CHESTERFIELD, Mo. — It's the end of an era for the Chesterfield Mall. Tuesday morning, crews will begin to tear it all down.
This is the first phase of a $2 billion redevelopment project, which will pave the way for what officials are calling "Downtown Chesterfield." It'll be a multiuse property made up of nearly 2,700 new apartments, offices, restaurants, retail and grocery. All of it will be centered around a public park.
The project has been years in the making between the City of Chesterfield and The Staenberg Group. There was a mutual agreement to redevelop the area back in February.
Justin Wyse, City of Chesterfield Director of Planning, said this is necessary for the community because visits to the mall were declining and this project gives it a new identity.
"It's really about trying to create and replace what the mall was to the community. 50 years ago, it's a place where people used to congregate. We've heard a lot of stories of people had their first date there, or they used to go there, so it's that idea of it's got development around it but it's really a gathering place for the community," he said.
It wasn't an easy road to get here, though. There was a lot of pushback from the community, including Chesterfield residents and even the Parkway School District. Both were worried about overcrowding and congestion on the roads, but Wyse said there's now a plan to make sure the future of Chesterfield is ideal for everyone.
"The city, the developer and some of those residents have been working together. I don't think anybody probably got everything they wanted, but I think there was a compromise where all the parties really feel like their voices were heard, and we're on the path to a successful development," he said.
Back in July 2023, a petition went around from a local resident group to not approve the rezoning application for the development plan.
"We know there's a broad support for a more moderate, balanced approach," Kelli Unnerstall with Preserve Chesterfield said. The group's number one goal is to preserve green space and maintain the character of Chesterfield.
Chesterfield Mayor Bob Nation believes it will restore a vibrancy to the city.
"The City of Chesterfield has the opportunity to allow something so dynamic, so vibrant, so unusual, so unique to be created in our city," he said.
That is something residents, such as Unnerstall, look forward to.
"We definitely want it to be a place where we can live, work, play and shop, so we're very excited about that," she said.
According to Wyse, $352 million of the $2 billion price tag is coming from tax increment financing for improvements to public infrastructure: including roads, sidewalks, utilities and parking.
"From a public service standpoint, it gets money flowing back into the city and other taxing jurisdictions, so that they can provide those services," he said. "It's also really that sense of place, that sense of identity, kind of what the mall used to be to people. That place where you went when you were going to meet with your friends, 'Hey, let's go to the mall, let's meet,' so it brings that sense of community back."
Opening remarks, along with the demolition, will start at 10 a.m. Tuesday.
Officials said it'll take six months to tear down the building. Altogether, the project should be completed in 10 years.