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St. Louis Front Page presents St. Louis CitySide, an overview of the City Government of Saint Louis. From time to time, we will take an indepth look at many of the projects in which the city is involved and how these projects will affect residents and visitors.
 A Day to Remember
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
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Master Plan for St. Louis Downtown Riverfront Attracts Nationwide Interest
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com) March 17, 2005 - The competition for developing a creative and comprehensive Master Plan for the St. Louis Downtown Riverfront has captured the attention of leading planning, architecture, urban design and engineering firms across the nation.
Proposals from 12 teams, each representing a collaboration of five to six firms, have been submitted in response to the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) issued last month by the Great Rivers Greenway District, the public organization leading the St. Louis Riverfront project and funding the development of the Master Plan.
The Great Rivers Greenway District, formerly known as the Metropolitan Park and Recreation District, is one of the largest districts of its kind in the nation. The Greenway District was established in November 2000 by the successful passage of the Clean Water, Safe Parks and Community Trails Initiative (Proposition C) in St. Louis City, St. Louis County and St. Charles County, Missouri.
Riverfront development is an integral part of The Great Rivers Greenway District's overall vision for a region-wide system of interconnected greenways, parks and trails known as The River Ring, joining two states and covering an expanse of 1,216 square miles.
"Despite the best intentions of a platoon of planners over the years, the last people to take full advantage of the St. Louis riverfront's amenities were probably French fur trappers. It's well past time to use more of the river as a major draw for visitors and residents alike," said St. Louis Mayor Francis G. Slay.
The goal for the project is to redevelop the Downtown St. Louis Riverfront into a nationally recognized destination and the RFQ requested firms to present their credentials for developing a framework to implement the phased development of the Downtown St. Louis Riverfront over the next 10 years.
The consulting firm or a combination of firms will be selected in May 2005 by a steering committee comprised of representatives for The Great Rivers Greenway District and its partners for the project, which include the City of St. Louis, the National Park Service Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (Gateway Arch), Downtown Now!, and Metro (Bi-State Development).
The process of developing a comprehensive Master Plan is expected to take approximately 12 months. The winning team or teams will develop a framework to implement the phased development of the Downtown St. Louis Riverfront over the next 10 years.
In a statement, David Fisher, Executive Director of The Great Rivers Greenway District, said "Selecting a team that can draw upon the energy and interest that will coalesce around the Master Plan is very important." He added that following the selection of a team, The District will host a series of public meetings to generate citizen interest, comments and participation to assist in preparing the Master Plan.
Fisher believes the timing for the RFQ is significant. "The Gateway Arch will be celebrating its 40th anniversary in fall 2005 and this occasion will attract further attention to the planning process for riverfront improvements," he said. "Not only will we be looking at the qualifications of those responding to the RFQ, we will be considering proposals in terms of their economic, environmental and social impact on the entire region."
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