innovation

State of Downtown | 2016

STATE OF DOWNTOWN

Year in Review

Residential

Hotel &
Hospitality

Retail &
Entertainment

05
06
07
08
09

01
02
03
04

table of contents

Jobs, Talent &

Office Space

Infrastructure &
Transportation

Safety

Education

Contact
Information

GREATER DOWNTOWN ST. LOUIS

GREATER
DOWNTOWN ST. LOUIS:
Greater Downtown St. Louis is

Cole

comprised of those U.S. Census tracts

dining and entertainment. Whether youre a permanent

resident or in town for a day, Downtown has plenty of

Jeffe

Downtown St. Louis is the regions hub for tourism,

rson

with the greatest concentration of

DOWNTOWN
CORE

numerous attractions. St. Louis is a culture of diversity,

vibrancy and art; embrace our city's beauty in the

DOWNTOWN CORE:
The Downtown Core is comprised

activities, filled with culture and fun for all! Downtown

is home to 200+ annual events, delicious eateries and

employment in our urban core.

of St. Louis City neighborhoods

DOWNTOWN WEST
NEIGHBORHOOD

DOWNTOWN
NEIGHBORHOOD

Downtown and Downtown West.

Chouteau

heart of itWelcome to Downtown St. Louis!

innovation

STATE OF DOWNTOWN

YE AR I N R EV I EW

Downtown is the
Fastest Growing
Neighborhood in
the STL Region

Downtown Forward

Downtown offers a unique living experience, one that

R E S I D E NT I A L

Downtown Core Population

2014

2015

8,286

8,916

12 month Population Growth

319

630

Growth Rate

4%

7.6%

6,396

7,134

92.9%

95.2%

Population Total

Number of Units

In 2015, Downtown St. Louis took a big leap forward.

Securing the near north side as the site of the new

is in demand with both Millennials and older adults who

Our residential population grew by 7%, the largest

location for the National Geospatial-Intelligence

are seeking alternatives to the sprawl of the suburbs.

increase in 10 years. The Downtown Innovation

Agency (NGA) will likely be remembered as one of

The efficiency and health benefits of being able to walk

Affordable Apartments

90.9%

94.8%

Community continued to flourish with nearly 50 new

the most significant wins of 2016 for the St. Louis

or bike to work, to the grocery store, to entertainment

companies, the announcement of the opening of the

region. Downtown stands to benefit greatly from

and back home attracts innovators and entrepreneurs.

Market Rate Apartments

91.4%

93.9%

St. Louis Fashion Incubator in the fall, and a growth

NGA's proximity to our merchants, housing and

Access to public transit, modern amenities and inspiring

Condominiums

97.8%

98.3%

target that will further establish the St. Louis region

amenities. We look forward to being the home

public spaces are highly valued by the next generation

as one of the best start-up cities in the country.

and playground for NGA employees and a source

of home buyers and down-sizers.

Total Occupancy Rate*

Source: Downtown STL, Inc., 2016 Housing Survey

*Includes only buildings open 12 months or more as of March, 2016

of new talent in support of their expansion.

In 2015, Downtowns residential housing market

As the fastest growing neighborhood in the city

Population Growth Rate

of St. Louis, we have attracted the upwardly mobile

With rapid growth comes challenges and Downtown

continued to build momentum. Over the last five years,

young professionals, families and empty nesters. Many

St. Louis has their share of both. We continue to fight

the Downtown population has grown by over 32%.

college students have also made Downtown their home,

the negative perception of decline and high crime. Our

On average, Downtown occupancy rates increase by

8%

with numerous universities establishing or expanding

infrastructure is in need of investment. Downtown STL,

approximately 5%, but last year Downtowns residential

6%

Inc. is collaborating with residents, businesses and

population expanded 7% to include over 600 new

organizations across the region to address these issues,

residents. The Arcade and Station Plaza opened their

The density of people created by a growing

some of which can be addressed relatively quickly and

doors and quickly filled up their array of new and unique

residential population is critical to attracting retail

others that will require long-term systemic change.

residential units. Recently announced residential projects

0%

establishments and companies seeking a deep talent

It is my privilege to work with the many people and

in unoccupied buildings, including the Monogram

-2%

pool, as well as the perception of a safe and vibrant

organizations who have stepped forward to craft

(former CPI building), have illuminated the resiliency

urban core. People who choose to live in an urban

solutions for our challenges, most especially the

of Downtowns residential market.

center are often seeking a walkable and cycling-

staff and members of Downtown STL, Inc.

their Downtown presence.

