Jamestown Mall Reborn

Jamestown Mall becomes Lindbergh Place

I grew up right next door to Jamestown Mall. My first job was there (at York Steak House). Most of my friends worked there. I even had my first “rock star” experience there, when I saw Rick Springfield sing “Jesse’s Girl” to mobs of screaming fans.

Like many NoCo residents, Jamestown holds a lot of memories for me. That’s why I was sad yet intrigued to learn that the Urban Land Institute (ULI) recently recommended demolishing the mall and replacing it with a “town center.”

ULI was hired by St. Louis County to assess Jamestown Mall’s future viability, and what they presented at a packed-house public forum a couple weeks ago was both grim and encouraging. Basically Jamestown no longer has the traffic count or the population base to remain a regional mall. The planning and development experts from ULI say that it cannot survive as is.

What they believe it can be, however, is a multi-use community hub, almost like a mini town square. Built around a central green space and a grid of small avenues, the new “Lindbergh Place” (as ULI calls it) could offer restaurants, small independent retailers, an outdoor screen for movies and concerts, a YMCA, walking trails, and even a year-round farmers market. It could also have office space and potentially residential units – like live/work spaces for artists or perhaps senior villas.

ULI felt it was important that the development reflect the area’s rich natural amenities, so they would like to see a strong “green” component: outdoor recreation, “agriburbia” features, and possibly a green business incubator. A portion of Jamestown Mall’s 142-acre site has always been farmed, so ULI would like to see that continued as well.

That’s the vision for this new development, or at least the start of one. The reality is that Jamestown Mall consists of five parcels owned by five different out-of-state companies, and ULI strongly recommends that the County take charge on this project and, if needed, acquire the land by eminent domain. Otherwise it probably won’t get done.

The good news is that ULI determined that North County residents do have money to spend, and that NoCo can support higher quality retail. (Not just dollar stores.) And they feel we have a great opportunity to do something different with the Jamestown Mall site, something that will stand out across the St. Louis area.

So will “Lindbergh Place” happen? Who knows? But if the community interest remains as strong as it was at the ULI forum, I think we have a pretty good chance. You can see the panel’s full presentation here.

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