborhood. “We're way passed that low point, but we're maybe not quite where we were,” DeWitt said. His comments came in a wide-ranging interview that also included pledges to increase payroll after a bad 2023 season, even as revenue is likely to fall, and the disclosure that there is no timeline for further expanding Ballpark Village, with inflation and high interest rates to blame.
'Beefed up' security
While downtown for years has grappled with the perception of being unsafe, DeWitt said he believes security in the neighborhood is strengthening. He pointed to three factors, one of which includes a pilot program launched this summer to put more police officers downtown. The program was funded by the St. Louis Police Foundation, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. DeWitt is a member of the foundation's board.
DeWitt has also celebrated new leaders at the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office and St. Louis Police Department. He said Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore, who in May replaced Kim Gardner, is “doing a great job” of operating the office after taking over for the embattled Gardner.
“That's made a real difference,” DeWitt said.
DeWitt also mentioned St. Louis Police Chief of Police Robert Tracy, who was hired in December 2022.
“I think he has a real feel for what's needed in terms of the policing function downtown and elsewhere in the city,” DeWitt said.
The Cardinals have also sought to have an active role in boosting downtown security and have “beefed up” the team's own use of secondary police around Busch Stadium and the adjacent Ballpark Village.
“That's shown results for us in terms of safety and security here at Ballpark Village,” DeWitt said.
The 2023 Cardinals season wasn’t without safety concerns, with more than two dozen cars getting broken into at lots around the stadium in May. DeWitt said the club has met with parking operators around Busch Stadium and has developed “a game plan and a strategy with all of them to be more vigilant during games.”
City police report that through September, person crimes downtown, where Busch Stadium is located, have risen about 5% compared with the same period of 2022. Those include murder and aggravated assault. But property crimes in the neighborhood are down 37% this year, police say.
Seventh Street project still on horizon
DeWitt said Thursday there are still plans to move forward with a multimillion-dollar project for infrastructure work on a stretch of Seventh Street downtown, with a goal of bettering connecting Ballpark Village with Washington Avenue.
DeWitt said rising costs and interest rates have made bidding out the project challenging, but that city officials managing the project have told him they’re optimistic about completing the project in 2024. Officials originally said completion could come by the end of 2023. “They tell me we're still on track to get started with that pretty soon,” he said.
The project calls for new sidewalks, ramps, lighting, traffic signals, trees and a cycle track on the west side of the street, which will be repaved along Seventh from Walnut Street north to Washington. The project has backing from private-sector business group Greater St. Louis Inc.
“Transforming 7th Street is an important part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen downtown’s vibrancy and walkability. We have made substantial progress recently with the city and our investors to finalize plans for 7th Street and plan to share more information in the near future,” Kurt Weigle, chief downtown officer for Greater St. Louis Inc., said in a statement.
DeWitt has led fundraising efforts for the proposed project and said funding remains in place for it.
