More Ballpark Village: Will this thing really get built?
We’ve got a story for Thursday’s Post-Dispatch that has a lot of details about what’s on tap in the latest Ballpark Village developments. Among the highlights:
First, everyone now agrees that there will be no Ballpark Village in place before the 2009 All-Star Game in July.
Second, there’s actually two agreements that have been struck on the project. Neither seems to be completely binding. According to the story:
Complicating matters is that the city has approved two development agreements — with different specifications and time lines. The first, drawn in 2002, is binding on the Cardinals. The second, approved by the city Board of Aldermen in February 2007, is binding on the Cardinals-Cordish partnership. That agreement, however, is not in effect because it hasn’t been signed by the parties.
So the question again, as we have addressed in this space before, is fairly straightforward: Is this project going to get built?
Kurt is the director of social media for the Post-Dispatch, where he has worked since August 2002. He's been a journalist since 1982, covering municipal government, courts, education and two hurricanes as a reporter before becoming an editor. 
Sounds like the Kiel Opera House all over again. I am willing to bet there will be more parking on the site by the time of the All Star Game, which I would not blame MLB for pulling if they wanted to.
This is SO TYPICAL!!! These people have had ample time to get this ironed out and have failed! One delay after another, and there is still a BIG FREAKIN HOLE in the middle of our city! As much as I don’t like Donald Trump, if this were his project it would be done already. I am tired of having to explain to family and friends from out-of-town why there is a dirt field in the middle of a major city! This is unacceptable! I don’t care what they have to do, BUT GET ON IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
this is why government should not be involved in private development business. How much does this cost all of us? The city should enforce zoning law and that is all.
Sure it will because baseball is the most important thing in the world to STL. They just haven’t figured out whose entity should have the legal liabilities, and whose should shelter the massive income streams yet. It will be built largely with your tax dollars and complete with high prices required for you to enjoy what you have built and paid for. Brilliant! Putting baseball in the name was a stroke of genius. Bet it will be prettier than a genuine Ozark speckled coon hound. Enjoy!
Looks like the taxpayers are getting taken for a lengthy ride. Do Cardinals fans and St. Louisians in general ever get tired of being disrespected by this team’s ownership?
It is no secret that every large retail project in Downtown St. Louis has failed miserably, look at City Center Mall and Union Station Mall for proof. It is suspicious that no retail tenants have been announced for Ballpark Village, is it because there are none? Will the Centene Office Building empty out Metropolitan Square, St. Louis’s best office building? Maybe this is why the owners of Metropolitan Square have put the building on the market, (with no success), they want to get out while they still have some tenants left.
I am so sick and tired of how sports operate around this community (St. Louis)! We have a great new ballpark and almost new stadium for the Blue’s. It’s time we get our heads out of our asses and support these teams. “The buck starts here”! Ever heard that quote? It’s amazing to me how people in St. Louis claim they are they best sports city in all the world when let alone, they don’t have a clue how sports work on the business aspects of it all. I’m a huge Blue’s fan and don’t get me wrong… I own season tickets! In all aspects… your little $25 ticket to the Blue’s game isn’t going to matter. “Whatever it Takes”, that is the REAL question!!! The Blues have spent millions on making the team better, the Cardinals…the same…we are still without Carpenter…! My prediction… Don’t get your hopes up, cuz it’s going to be a long time again before any ST. Louis team can see a championship. Don’t forget the RAMS. What a joke! Lets just sit back and see what the owners of these franchises really can do. Do you think a “free food” day can bring fans back…. well yes, it can (for one day). For one day MR. ! You are so dumb and oblivious to the fact that you brought free taco day back and you got it all wrong. How many people want to spend $8 in gas to come get a little taco worth little more than $0.10 to make!!! I say bring the TACO BELL TICKER BACK TO THE SCOTTRADE CENTER AND EARN YOUR REAL FANS BACK!
Unfortunately downtown St Louis is a very difficult market to attract quality national retailers and restaurants, and in spite of the best efforts by the Cardinals and their partner this project will fail. So I guess now the Cardinals can stop threatening their neighbor, the Bowling Hall of Fame with eminent domain, I don’t think we need more vacant dirt lots in downtown. This is just one of several projects that make good headlines and go no where, remember the bottle district development, the 114 million dollar Gentry’s Landing development that turned out to be a scam to steal the land by eminent domain with false promises. Now lets see if the St Louis City Center development plan ever gets done, I’m betting it won’t.
Libertarian at Heart
I am a huge sports fan. I hate the Cardinals because of the stadium, though. I agreed with Lindecke and his coalition when he fought the county over the “loan” to build the unnecessary stadium. It is such a waste.
DeWitt, Slay, and Dooley, I run their names in the dirt anytime someone wants to talk baseball.
Yes, it MUST be built in time for the All-Star game; if it is not, Saint Louis might totally fold, and all of the inhabitants of this city will flee for civilized areas of the Earth such as Bozeman, Bangkok, and Burundi.
(I see you scratching your heads right now, thinking “totally fold? Isn’t that extreme?” but NO it is not, compared to what the Republicans have done to our nation.)
Wait! We must make a stand! If it is not built in time for this ONE BASEBALL GAME then we need to declare war on the rest of the world. We should barricade the streets and make Molotov cocktails to await the hordes on FEMA stormtroopers. We need to build anti-tank traps and melt down the Arch for FLAK to support our anti-aircraft batteries. We need to weld armor on the Riverboats and turn them into Floating Fortresses to ferry troops across the river ala “Enemy At The Gates”. We need to mount ICBM’s on the Metrolink trains like the USSR did in the Cold War, so we can offer a mobile second-strike capability in case the UN nukes us.
(Or, maybe we could swap dates with another city? Maybe we could convince the attendees to actually try out Patio’s or Mike Shannons or Al Hrabowskis or any other place to get boozed up within walking distance? Maybe they could stay at any of the other nearby hotels? Maybe we could set up temporary booths and tents in the area where the ‘ole Busch Stadium stood?)