Centene pulls out of Ballpark Village; is the project dead?
We’re reporting now that “Centene Corp.’s much touted move to Ballpark Village in downtown St. Louis is dead.”
That’s according to the early version of our story on STLtoday here.
The company put out a news release today, coinciding with the release of documents the Post-Dispatch had requested two months ago related to the Ballpark Village project.
City leaders and Centene officials announced in September that the company would relocate its headquarters to the proposed retailing and entertainment district near Busch Stadium. Few details have been forthcoming about Centene’s $250 million proposal or the Ballpark Village development since then and speculation has been growing that Centene would pull out.
Now it’s happened. Are you surprised? What does this mean for the Ballpark Village project at large?
UPDATE: Here is the full text of Centene’s statement.
Ballpark Village was unable to accommodate Centene’s plans for our world headquarters which we deeply regret and are disappointed to announce. Since our announcement in September 2007 , we have been working closely with representatives of Ballpark Village to finalize details for this project.
Despite the best efforts of everyone involved, we could not bring our plans to fruition. We were committed and excited to move our headquarters downtown, as we recognize that Ballpark Village will help strengthen the region and we wanted to be part of this. We wish the Cardinals and the developers of Ballpark Village nothing but the best in their efforts to complete this important retail and mixed-use development.
We are currently resuming the evaluation of other potential options for the location of our corporate headquarters, both in and out of the region. We very much appreciate the commitment that leaders of this community, especially Mayor Francis Slay and his staff, have shown throughout this unusually long and public process. We remain hopeful that we can work together with local leaders to keep our growing company in the St. Louis region, if not downtown.
We will keep you updated as our search progresses.
ANOTHER UPDATE: Here’s the statement that just came out from the Cardinals and Cordish.
STATEMENT: ST. LOUIS CARDINALS AND THE CORDISH COMPANY
The St. Louis Cardinals and The Cordish Company believe that Centene would have been a great addition to Ballpark Village. We are disappointed that the parties could not come to an agreement, despite months of effort and the best intentions of the City, Centene, and the Ballpark Village team. Ultimately, the many complexities of Centene’s proposed project in Ballpark Village proved insurmountable.
We will now work immediately with the City and State to finalize all public approvals and commence construction of Ballpark Village. The Ballpark Village partnership is in the unique position of having its private financing in place, and we are ready, willing, and able to proceed. Our vision has not changed — Ballpark Village will be a world-class mixed-use project that will positively transform the City of St. Louis.
Kurt has been an editor at the Post-Dispatch since August 2002, working on both STLtoday and the newspaper. He's been a journalist since 1982, covering municipal government, courts, education and two hurricanes as a reporter before becoming an editor. 
Kind of makes me wish that The Sporting News hadn’t decided to uproot for Charlotte…seems like their headquarters would have logistically fit nicely right next to the stadium.
Surprise, Ballpark Village is still a lake and Kiel Opera House has still not opened. Nice to see the teams got their new digs first.
this is disgusting. this city can’t get anything right. We need new leaders.
Statement of Mayor Francis Slay:
I am very disappointed that Centene and the Ballpark Village Partners could not come to an agreement. Meeting the needs, obligations, legal requirements, and goals of both parties was extremely difficult, complicated, and frustrating.
I want to thank Michael Neidorff for the opportunity to bring his company to Ballpark Village. He gave the City a chance because he understands how important Downtown is to the future of the region. I also believe Bill DeWitt, Jr. and Bill DeWitt, III tried very hard to work through the many complications that this deal presented.
I also want to thank my staff who worked many nights, weekends, and holidays to find a way to forge an agreement between these two parties.
I still support Ballpark Village. Because of changes in the composition of Ballpark Village proposed by the developer, a new redevelopment agreement will have to be negotiated. The project will only move forward on terms that are fair to the taxpayers.
As a city resident I believe nothing is going to change in St. Louis City politics. The democrats has reuined our beatutiful city, we need REAL change in the St. Louis City leadership!
I think it’s great. I believe they should leave that space open and make it sort of a “tent city” for the homeless and drug addicts to gather. Would be a perfect example come 2009 All Star Game to showcase to the national media just how stl leaders and politicians get things done…
I had a feeling this was too good to be true. St. Louis once again misses out on what could have been a very nice addition to the downtown skyline. Instead we have a big muddy mess to look at.
The people at Centeen probally seen all the THUGZ overtaking South St.Louis,like they done North St.Louis.Guess Centeen see the THUGZ about ready to overtake Downtown,to,Good move on their part.
Ballpark Village has been a joke since the beginning. Now it’s just becoming more apparant. Our city leaders keep giving up the soul of this city for big corporate redevelopment schemes. Did you know St. Louis had it’s own Chinatown? Well, it was razed in the 1960s as part of one of the many misguided “urban renewal” plans. Guess what it is now. Paved parking for Busch Stadium. Very urban, and very renewed. Thanks, City Government!
Where can I read Centene’s complete statement?