An increase in condominium sales also showed signs of

oriented community with inspiring public spaces, such

as the beautiful Arch grounds and trails currently under

Heres to another prosperous, challenging, and

growth; 118 units sold in 2015, which is an 18% increase

renovation. The appeal of Downtown as a neighborhood,

energizing year in the heart of our region!

from the year before. Average sale prices also went up

business district and tourist destination improves daily

by 1% and average days on the market went down by

as the CityArchRiver project hits major milestones.

4% during that same period.

10%

4%
2%
2011

2012

2013

Downtown St. Louis Core

2014

St. Louis City

2015

St. Louis MSA

Sources: 1) U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division, Annual Estimates

of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015,
2) Downtown STL, Inc., 2016 Housing Survey

Downtown STL Core

Residential Occupancy Growth
%

+7

10,000

The forward momentum in the development market

9,000

includes projects announced or underway that total

8,000

nearly $1B, such as the redevelopment of signature

7,000

buildings like Jefferson Arms and Railway Exchange.

6,000

Discussions are underway about new construction of

5,000

the first new office building in almost thirty years.

Missy Kelley

Now, that is momentum!

President & CEO, Downtown STL, Inc.

Downtown STL
Demographics:

AGE

4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
0
'05

'06

'07

'08

'09

'10

'11

'12

'13

'14

year
Source: Downtown STL, Inc., 2016 Housing Survey

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STATE OF DOWNTOWN | 2

'15

HOTEL & H O SPITA L I T Y

R E TA I L & E NT E R TA I NME NT

Downtown is the Gateway to the

STL Region for Millions of Visitors

Downtown Food & Entertainment

Venues are Strong and Growing Stronger

Convention and hotel business brings $5.4 billion in economic impact to St. Louis annually
and Downtown STLs hotel market experienced remarkable growth in the past 12 months.
Last year more than 469,000 room nights were booked at Downtown hotels. This reflected
an increase of 30,000 over the prior year. Recent announcements of three boutique hotels
proves that the Downtown hotel market still has the capacity for growth. With the Dome at

Of the over 300 restaurants and bars currently located in Downtown STL, more than 20 restaurants
opened, relocated, or expanded last year. Some notable highlights include: Gioias Deli, Broadway
Oyster Bar, Shift, Test Kitchen, The Kitchen Sink, Porano, Tim Hortons, Start Bar, Sauce on the
Side and Sugarfire.

Americas Center now available for rent year-round, the marketers at Explore St. Louis began marketing

Greater density will attract more retail activity, but recent openings and reinvestments bode well for Downtown.

the space to even larger conventions and planning for the next phase of renovations and development.

In the meantime, it is important to support the retailers that continue to offer supplies and services to those

It will become even more important than ever to maintain and advance the quantity and quality of

who live, work and play Downtown. Commuters, residents and visitors alike can take advantage of dozens of

hotel rooms, ballrooms and meeting spaces.

conveniently located health care providers, jewelers, dry cleaners, boutiques, salons and more.
In 2016, the highly anticipated National Blues Museum opened to join the growing list of Downtown music

800

attractions. As a look forward, we anticipate the reopening of The Eugene Field House & St. Louis Toy Museum

917

after a full 4,000 square foot renovation and expansion. Downtown is, now more than ever, a regional hub for

910

cultural institutions.

600

670

2015 Sports Attendance

537

400

Regular Season Games

Total Attendance

Average Per Game

St. Louis Blues

41

755,294

18,421

St. Louis Cardinals

81

3,520,889

43,467

Team

355
200

295

295

288

255

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H ity
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ot
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az
a

at Ho
th te
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Ar l
ch

Pl

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With more than 200 sporting and cultural events hosted last year, Downtown continued to be the premier

at

destination for visitors to our region. Downtown STL, Inc. works with event producers to help facilitate

St. Louis City & County Tourism Impact

workers to enjoy live music and food at the

of 400+ developers, designers and occupants to

2.33%

Visitors

23.9 mil

Old Post Office Plaza each Friday, May

highlight trends in Downtown development.

