This week’s CCIM St. Louis Metro Chapter virtual luncheon presentation provided solid insight to the development of the Chesterfield, Mo. area.
With presentations from Mike Geisel, city administrator with the City of Chesterfield; Tim Lowe, VP of leasing and development with The Staenberg Group; and Jeff Tegethoff, operating partner of CRG, attendees received a comprehensive look at the future of the city.
Geisel started the presentation by introducing “Envision Chesterfield,” the city’s comprehensive plan completed through a 21-month process which was adopted in September of this year.
Data shows that the city of Chesterfield has grown at 2.6 times the rate of inflation. With 44 active development projects, the city is on par with 2019 numbers despite the challenges of 2020.
“In the last ten years, we’ve seen 2,300 residential units being developed. We’ve seen 3.9 million SF of commercial development and 650,000 SF of industrial development,” Geisel said.
The District and Wildhorse developments are two large components contributing to the current success in Chesterfield, according to Geisel.
Working from the opportunity of their neighboring tenant TopGolf, The Staenberg Group is developing The District - previously an old outlet mall - into a new entertainment area. The revitalization has recently handed over the 48,000 SF shell to their new tenant, Main Event, set to open in June 2021.
On the other end of the property, The Factory, the first built-from-the-ground-up live music venue in the Midwest in more than 20 years, is currently underway. Lowe acknowledged the risk of this type of facility in the current COVID climate, but also noted the high demand from both fans and bands.
“We’re excited. This is going to be a unique draw to the area. They’re planning to open in May of next year. While the current guidelines would not allow The Factory to open and be successful, the good news is that there is a lot of pent-up demand for next year. We are hoping the rules of engagement in 2021 will allow us to open and be functional,” Lowe said.
Phase 2 of The District will feature an open-entrance, steel structured pavilion which will serve as an eye-catching anchor of the development.
“We have a lot of work to do to figure out what goes under the pavilion, but (we) will have grass, fire pits and outdoor seating. It’s a neat area within the development that allows people to read books, play with their kids, things like that,” Lowe said.
The final phase of The District is currently being planned. At this point, potential activities include indoor and outdoor pickleball, sand volleyball and eSports.
Lowe also mentioned the Chesterfield Mall, which The Staenberg Group is currently working on a master plan to convert the property into an urban downtown development. The plan includes housing, office, retail, and restaurants, and is scheduled to be completed and presented to the city by the end of the year.
Tegethoff also shared his vision for the existing Wildhorse project and Wildhorse Village. Wildhorse has scheduled openings throughout 2021, including the 188-residential spaces in March and the AC Hotel by Marriott in December. The notable, 15,000-SF Ruth Chris Steak House opens in two-weeks.
Wildhorse Village, an 80-acre development to include 1 million SF of office space, more than 500-residential units and 100,000 SF of restaurant and retail space, is currently underway. The project will not be phased and anticipates openings as early as 2023.
“We never really thought about phasing Wildhorse Villiage. The momentum of early interest in the sub lots enabled us to do it all at one time,” Tegethoff said.
“We feel like there has never been a more exciting time to developing in Chesterfield.” Tegethoff said.
Despite the challenges of 2020, the city of Chesterfield is on the rise.
to view the entire program, please visit CCIM St. Louis’s LinkedIn page.