Regina Dennis-Nana has lived in the Hyde Park neighborhood for years, watching as the area around the new National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency facility has struggled with vacant lots and aging homes. She hopes the city’s latest development plan will bring homeowners back to the area, restore historic houses and fill long-empty lots.
“Well, so far that hasn’t happened yet,” Dennis-Nana said somberly.
She describes Hyde Park and surrounding neighborhoods as “deserts on all levels” — places where residents must leave the area to shop, enjoy entertainment or even get a glass of wine. For her, the plan represents an opportunity to finally access amenities that residents in neighborhoods such as Tower Grove or Lafayette Park often take for granted.
The six neighborhoods surrounding the NGA campus in North St. Louis — Carr Square, Columbus Square, Hyde Park, Jeff-Vander-Lou, Old North St. Louis and St. Louis Place — are the focus of Project Connect, a city-led revitalization effort aimed at bringing development and resources to communities impacted by the federal facility.
Dennis-Nana said she hopes the plan will encourage NGA employees to buy homes in nearby neighborhoods, something residents have anticipated since the facility was announced more than a decade ago. So far, she said, that expectation has not materialized.
She has also seen similar plans come and go.
“It’s not the first time a plan has been developed, and nothing has been done,” Dennis-Nana said.
Despite that history, she remains cautiously hopeful this time will be different.
The St. Louis Development Corporation held an open house Saturday to share draft neighborhood plans for six communities surrounding the NGA facility. The meeting focused on “Our Plan,” a set of neighborhood strategies developed through SLDC’s Project Connect initiative.
Curtis Griggs, SLDC’s neighborhood transformation manager, said the plans have been in development since 2022, with a focus on housing and vacancy.
“Residents have been involved since the beginning,” Griggs said. “Community feedback has been a part of the plan since the inception.”
He added, “It’s a way for residents to see the development plan based on the six topics of development, to see how the different communities will grow.” Griggs said SLDC’s role is to ensure the plans move from proposal to reality.
During the meeting, residents highlighted priorities they want reflected in future development, including improved housing, reduced vacancy, expanded economic development, stronger support for arts and culture and better transportation options.
Melissa Garcia, also a neighborhood transformation manager with SLDC, said the meeting served not only to share information but also to educate residents and build capacity within the community.
“A lot of residents have never seen eco-development in their neighborhood,” Garcia said.
Participation in the project helps residents learn how to amplify their voices and take ownership of their neighborhoods while working in partnership with the city, she said.
SLDC staff said community feedback gathered during the open house will be used to refine the plans as they move toward adoption. The proposal is expected to go before the Planning and Development Agency and then the Board of Aldermen as early as February.
No funding has been identified for the projects outlined in the plans, though the documents reference potential sources that could support future development.