What was once the largest shopping mall in the St. Louis Metro has now closed its doors and will re-emerge say its developers, as a unique, 21st century urban downtown location.
In February, the town entered into a formal agreement with The Staenberg Group to demolish Chesterfield Mall and replace it with “Downtown Chesterfield”. On 117 acres of land, the Overland, Missouri-based developer aims to construct six million square feet of residential, office and retail space.
“We don’t want to call it a suburban downtown. It’s an urban downtown in a suburban location,” Staenberg’s Senior VP of Development Tim Lowe told St. Louis Public Radio. “We’re trying to create something that will appeal to people that are looking for those extra amenities that come with a downtown environment.”
Initial plans for the $2bn project call for pedestrian pathways that will place all residents and tenants of the district within a five-to-ten-minute walk of any destination in Downtown Chesterfield. Twenty-five per cent of the project will be dedicated to public plazas, sidewalks, jogging trails and parks.
Staenberg is hoping to open 1,000 residential units at Downtown Chesterfield by 2029, but expects that the full development of the project will take 10 to 15 years.
