5/13/25 Meeting
PUBLIC NOTICE
Please take notice that the Washington Avenue Corridor Community Improvement District will be holding a Board of Directors Meeting on May 13 th at 11:30 am virtually via Zoom.
This will be an open meeting and all members of the public are welcome to attend via the above Zoom link. A copy of the Agenda for this meeting is below:
agenda
I. Call to order
II. Approval of meeting minutes from 04/08/25 Board of Directors meeting (5 minutes)
III. Annual meeting requirements (15 minutes)
a. Election of Board Members (no open seats, no vacancies)
b. Election of Officers
c. Approval of Work Plan (attached below)
d. Approval of Annual Budget for Fiscal Year July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026
IV. Getting ready for summer update (15 minutes)
a. Downtown bike unit move into new Globe Building office
b. Meeting with Captain Stamper
c. More aggressive policing by SLMPD (i.e. dirt bikes / 4 wheelers)
d. Discussion of conditions on Saturday night, May 10 th and potential solutions:
i. Closing Washington on weekend nights between Tucker and 14th
ii. Problem nightclubs (Whisky on Washington, Nara, Uturn)
iii. Food vendors on Washington illegally operating past 11pm
iv. Venues blaring music outside (i.e. House of Soul, Boom Boom Room, Whisky on Washington)
e. Potential funding partnership for Washington closure
V. Uplighting – Reed Burkett Lighting Design proposal (10 minutes)
VI. Establishment of Marketing / Branding Committee (10 minutes)
VII. DNA Downtown St. Louis Living Tour (5 minutes)
VIII. New projects
a. Traffic light synchronization on Washington (10 minutes)
b. Streetscape refresh project (10 minutes)
IX. Adjourn
meeting minutes
I. Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at 11:30 by Executive Director Matt O’Leary
II. Roll Call
The following Board members were present:
John Berglund, Chair
Dan Pistor, Secretary
Michelle Solie, Treasurer
Craig Heller, Director
Steve Stone, Director
Jeff Campbell, Director
The following members were absent:
Julie Maurer, Director
Also present:
Brad Waldrop
Dick Fleming
Captain Ron Johnson
Lisa Otke
Diane Scott
III. Approval of Meeting Minutes
Craig moved to approve the meeting minutes, John Berglund seconded. All approved, motion carried.
IV. Annual Meeting Requirements
A. Michelle nominated as Treasurer and Dan nominated as Secretary. Craig moved, John seconded. All approved.
B. Work Plan – no discussion. John moved, Craig seconded. All approved.
C. Budget – Reflects expenditures, not in-kind donations. John moved, Steve seconded.
V. Getting Ready for Summer Update
Matt had a long conversation with Captain Stamper about security, which was productive. Stamper said more aggressive policing is underway for illegal vehicles. There is a lot of competition for law enforcement attention right now across the city.
On Saturday, conditions on Washington are bad: lawlessness, mayhem, tailgating, loud music, illegal vehicles, public drinking, burnouts, illegal food trucks. No help from sheriffs closing the street. $30,000 would get some sort of closure. Captain Johnson is working on getting TCF help. Washington Avenue CID would be in favor of contributing funds. U-turn restaurant is closed after not having a state license. Work is underway to address street vendors and loudspeaker music from venues.
VI. Uplighting – Reed Burkett Lighting Design Proposal
Uplighting could be done in 3 phases:
Focus on buildings that had lighting and have gone dark
Focus on buildings that haven’t had uplighting
Focus on lighting public spaces
Matt has engaged with a company for a 2-phase proposal. Cost is $4,500. Reviewed some of the Loop uplighting like on Delmar Gardens, which Steve worked on and believes would provide significant enhancements. Funding support could possibly be obtained from other organizations. Discussion on available funding from our organization. It would come out of the infrastructure bucket. Initially it would be sales collateral for $4,500 and Phase 1 to get it off the ground. $14,000 total ($4,500 + $9,500). John motioned and Steve seconded. The vote in favor of moving forward was unanimous.
VII. Establishment of Marketing / Branding Committee
Craig will chair the marketing and branding committee. Various sub-brands like Financial District and Garment District were discussed. The Downtown brand has been decimated and needs improvement. There is also a need to promote the good things happening, build the brand of Washington Avenue, and improve values and environment. Everyone is looking forward to starting on it. Dan moved, John seconded. All approved. Open to other members to participate.
VIII. Downtown Living Tour
Matt was approached by James Page to see if the Washington Avenue Corridor CID would want to be a sponsor. Dan gave a rundown of what is planned for the event. It will be mainly apartment buildings with a few condos, 10–15 places total with transportation. DNA has been working with Greater St. Louis as well for funding. Captain Johnson said to reach out to Kelli for a contribution from the Downtown CID.
IX. New Projects
Traffic light synchronization on Washington – lights are currently randomly synchronized. Matt proposes that we dive in and start conversations with stakeholders in the district to figure this out. This could improve the experience of tenants in the area and deliver superior value. No money is needed, just staff time to dedicate. John said this can be a common-sense approach instead of spending $250,000.
