Jamestown Mall needs to start over
North County Journal
By Scott Bandle
Friday, October 2, 2009
To remake the Jamestown Mall into a vibrant shopping center, two things have to change: It must be demolished and it must be renamed.
These are two suggestions given by a panel from the non-profit Urban Land Institute. The panel presented its findings to an overflow crowd Friday at the Shalom Church City of Peace.
Hired by St. Louis County for $120,000, the Urban Land Institute's redevelopment experts last week interviewed about North County 100 residents.
"Our study shows that it should be turned into an authentic town center," said Ray Brown, president of Ray Brown Urban Design and chairperson for the Urban Land Institute meeting.
"It needs to come down," he said. "There are cracked parking lots, empty anchor stores, maintenance that has been long deferred. It's too late to save it. You have to start over."
One possible name for the center is Lindbergh Place, he said.
Some ideas from the residents include sit-down restaurants, a pharmacy, specialty grocery and a year-round farmer's market.
The 142-acre site is ideal for a mixed-use project with the emphasis on small businesses. The site is so large that additional land does not need to be purchased, said Business Development Coordinator Brian Scott Hall said.
The ULI suggested that a town center grid should be designed, complete with streets, green spaces, ponds and a hockey rink.
The panel did not give any cost for such a facility, but Brown offered a cost of at least $100 million.
Currently, Jamestown Mall battles a perception that it is unsafe and has the wrong selection of stores, Brown said.
It also shares the same fate as other malls across the country.
"The hey-day of the suburban malls is over," he said. "People like going to the (University City) Loop and the Central West End. Why? Because it's fun, it's authentic."
The mall also faces other economic challenges. The St. Louis area is saturated with nine malls. St. Louis County also has an inefficient sales tax system and is fragmented with so many local governments, said Donna Lewis, planning director for Mercer County in New Jersey.
"You've got all of these cities competing for sales tax money," Lewis said. "They try and take each other's businesses."
The study urges St. Louis County to take a strong lead in the project. That includes acquiring the land, demolishing the mall, and installing an infrastructure. The county will have to deal with mall owners, and retailers such as Macy's, the Carlyle Group, JCPenney, Sears and developers such as Michael Konan.
During a question-and-answer period, one resident wanted to know if taxes will be needed to fund the project.
"That's a conversation that will have to be decided locally," Brown said.
Another resident asked if any of the mall's buildings are usable.
"Clinging to these buildings is clinging to the status quo," said Daniel Quinto, president of Roaring Brook Development Company.
Possible attractions for Lindbergh Place, the proposed successor to Jamestown Mall.
- Senior living facilities
- Lifestyle and boulevard shopping
- Small business offices
- Community recreation center
- Family-oriented activities
- Facilities for youth activities
- A child day care center
- Medical and health care facilities
- An entertainment center with a food court
- High technology center
- A small business incubator
- A year-round farmer's market
