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Investment, Infrastructure
and Location, Location, Location
= North St. Louis County
This past month we saw the celebration
of two major investments in North County.
The first was the groundbreaking of NorthPark,
heralded as "the greatest reinvestment project
in the history of St. Louis County" by St.
Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley. This
ambitious transformation will fuel the area's
economy, positively impacting residents and
business owners in the entire state. It will
transform 550 acres of underutilized land
into office, retail, and industrial space
offering a unique mix of urban accessibility
and suburban amenities. The development, adjacent
to the airport and located in Berkeley, Ferguson,
and Kinloch, is a $400 million project; anticipated
to create 12,000 jobs with an estimated $7
billion in regional economic impact upon completion.
The financial impact and growth is exciting
in itself, but the fact that this development
is possible because of an unprecedented intergovernmental
collaborative effort is proof that powerful,
forward-thinking community leadership, when
partnered positively with the business community
is an effective economic development catalyst.
NCI endorsed this collaboration and several
of our members served on the advisory commission
for this project. We congratulate NCI members
and leaders: St. Louis County, St. Louis County
Economic Council, the cities of Berkeley and
Ferguson, and the developers Clayco and McEagle
Properties, for bringing one of the largest
developments in the State of Missouri to North
County.
The second major investment
celebrated this past month was the improved
transportation corridor, Route 367 (north
of I- 270). This approx. $74 million dollar
infrastructure investment is already paying
off in increased safety, improved access to
businesses, and plans for new commercial development.
NCI recommended these improvements, endorsed
improvement plans, then advocated for funding
for this project, and many of our members
served on the Community Advisory Group throughout
the design and construction process. This
group, formed by MoDOT in 2000, will work
through to completion of the project, which
will be at New Jamestown Road (completion
expected by 2008). NCI commends NCI Transportation
Committee member Bill Schnell, area engineer
for MoDOT and other MoDOT officials for keeping
community leaders informed on progress, throughout
the design and implementation of this project.
Also, Kudos' to NCI members HDR Engineering
and Fred Weber, Inc., for working so hard
to keep this project not just on time, but
actually nine whole months ahead of schedule.
Thanks for contributing to the positive progress
occurring throughout North County.
Positive leadership that works
on collaborative investments such as Route
367 and NorthPark are what is making a difference
in our community. We commend our leaders who
are taking strides to improve our quality
of life and our business climate. Thank you.
Investment, Infrastructure
and Location, Location, Location = North St.
Louis County.
Rebecca Zoll
North County Inc. Executive Director
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