Dionne D. Peeples Of The St. Louis American
The city of Normandy may soon join University City’s Delmar Loop area as a tree-lined destination spot to shop, dine and relax.
Normandy will benefit from $1 million in federal stimulus funding to begin the preliminary construction planning/engineering work needed to create a viable business district along Natural Bridge Road between Lucas and Hunt Road and West Drive at the University of Missouri-St. Louis campus, city officials said.
Patrick Green, mayor of Normandy, said he is excited about the income the business district will generate for the city. But he is also excited about the sense of pride the business district – with its proposed fountains at the entrance, landscaping and sculptures – will bring to the community, which is about 67 percent African-American, according to the 2000 U.S. Census.
“There are great people who live here and take pride in their city,” Green said of Normandy.
“We would like to express that to the rest of the community. Our goal is to attract small businesses that are diverse – and create a place where you want to take a break.”
The funding, scheduled to be released in a few months, will be distributed by the East-West Gateway Council of Governments, which is designated by state and federal agencies as the metro planning organization for the bi-state area. This phase is expected to be complete by next year.
The $1 million federal funding is part of a larger plan to create, in four phases, a business district that will stretch from Lucas and Hunt Road to Interstate 70.
David Wilson, senior manager for environment and community planning for the Gateway Council, said there won’t be a total cost estimate until the construction planning is complete. And there is no total cost estimate for the entire project either.
“Our hope is that we will get $2 or $3 million-dollar investments and that will lead to more public and private investment,” Wilson said.
“We expect this to probably be a 10-year plan. Normandy could be something similar to the Delmar Loop. The Delmar Loop was a 30-year development. It was not overnight.”
The creation of the business district is part of the St. Louis Great Streets Initiative, a program through the East-West Gateway Council of Governments, designed to encourage community leaders to use their streets to enhance economic development and social activities in their communities.
In 2007, Betty Van Uum, assistant to the chancellor for public affairs at University of Missouri–St. Louis, heard about the Great Streets Initiative and worked with Normandy officials and North County, Inc., which is a chamber of commerce, to develop and submit a proposal. Out of 36 proposals, the Gateway Council selected four. The projects are: Natural Bridge Road, Labadie, Manchester Road and South Grand.
In 2008, officials held public community meetings to listen to suggestions from community members and business owners.
Natural Bridge was selected for the Great Streets project because of the stable nearby communities, proximity to the MetroLink station and the amount of revenue UMSL students and faculty could generate for businesses such as restaurants, Wilson said.
“A redesign of that corridor making it pedestrian friendly should help stimulate investment in the local economy,” Wilson said, adding that currently Natural Bridge is designated a highway – simply a means to get from point A to point B.
‘On the verge’
Business owners Terry Gannon and Tim Dulle are excited about the possibility of redefining Natural Bridge as a destination spot. They bought a building in the 7500 block of Natural Bridge in 2007 to house Gannon’s realty company, called Remax Cornerstone, and Dulle’s restaurant, Oscar’s Café. There also is commercial space for rent in the 15,000-square-foot building.
“The better the corridor, the more businesses will come in, more people will come and property values will increase,” Gannon said. “All of that is important.”
Dulle said his decision to take everything he had and invest in the property and the café was a good idea, considering the influx of businesses such as Express Scripts at the nearby NorthPark development.
“I think Normandy is what U. City was 30 years ago. It’s on the verge of exploding into a great area,” Dulle said.
“We are prime for development and redevelopment. It will be like dominoes. Once one thing happens, there will be one more thing and one more thing and one more thing.”