4.80%

Visitor Spending

$4.88 bil

Total number of Rooms

7,009

7,172

Average Daily Rate

$ 131.88

$ 138.21

1.97%

innovation

Each winter Downtown STL, Inc. and the Building

Impact

%Change

Source: Explore St. Louis

The weekly outdoor concert series Lunchtime

Category

2015

$ 88.86

Downtown STL, Inc. also produces a few signature events each year:
Live attracts hundreds of residents, visitors and

2014

$ 87.14

Source: NHL, MLB 2015

logistics, welcome attendees and provide alerts related to the potential impact on the neighborhood.

Downtown Hotel Rooms & Rates

Revenue Per Available Room

Co H
nv oli
en da
tio y
n In
Ce n
nt
er

St M
. L ar
ou ri
is ot
Gr t
an
H
d
ya
St t
.L t
ou Re
is g
Ri en
ve c
rf y
ro
St
nt
.L
ou
is
at
th H
e ilt
Ba o
St
llp n
.L
ar
ou
k
is
Un D
io ou
n
St bl
at et
io re
n
Ho e
D
ru
te
l
ry

Source: Explore St. Louis, 2013

Top Downtown STL Hotels

By Room Size

1000

Tourism Jobs

85,164

Tourism Wages

$2.78 bil

Tourism Tax Revenue

$925 mil

Source: Explore St. Louis, 2013

through September.
Young Friends of Downtown draws from its

Owners and Managers Association host a luncheon

At the end of the fiscal year Downtown

STL, Inc. hosts an annual event to salute the

membership of over 200 Downtown advocates

accomplishments of the past year, focus on the

under the age 40 to convene at Micro Mondays,

year ahead, and present the John H. Poelker

a happy hour the first Monday of each month.

Levee Stone award for the business leader making

significant contributions to Downtown.
STATE OF DOWNTOWN | 4

J O BS , TAL EN T & OF F I C E S PAC E

INF R A STR U C T U R E & T R A NS P O R TAT I O N

Demand for a More

Connected Downtown
Drives Infrastructural
Improvements

Demand for Creative Spaces

has Extended to Even the Most
Traditional Office Environments
The Downtown STL office market improved in 2015/2016 with the vacancy rate dropping
to 19.4% at the end of the first quarter in 2016. Many anchor employers of Downtown,
including Accenture, Anderson & Gilbert, Bryant Group and Schlichter Bogard & Denton,
renewed their leases. Spire (formerly the Laclede Group) opened their new headquarters
at 700 Market Street. Anders CPAs + Advisors saw continued returns on their recent
investment in a completely renovated space that was designed to attract and retain top
talent in a competitive industry. Marketing firm Momentum committed to move its 150
employees into 27,000 square feet of space at 1831 Chestnut Street.

Over the past 12 months, more than $300 million

in development was completed in Downtown:
The years-long Arch grounds renovation project saw three
major unveilings; Luther Ely Smith Square, the new Park Over
the Highway and the newly elevated Leonor K. Sullivan Blvd
all opened after significant investment and coordinated
construction projects.
Arcade Apartments and Webster University in the Arcade

The Downtown Innovation Community continued to attract local, national and international talent

Building were both completed and opened to residents and

and announced a goal of 1,000 innovative companies with 10,000 jobs Downtown by 2025. The goal

students, respectively.

was established just as both Lockerdome and KPMG announced the addition of a total of 400+ new

The #99 Downtown Trolley route was expanded to appeal to

jobs to Downtown. Creative coworking spaces like T-REX and Industrious continued to respond to the
growing needs of startups and innovative companies that require spaces to conduct daily business,

bus riders needing to go to Wells Fargo, Harris-Stowe State

host meetings, share resources and network.

University, Chaifetz Arena, and Sigma-Aldrich.

