St. Louis Plans Street Improvements Near New NGA Site
Date Posted: July 23, 2019
Posted In: Projects,
From St. Louis Public Radio: St. Louis development officials are taking public comments as they plan the first of many projects around the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s future western headquarters on the near north side.
The initial projects will involve road and pedestrian improvements along Jefferson Avenue and Parnell Street and will cost $25-$30 million.
It’s the first step toward improving accessibility in the area — something St. Louis Development Corporation Executive Director Otis Williams said the city promised the NGA.
“It is much needed and we hope will lead to what we call the transformation of the area and the improvements that the citizens need and deserve,” he said.
The project plans to put in new road pavement, bike paths and street amenities — like LED lighting, benches and plants.
These are all things Debra Robinson says the neighborhood has needed for a long time.
She’s lived in the St. Louis Place neighborhood for 23 years, and her house is about three blocks from the NGA West site. While she said not all of her neighbors are happy about the incoming NGA campus — or the development that will come along with it — overall Robinson said she thinks it’s a good thing.
“They have not invested money in those areas for years,” she said. “The sidewalks are crumbling. It’s kind of dangerous because you have a lot of vacant lots; the grass is overgrown. I’m kind of short, but it grows as tall as me.”
Robinson does have a few small concerns, including how the city will find space for a planned bike path on her street.