Community input will help to guide Framework Plan to be released in Fall 2019
Area residents are invited to engage in the making of Chouteau Greenway at one of four Feedback & Fun Fests happening throughout the City of St. Louis in July. Beginning July 9, residents are encouraged to share their ideas and reactions about the project and process to date. This feedback will help guide and shape the project’s Framework Plan slated to be released in Fall 2019. Residents will also have the opportunity to share feedback online.
Each Feedback & Fun Fest will have free activities, music and food to celebrate the progress to date and showcase how a greenway can be a place for community gatherings. All ages and abilities are welcome. The four events will be hosted as follows:
- Tuesday July 9; 5-7:30 pm- Piper Palm House at Tower Grove Park (4271 Northeast Drive, St. Louis, MO 63110)
- Saturday July 13; 9am to noon- Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club (2901 N. Grand Ave., St. Louis, MO 63110)
- Thursday July 18; 3pm-8pm – Cortex/Venture Café (4240 Duncan Ave #200, St. Louis, MO 63110)
- Sunday July 21; 1pm-4pm – Kaufmann Park in downtown St. Louis (corner of Tucker and Pine 63103)
Click here to share your feedback online!
The Chouteau Greenway aims to connect Forest Park to the Gateway Arch and Fairground Park to Tower Grove Park through a series of pathways spanning up to 20 neighborhoods in the City of St. Louis, connecting existing destinations and creating new spaces along the way. Following initial community engagement in 2017, and an international design competition launched in 2018, the project incorporates the feedback of thousands of people across the region and the expertise and insights of more than 125 St. Louis City Residents and Civic Leaders. This deliberate planning process aims to ensure the mission, vision, key principles and intended outcomes for the Chouteau Greenway reflect the voices of the entire community. It also centers diversity, inclusion and equity as cornerstones for the project now and as the greenway evolves over time.
“This project and process are unlike anything we’ve done before and we are very grateful to everyone who has been involved so far,” said Susan Trautman, CEO of Great Rivers Greenway. “This greenway will not only connect people to our city’s most treasured places and to each other, but it will create inspiring experiences and equitable opportunities for growth.”
The interactive experiences at the Feedback & Fun Fests and online are a mix of sharing information and gathering input to ensure the Framework Plan is on track and reflects the goals of the public-private partnership. Anticipated to be completed later this fall, it will serve as a platform for the project before any schematic designs for specific segments begin. It will address design concepts including art, amenities, ecology and more; route options and criteria for selection; economic development opportunities; governance models; and an equity plan.
Feedback & Fun Fest attendees will learn what types of criteria are being studied to evaluate where the greenway might go, what an art strategy may entail and possible models of governance for a project of this scale. Attendees will be asked to share feedback on what it means to be a St. Louisan, to rank which equity strategies are important for their neighborhood, where people would like different types of art experiences, and elect how they want to be involved in the future. Participants should expect to spend about 20 minutes on the engagement activities.
“For the past two years, we’ve been building engagement into every step of the process; this is one opportunity among many to share your ideas,” said Shaughnessy H. Daniels, Civic Engagement Manager for Great Rivers Greenway. “We’re also working to engage the 20 City neighborhoods, agencies, business leaders, churches, elected officials and other institutions to collaborate as the project evolves.”
For any accommodation needs, please contact Great Rivers Greenway at 314-436-7009. Find out more about this project at www.ChouteauGreenway.org.
