ST. LOUIS — The firm behind a massive music production facility proposed for Chesterfield is detailing more of its plans, as it hopes to make St. Louis an important practice stop for large touring acts.
Those performers "need a place to build and prep and prepare," said Trey Kerr, CEO of Gateway Studios LLC, which is planning the 330,000-square-foot building at 18125 Spirit Commerce Drive. St. Louis County records show that an entity tied to Mark Burkhart of BurkHill Real Estate owns the Chesterfield Valley property.
"I hope St. Louis starts to become more of a starting, kickoff tour point for people to use these studio facilities," Kerr said, citing the area's central location in the U.S. and proximity to other major metros.
Tours could practice in the facility for an average of four weeks, he said.
A primary practice facility for such tours, Rock Lititz in Lititz, Pennsylvania, was backlogged before the pandemic, Kerr said, demonstrating the need for more space.
The idea, he said, is to provide capabilities for perfecting a show's mix of lights, sound and video. Gateway Studios' development would have four studios and also could accommodate corporate and video clients, Kerr said.
"The facility itself is a Swiss Army knife," he said. "It's built to service just about anything you can think of from a production standpoint."
GMA Architects is working on the project, for which St. Louis County last month approved at least $88 million to as much as $130 million in Chapter 100 industrial development revenue bonds, plus a 50% abatement on property taxes over 10 years and sales tax exemptions on construction materials and the purchase of personal property. Chesterfield's planning department is still reviewing the project. Officials estimated the project will generate about $10,454,000 for the taxing jurisdictions over the life of the abatement, according to West Newsmagazine.
Gateway, already a provider of production services for music tours, currently has about two dozen employees, Kerr said, not counting roadies, or those who help set up and maintain equipment for touring acts. With the development, the number of full-time workers could rise by more than 100, Kerr said.
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