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| City of St. Louis Planning Commission | |
|---|---|
| Name | City of St. Louis Planning Commission |
| Type | Municipal planning agency |
| Formed | 1914 |
| Jurisdiction | St. Louis, Missouri |
| Headquarters | St. Louis City Hall |
| Employees | 20–50 |
| Chief1 name | Commission Chair |
| Chief1 position | Chair |
| Parent agency | City of St. Louis |
City of St. Louis Planning Commission The City of St. Louis Planning Commission is the municipal planning body responsible for land use, zoning, subdivision review, and design review in St. Louis, Missouri; it operates within the framework of the Missouri Constitution, municipal law passed by the St. Louis Board of Aldermen, and policy initiatives from the Office of the Mayor of St. Louis. The commission interfaces with neighborhood groups such as Central West End, Soulard, and JeffVanderLou as well as regional entities like the East-West Gateway Council of Governments, the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District, and the St. Louis Development Corporation. Its decisions affect infrastructure projects linked to Interstate 70 (Kansas–Missouri), redevelopment initiatives near Gateway Arch National Park, and housing strategies connected to federal programs such as the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Established during the Progressive Era, the commission traces roots to early planning advocacy by figures associated with the City Beautiful movement, the American Planning Association, and civic reformers from St. Louis University and Washington University in St. Louis. Throughout the 20th century it engaged with urban renewal programs tied to the Housing Act of 1949, federal highway expansions like Interstate 44, and postwar suburbanization affecting neighborhoods such as North Riverfront. In the 1970s and 1980s the commission coordinated with entities such as National Register of Historic Places listings in Laclede's Landing and preservation efforts involving the St. Louis Historic Preservation Commission, while 21st century shifts saw collaboration on transit projects with MetroLink (St. Louis), resilience planning referencing Federal Emergency Management Agency, and redevelopment strategies linked to the CityArchRiver project.
The commission's membership traditionally includes appointed citizen commissioners, a professional staff drawn from planning graduates of Washington University in St. Louis and University of Missouri–St. Louis, and ex officio liaisons from agencies like the St. Louis Development Corporation and the Metropolitan Zoological Park and Museum District. Appointments are made by the Mayor of St. Louis and confirmed by the St. Louis Board of Aldermen; commissioners have backgrounds spanning private practice firms such as HOK (company), nonprofit advocacy groups like Great Rivers Greenway, and academic institutions including Saint Louis University. The commission often consults technical experts from the Missouri Department of Transportation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and environmental organizations such as the Missouri Botanical Garden.
Statutorily empowered by ordinances of the City of St. Louis, the commission reviews zoning map amendments, subdivision plats, planned unit developments, and design overlays affecting districts such as Forest Park Southeast and The Hill. It issues recommendations to the Board of Aldermen and exercises approval authority on administrative matters; its purview encompasses review criteria parallel to standards used by the National Park Service for federally involved sites and aligns with grant conditions from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The commission's regulatory reach interacts with tax increment financing managed by the St. Louis Development Corporation and historic preservation statutes administered in coordination with the Missouri State Historic Preservation Office.
The commission follows procedures for public hearings, notice requirements, and environmental review that mirror practices advocated by the American Planning Association and legislative frameworks such as the National Environmental Policy Act. Applicants for rezoning or site plan approval submit materials evaluated by staff planners, who use tools from geographic information systems developed with partners like East-West Gateway Council of Governments and surveyors licensed through the Missouri Board for Architects, Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors. Public participation engages neighborhood organizations such as DeBaliviere Place, community development corporations like Old North St. Louis Restoration Group, and civic groups such as Citizens for Modern Transit through hearings held at St. Louis City Hall.
Significant commission-led planning efforts include comprehensive plan updates aligning with regional plans from East-West Gateway Council of Governments, corridor studies connected to Interstate 64 in Missouri, transit-oriented development strategies near Forest Park–DeBalivière station, and waterfront redevelopment around the Mississippi Riverfront. Initiatives have intersected with projects like the CityArchRiver project, neighborhood revitalization funded through HUD Community Development Block Grant, and public realm improvements in districts highlighted by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The commission has also advanced climate resilience considerations consistent with guidelines from the U.S. Global Change Research Program.
The commission has faced criticism over perceived responsiveness to developers such as those associated with BHC Development or projects near Ballpark Village, disputes over rezonings affecting affordable housing advocates linked to Missouri Housing Development Commission, and controversies about demolition decisions in historic neighborhoods like McKinley Heights. Critics, including neighborhood activists from Patterson Park, have challenged transparency and consistency, citing conflicts referenced against municipal ordinances debated in the St. Louis Board of Aldermen. Legal challenges have involved litigation drawing parties represented by law firms that appear before administrative bodies such as the Missouri Court of Appeals.
Notable commission-reviewed projects include entitlements and design approvals for developments near Gateway Arch National Park, mixed-use projects connected to CORTEX (research district), adaptive reuse in Lindell Boulevard corridors, and infrastructure coordination for Jefferson National Expansion Memorial adjacent initiatives. The commission's review decisions have shaped outcomes for public investments like Forest Park restorations, transit expansions such as MetroLink (St. Louis) stations, and economic development ventures that engage institutions like Washington University in St. Louis, Barnes-Jewish Hospital, and Saint Louis University Hospital. Its cumulative impact influences housing patterns in neighborhoods such as Tower Grove South, commercial corridors in Central West End, and conservation efforts supported by the Missouri Botanical Garden.
Category:St. Louis, Missouri Category:Urban planning in the United States