The Metro Civic Center Transit Center began an expansion

The Saint Louis Fashion Fund also launched its capital campaign to fund the St. Louis Fashion
Incubator, a two-year, intensive program that offers emerging designers the tools, connections, and

that will allow the area to accommodate more buses and

guidance to take their businesses to the next level. The incubator will house six designers from

provide passengers with new amenities and features.

across the country and will provide mentorship opportunities and business programming that

In spring of 2016, Downtown STL, Inc., with partnership from

will simultaneously help re-establish the Garment District along Washington Ave.

the City of St. Louis, St. Louis Development Corporation, and

St. Louis Economic Development Partnership, issued a Request
for Information (RFI) for the establishment of a gigabit fiber

Address

Buyer/Tenant
Company

Comp SF

network throughout the region. Beginning with Downtown and

Lease Type

expanding to other business clusters, the goal of the RFI is to

M A J O R OF FIC E S PACE
TR A NSAC T ION S

encourage service providers to develop a plan for gigabit

200 N. Broadway

337,088

Mariner Energy, Inc.

Sold

100 N. Broadway

34,145

Crane Insurance Company

Renewal/Expansion

1015 Locust St.

29,191

Maune Law Firm

New

100 N. Broadway

22,130

Herzog Crebs

Renewal

100 N. Broadway

22,130

Nestle Purina

Expansion

505 N. 7th St.

19,147

Korein Tillery LLC

Renewal

308 N. 21st St.

15,000

USI

Renewal

100 S. 4th St.

12,021

Regus

New

900-920 Spruce St.

10,000

Asynchrony

Expansion

broadband infrastructure and improved access to high-speed

Internet for residents and businesses. This process is one of
many steps required to turn St. Louis into more of a Smart City
with efficient, accessible and widely available data systems
and networks.

Source: Cushman & Wakefield Quarterly St. Louis Office Market Reports, 2015/2016

innovation

STATE OF DOWNTOWN | 6

SAF ET Y

E D U C AT I O N

Safety, Real and Perceived,

Must Improve for All
Over the past 12 months, Downtown has invested heavily in
security-related issues. Much time has been spent collaborating
with the City, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD),
Civic leaders, businesses and community members. The result
of this investment has been continuous improvement in safety
initiatives and yet there is still much work that remains.
Another significant investment has been in securing both funds and
community support to improve the technology available to SLMPD as they
work to prevent and fight crime. These investments included $166K for the
purchase and installation of 16 security cameras throughout Downtown.
As a look forward, Downtown STL, Inc. is currently raising funds for
enhanced lighting and the installation of additional License Plate
Recognition (LPR) cameras in greater Downtown.

Colleges and Universities

Are Choosing Downtown
The Downtown St. Louis post-secondary student population keeps on growing
and our institutions are committed to strengthening urban education! While
Webster University moved across the street from the Old Post Office into the
newly renovated Arcade Building, Lindenwood University consolidated their
Wildwood and Downtown locations and is now taking up 32,000 square feet
inside the Old Post Office. This move quadrupled the amount of space
Lindenwood University previously had at 1409 Washington Avenue.
Downtown has a strong history of post-secondary institutions choosing the city center
as their home. Here are all post-secondary schools that have established a presence in
Downtown: Lindenwood University, Saint Louis Community College, Saint Louis University Law
School, Stevens The Institute of Business and Arts, University of Phoenix Learning Center,
Vatterott College extreme Institute by Nelly and Webster University. The energy that
college students bring to Downtown adds to the vibrancy of our neighborhood.

The perception of safety is another hurdle that must be approached on

an individual level in addition to systemic levels. One tool that Downtown
is investing in is the home-grown, T-REX-based SafeTrek app, which was
designed to help individuals fill the gap between doing nothing and
calling the police when they feel unsafe, anywhere. It uses a simple,
silent interface that alerts a security call center any time a user feels
unsafe. The call center stays in contact until the person feels safe again
or triggers an escalation that shares their location and situation with
police dispatchers. Downtown STL, Inc. will continue to partner with the
public and private sectors for innovative solutions for public safety.

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STATE OF DOWNTOWN | 8

innovation

Downtown STL, Inc.

serves as the catalyst
for creating and promoting a
Downtown that attracts investment,
economic activity and vibrancy at the
hub of our region. We also manage
the Community Improvement District,
which supplements city services to
make Downtown St. Louis a cleaner,
safer and more inviting place.

For More Information

314.436.6500 |
innovation

downtownstl.org