St. Louis Strategic Land Use Plan

Land Use Designators

Neighborhood Preservation Area	Neighborhood Development Area	Neighborhood Commerce Area	Regional Commerce Area	Business/Industrial Preservation Area
Recreational & Open Space Preservation & Development Areas	Business/Industrial Development Area	Opportunity Area	Specialty Mixed Use Area	Institutional Preservation & Development Area

Recognizing that the Land Use Plan map assigns general land use categories to blocks and parcels based on current projections for development and preservation and recognizing that these designations are not exact, the Planning Commission may, in its discretion, consider a use/development/project to be in conformance with the Plan when the proposed use/development/project is allowed under the Plan in a directly abutting area.

The Strategic Land Use Map assigns land use designations to each block in the City. The pattern of colors represents the essential components of a strong and vibrant urban landscape, a landscape with both variety and cohesiveness.

These Land Use Designations are “strategic” in that they respect both the current conditions and the opportunities that exist in each area. The colors communicate what future development focus is intended for that block.

Residential neighborhoods are the foundation of our City. The Plan includes two types of residential neighborhoods:

“Neighborhood Preservation” areas that already exist and will be improved and augmented in a manner that preserves the existing character. “Neighborhood Development” areas are where new types of residential character are both permitted and encouraged. New developments of scale can create their own character while complementing adjoining neighborhoods and blocks.

These existing, emerging and future neighborhoods are connected and served by the “Neighborhood Commercial” areas. Many of these corridors continue to provide services to the community and attract outside visitors, while others have deteriorated. The plan is intended to encourage investment in these corridors that provide the essential services to the surrounding community.

At strategic locations within the City, areas are designated as sites for “Regional Commercial” activity. These nodes, existing and proposed, are promoted as opportunities for the City to capitalize on the emerging trend among established retailers to locate in urban markets. By identifying new sites and moving forward to make them attractive to businesses, the City can respond aggressively and move forward to bring these retailers, the jobs, tax revenues and quality of life enhancement that they offer.

The City is blessed with numerous parks and other “green spaces” and more and more of these “green spaces” will develop as ongoing parks and trails initiatives become reality. These “Parks/Open Space” areas are becoming increasingly important to the City’s development and economy as more and more people seek healthy lifestyles that involve outdoor recreation.

St. Louis is home to a number of strong and established businesses. These businesses have supported the City’s economy for many years. The locations of these businesses are designated as “Business/Industrial Preservation” areas so that they can plan their futures in the City with confidence. Other areas that formerly were home to thriving businesses are now derelict and underutilized. These areas are shown in the plan as “Business/Industrial Development” areas, where those in the market for new business locations can seek development opportunities with City encouragement.

Similarly, St. Louis is home to a number of strong and established institutions, universities, hospitals, schools and churches, that contribute to the City’s economy and provide essential services. These areas are designated “Institutional” in the Plan.

What makes the City’s landscape unique is the existence of a number of areas where business, residents, arts, and other entertainment coexist and thrive together. These areas are identified in the Plan as “Specialty Mixed Use” areas and include places like Downtown, Grand Center and the Central West End.

Finally, there are a number of underutilized areas in the City where it is clear that opportunity exists, but it is not yet known what activity is best suited to turn that opportunity into a development plan. These areas are identified in the Plan as “Opportunity Areas”, where the City will entertain a wide variety of proposals for development.

Neighborhood Preservation Areas (NPA)

Areas where the existing housing and corner commercial building stock will be preserved and augmented with new infill residential and corner commercial development physically integrated with, and primarily serving the immediate neighborhood. These areas generally consist of stable residential areas of the City, including but not limited to historic districts, where the character of the neighborhood is currently well preserved with relatively few vacant lots and abandoned buildings. The plan contemplates continued preservation and improvement, with quality rehabilitation and infill new construction that is sensitive to the character of existing residences. Commercial and institutional uses catering to the immediate needs of the neighborhood are acceptable and reflect the traditional role such activity has played in the history of the City.

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Neighborhood Development Areas (NDA)
	Residential /non-residential areas with substantial amounts of vacant land and abandoned buildings suitable for new residential construction of scale/associated neighborhood services, respecting stable properties that may be considered as part of any new development. Opportunities for new housing construction/replatting at critical mass scale defining a new neighborhood character over time.
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Neighborhood Commerce Areas (NCA)

Areas where the development of new and the rehabilitation of existing commercial uses that primarily serve adjacent neighborhoods should be encouraged. These areas include traditional commercial streets at relatively major intersections and along significant roadways where commercial uses serve multiple neighborhoods or where the development of new commercial uses serving adjacent neighborhoods is intended. Mixed use buildings with commercial at grade and a mix of uses on upper floors are an ideal type within these areas. These areas may include higher density mixed use residential and commercial and may initially include flexibility in design to allow ground floor uses to change over time e.g., ground floor space that can transition from residential to commercial use as the local demand for retail goods and services strengthens in the area.

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Regional Commerce Areas (RCA)
	Areas where the development of existing and commercial uses intended to serve a regional clientele should be encouraged. Developments in these areas will often be new projects. These areas generally consist of existing regional commercial uses or large sites at intersections of major roads/highways with regional access and visibility. Several large and currently underutilized sites exist in the City at prominent intersections. These locations provide “ready to go” locations for large format retailers with strong adjacent markets.
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Recreational & Open Space Preservation & Development Areas (ROSPDA)
	Areas including the existing network of parks, open space and recreational facilities within the City that should be preserved and enhanced, as well as locations for new permanent green space, including planned new greenways and permanent locations for some community gardens. The City’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry is currently at work on a city-wide parks and recreation plan that will be overlaid on the strategic land use plan when complete.
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Business/Industrial Preservation Area (BIPA)
	Areas where stable businesses currently exist and are encouraged to remain. This designation includes industrial and non-retail commercial uses where the location, condition of buildings and the low level of vacancy warrant preservation and infill industrial development where possible.
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Business/Industrial Development Area (BIDA)
	Areas where new business/industrial uses or campuses will be encouraged. New business activity may range from larger business parks to smaller scale development. BIDA areas shown on the plan typically consist of underutilized buildings and land adjacent to major roadways, railroads or the river, providing local or regional access. These areas have experienced a drop in the level of economic activity from its earlier peak. A change of use on such lands is usually not appropriate due to environmental concerns, and the opportunity exists to rejuvenate these locations to create new employment opportunities.
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Opportunity Area (OA)
	Key underutilized locations where the use of the land is in transition. Location and site characteristics of these areas offer particular challenges/opportunities that could be advantageous to a range of development activity. This designation is intended to be flexible and specific development proposals will be entertained as they present themselves.
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Specialty Mixed Use Area (SMUA)
	Areas like downtown St. Louis where it is intended that a unique mix of uses be preserved and developed.
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Institutional Preservation & Development Area (IPDA)
	Areas where significant nodes of educational, medical, religious or other institutional uses currently exist and are appropriately situated, as well as areas for expansion of such institutional uses. These large-scale institutional centers are intended to positively influence the enhancement of surrounding areas.
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