X. Next Meeting Date
The next meeting is scheduled for 6/16/2025 at 11:30 a.m.
XI. Adjournment
Motion to adjourn the meeting was made by John Berglund, seconded by Dan Pistor. Vote: All in favor, none opposed.
Prepared by: Dan Pistor, Secretary
Fiscal Year July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026 Work Plan
For the Washington Avenue Corridor CID (“District”)
The programs, services, and capital improvements to be provided by the District will be focused on three categories: safety and security, physical infrastructure, and economic expansion / development.
Safety and Security
Efforts will focus on the primary drivers of crime downtown: nuisance properties, street homelessness, drug dealing, cruising, problem liquor licenses, late night violence, parties at short term rentals, and youth violence. Specific approaches may include but will not be limited to:
Addressing the causes of violent crimes through approaches such as:
Working to close or prevent from opening problem liquor licenses
Working to terminate the occupancy of nuisance properties and prevent new nuisance properties from opening
Installing traffic calming strategies to deter cruising and street racing (including the Washington traffic calming plan)
Working to close or prevent from opening homeless encampments
Forming alliances with adjacent and/or overlapping civic organizations to collaboratively address security problems, including by improving the appearance and function of public infrastructure.
Facilitating private sector partnerships with government to address security issues, including initiatives such as encouraging property owners to install security cameras in coordination with a centrally managed plan, asking security guards to patrol the perimeter of properties in a coordinated and more effective way, and facilitating greater communication among the many security resources in Downtown properties.
Working with City government toward more effective performance of its divisions that have a role in addressing Downtown safety and security, including Excise, Streets, Human Services, and Parks.
Utilizing the knowledge and experience of peer cities and other resources, such as the UMSL Criminology Department, the ASU Center for Problem Oriented Policing, National Police Foundation, and others to inform strategy.
Infrastructure
Continued deterioration of streets, sidewalks, lighting, signage, and other District infrastructure is not consistent with a vision of a vibrant, growing neighborhood. The Washington Avenue corridor needs a transformative approach to investing in significant upgrades to essential infrastructure. Additional investment is needed, and current public revenue sources and processes are simply not sufficient to meet the needs of a modern downtown district. Strategies to maintain existing improved infrastructure and transform outdated infrastructure will include:
Collaborating with Greater St. Louis Inc. and other stakeholders to develop and implement a comprehensive plan, or series of plans, aimed at calming traffic and enhancing the aesthetics of the Washington Avenue corridor, with a focus on improvements from curb to curb.
Advocating for a significant portion of the Rams settlement funds to be allocated to the District to be used to implement the comprehensive plan developed.
Using available revenues to leverage federal, state, and private funding by providing local matching grant funding for projects of scale.
Leading an effort to transform the corridor’s streets, including better maintenance and synchronization of the District’s traffic signals, considering returning key streets to two-way flow, installing traffic-calming medians on signature streets, and replacing traffic lights with stop signs where appropriate.
Working with the City Treasurer to greatly expand the metered parking count within the District in support of retail and restaurants.
Economic Expansion
Continued economic growth and development of the Washington Avenue corridor is essential to the interests of District property owners. Increasing property values and rents are signs of economic growth and well-being, yet those indicators have not been consistently positive in recent years. The District’s image had been affected by security incidents, disorderly and unattractive public spaces, deteriorating infrastructure, and other negative conditions, both real and perceived. Combined with increasing competition from other increasingly attractive urban neighborhoods, the Washington Avenue corridor has lost much of the luster that created the transformative growth over the last two decades.
While financial incentives play a limited role in development, research and experience suggests that the keys to long-term sustainable economic growth of cities are relentless attention to quality-of-life conditions like security and cleanliness, modern and well-maintained infrastructure, and quality of public services and spaces. The District will focus on visible and effective improvements in these areas as a foundation for continuous economic growth. Accordingly, activities related to economic growth of downtown will include:
Enhancing the security environment and improving the perception of safety within the District to make it a more appealing location for businesses, residents, and visitors, with a particular focus on attracting young people.
Increasing support for the expansion of the innovation ecosystem in the District.
Developing a plan for the improvement of public spaces in the District, drawing as appropriate from the Design Downtown plan, and using this as a guide for the rejuvenation of the District’s public infrastructure.
Working to fill the District’s many vacant retail spaces with restaurants (with active sidewalk cafes) and complementary retail uses in order to activate the streetscape and pull regional visitors back to the Washington Avenue corridor.
Rebranding the Washington Avenue corridor as a mixed-use district with a focus on innovation and technology rather than an “entertainment district”.
Developing and implementing a marketing strategy for the District that overcomes the pervasive narrative of a lack of safety, focusing on the unique assets of the District, with particular emphasis on the innovation and technology industry jobs and spaces within the District.
Engaging in other initiatives to improve the livability of the District, including dramatically expanding metered parking, supporting up-lighting of properties, facilitating the synchronization of traffic lights, and encouraging art galleries to occupy vacant storefronts.