For the first time, both development partners in the $387 million Ballpark Village are saying it's unlikely that a significant portion of the project will be completed in time for the All-Star Game in July 2009.

Several months ago, one of the developers, the St. Louis Cardinals, acknowledged the possibility of delays on the downtown project. Now Chase Martin, director of development for the other co-developer, Baltimore-based Cordish Co., also is lowering expectations.

"We will open as much as possible. It's tough to say that we will hit that day exactly to have a significant portion of retail open," Martin said. "Our first concern is to have the best project possible."

He attributed the delay to negotiations with Clayton-based Centene Corp. after the company announced in September it would relocate its headquarters to the Ballpark Village site.

"Centene came up (and the city and the developers) put our heads together and said this is phenomenal," Martin said. Delaying Ballpark Village, he said, "was a decision we made with them because of the impact it will have on downtown."

The delay could be lengthy, and groundbreaking could be months away.

"We are still working on some issues related to our plans to get them to a point where we are ready to break ground," said Bill DeWitt III, senior vice president for business development for the Cardinals. "Things should come to a head pretty soon. We should know the details probably within a couple of months."

COMING TO TERMS

Complicating matters is that the city has approved two development agreements — with different specifications and timelines.

The first, drawn up 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 effect because it hasn't been signed by the parties.

In addition, the 2002 agreement can only be amended with consent of St. Louis County and the Missouri Development Finance Board. In part, that needs to be done to reconcile it with the 2007 agreement.

The city has not formally approached the state or the county about amending the agreement, said Barbara Geisman, deputy mayor for development.

Under both agreements, the project needs to go through several steps before construction can begin on the now-vacant site of the old Busch Stadium.

— The developers must submit preliminary plans that outline, among other things, height and location of buildings and floor plans.

— The city must issue more than $100 million in revenue bonds.

— Detailed construction drawings, including schedules, must be submitted to get building permits.

The Cordish-Cardinals partnership came together in 2005 and unveiled a specific plan in October 2006.

Under the 106-page 2007 agreement, the Cardinals and Cordish are required to build 324,000 square feet of retail, restaurant and entertainment space; 100,000 square feet of office space; 1,200 parking spaces; and a minimum of $15 million in infrastructure improvement projects.

In addition, under the 2007 development agreement:

— The bonds cannot be issued until the preliminary plans are submitted.

— Construction must begin within 18 months after the bonds are issued, and must be completed within three years.

— The project must be completed by March 31, 2014.

The agreement stipulates a $3 million penalty annually if the 2014 deadline is not met.

There is an optional residential component that includes a minimum of 225 condominiums.

By comparison, the 2002 agreement calls for the project to be built in phases, and it has earlier completion and penalty dates. More than half of the retail and office space has to be open by August 2009. The project must be completed by August 2011. An annual $3 million penalty would start accruing after that date.

Fred Lindecke, spokesman for Coalition Against Public Funding for Stadiums, said the 2007 agreement is an attempt to help the developers escape penalties.

The coalition fought and lost a battle to prevent the city from providing public money for the project.

"This was a sweetheart deal from the beginning," Lindecke said. "Now when they are up against a deadline they can't meet, the last thing they (city officials) want to do is go to (Cardinals owner) Bill DeWitt (Jr.) and say, 'Where are our 3 million dollars?'"

'FUTURE OF ST. LOUIS'

A few months of delay isn't the end of the world, Bill DeWitt III said.

"I just don't know if there will be anything open by July 2009; it will be a push," DeWitt said. "(But) we need to resist the temptation to think of this project as a showcase for the All-Star Game. It is more than that; it is the future of St. Louis."

Kathleen "Kitty" Ratcliffe, president of the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission, said she was not concerned.

"It will be nice to have a part of it open so people can experience it, but even construction still shows there is a major development opening downtown," Ratcliffe said.

Mayor Francis Slay acknowledged "there have been some significant delays," and attributed them to the size and complexity of the project.

The delay will not affect the All-Star Game.

Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig said: "The All-Star Game is not in jeopardy. It's not even a matter of discussion. We will be in St. Louis on July 7, 2009."

As to the Cardinals and Ballpark Village, Selig said: "I'm comfortable with what they're doing. We'll just work around it."

Lindecke sees the potential delay as vindication of the coalition's views.

"We took the position that the public shouldn't be required to subsidize the ballpark," Lindecke said. "Our position is that the promises and commitments on Ballpark Village were specious from the beginning and are proving to be so now."

Rick Hummel and Deirdre Shesgreen of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.

rtstclair@post-dispatch.com | 314 340 8206