CHESTERFIELD, Mo. — Plans to breathe new life into the defunct Chesterfield Mall are getting the green light. The city council recently approved a zoning change, which will make room for demolition and a major revamp.
If you've been to the Chesterfield Mall lately, you know it's only a shell of its former glory. Gone are the big box stores like Macy's and JCPenney. No more date nights at the movies.
"For years, the residents, the number one question [was] ‘What are you going to do with Chesterfield Mall?'" Chesterfield Mayor Bob Nation said.
Because the mall is private property, Nation says there was little the city could do, except change how the property is zoned.
On Tuesday, the city council did just that, changing the mall site from a commercial to a mixed-use space, allowing for retail, offices, and more than 2,000 apartment units.
Getting to this point wasn't a slam dunk. There were some concerns and challenges along the way.
Dillards filed suit against the city concerned about tax incentives for developers.
The company asked the courts to make sure the store isn't impacted by eminent domain.
Neighbors were also vocal.
“Our two biggest concerns were density and mix of uses ... the traffic impact,” said Kelli Unnerstall with Citizens for Developing Downtown, also known as Preserve Chesterfield.
Her group worked with the developer and city leaders.
"They limited the number of housing … they limited the height of the building (from what would have been 300 feet down to 200 feet) ... [and make sure that] residential properties [are] developed around a 3.5-acre park. It stipulated on the ground floor of those residences would be retail,” Nation said.
"We came to a resolution, and we’re thrilled to have reached a conclusion that we felt like we could support,” Unnerstall added.
Demolition of the mall site, except for Dillards, is expected to begin late next year.
The next step for the developer is to submit plans for each site of the property for the city council to approve.