The Delmar Loop: Infrastructure for Sustainable Growth
October 30, 2012
ABC was recently in St. Louis, on business, and while we were there we saw firsthand the impact that civic engagement and infrastructure investment can make in an urban neighborhood. [gallery] The Delmar Loop was rather run-down when Joe Edwards opened Blueberry Hill, a bar and music venue on Delmar. Edwards took an interest in revitalizing the street, spearheading a Special Business District to make improvements along the boulevard. Like a Business Improvement District in Massachusetts, businesses in a special business district pay an assessment above and beyond their city taxes. That assessment goes to streetscape improvements, enhanced services (security, sanitation), marketing and special events. Edwards himself also continued to invest in the boulevard - saving the historic Tivoli movie theater from demolition in 1995 and developing a 2000-seat concert hall, a bowling alley, and the Moonrise Hotel (where we stayed on our trip). Joe’s heroic efforts notwithstanding, what has really helped fuel the revitalization of the Delmar Loop is smart investment in infrastructure. The Delmar Loop is a bit of a misnomer, at least today, in that there’s no “loop” to it. Delmar Boulevard is a prominent street running from western St. Louis into adjacent University City. The loop refers to a streetcar which used to run along the boulevard. But even without the streetcar, the Delmar Loop boulevard is a testament to the positive economic impact of transit and pedestrian-friendly planning. The neighborhood lies along one of St. Louis’ two light rail lines, both opened in 1993. Lanes were removed from the boulevard and sidewalks were widened considerably, calming traffic and creating opportunities for sidewalk cafes. The return of the street car trolley, funded by a federal grant and another special assessment district, will bring the loop back to the Delmar Loop. The Delmar Loop is a model of urban development and revitalization around public transportation. We were not surprised to learn that one of our ABC members, Jim Keefe of Trinity Financial, has already been out to St. Louis to meet with Mr. Edwards and learn about the trolley project. Mr. Keefe and his team are one of the proponent of a similar trolley project in the City of Lowell. The plan is to modernize and expand the existing historic street car trolley downtown. As in St. Louis, the project would be funded in part by an assessment on real estate along the trolley route. In many ways, the trolley projects in St. Louis and Lowell are a return to how we used to build public transportation in America. The great streetcar networks of the early 20th century were largely private concerns, built and operated by real estate interest who saw the wisdom of investing in transportation to connect their holdings to city centers. Today, as living patterns shift and more Americans are choosing to live in cities, that strategy seems to make sense again. It’s a positive sign towards sustainable economic growth, and we at ABC are all in favor of it.
