Improving Our Business Climate

By Travis Reems

While Congress has been bailing out big businesses from Wall Street to Motown, no attention has been paid to the fact that small business is the primary employer in our nation and only small business has the flexibility to move quickly enough to navigate our nation out of the economic quagmire.

Our ward, more than most is in need of economic stimulus and jobs. It is quite clear that the need exists to dramatically overhaul the commercial districts within our ward. In general, certain types of businesses should be attracted to our area, such as nationally recognized retail businesses, boutique and niche market service-based businesses, and new branches of existing and successful locally owned businesses.

Further, business owners should be encouraged to own the structures within which their businesses are housed, to aid in tying the businesses' success to the ward's success. Redevelopment should also be sought for structures that contain multiple store-front commercial units. And, branding should be established in each of the business districts to allow visitors to know that they are in distinct areas.

The prioritized list of the ward's business districts is as follows:

• Meramec Business District (Meramec Ave between Grace Ave and Michigan)

o Working in conjunction with the Downtown Dutchtown (DT2) Business Association, a streetscape that allows for better use of commercial storefronts and parking along Meramec and the feeder streets must be established.
o This development project is necessary for not only neighborhood stabilization, but more so for the business growth in our ward, as this area sits at the heart of our ward.

• Virginia Business District - South (Virginia Ave between Walsh Ave and Bates)

o Sitting at the southernmost boundary of our ward this area must be developed to stabilize the entire ward.
o A consideration in developing the commercial uses of this area is the extensive residential zoning surrounding it. So, any development as a business district must be done in conjunction with residential development of the same area.
o As this portion of the ward borders the 11th ward, any work must be done in conjunction with efforts from that ward's leadership for the portion of the district lying in that ward.

• Industrial Business District (bounded by Meramec Ave on the North, 39th St on the East, Itaska Ave on the South and the rail lines on the West)

o With the decimation of the manufacturing base not only in St. Louis, but the United States as a whole, this area of our ward has become neglected.
o An effort must be made to work with MODoT and the rail lines to infuse capital in transportation projects for this area.
o City and State tax incentives can also be pursued to attract job-building enterprises to convert the area from that of warehouses to light production and a dense source of local jobs.

• Grand Business District (Grand Ave between Montana Ave and Kingsland Ct)

o Sitting at the crossroads of the Meramec Business District and at the heart of our ward, ans as a major arterial roadway, this area is of prime importance as a signpost for the ward to those traveling through.
o As with the Virgina Business District - South, heavy mixed use pervades the area, which, again, requires residential development to be concurrent with any business district development.

• Chippewa Business District (Chippewa Ave between the rail line viaduct and Alexander St)

o As only the southern side of this district is contained within our ward, development of this area must be done in conjunction with the 15th ward, as the neighbor to the North.
o This area contains two heavily trafficked streets+Chippewa Ave and Gravois Ave+which creates an opportunity to establish branding for our entire ward at one of its boundaries and for the further development of high volume businesses, as those that exist currently in this location.