Fixing Jefferson Avenue

Over the past 50 years the urban fabric of St. Louis's major throughfares has been marred by "car oriented development" such as strip malls, drive thru fast food restaurants and big box retail. One that sticks out the most is Jefferson Avenue, which is a poor representative of the neighborhoods it cuts through. However two new developments may be the beginning of positive change for Jefferson Avenue. The Fleurs-de-Lis at Benton Park (Shown in the rendering above.) will be situated at Jefferson and Arsenal across from Benton Park. The Fleurs-de-Lis which is being developed by Millennium Restoration who has rehabbed many homes in Benton Park and beyond will house 30 condominium units, street level retail and underground parking, but the best part is that it will be replacing a Hardee’s and a large vacant lot. The other development in planning for Lafayette Square area will be a 25,000-square-foot mixed-use development calls for replacing The old Foodland store at 1605 S Jefferson and a strip mall to the north. Gilded Age will be the developer and according to the July 29, 2005 print edition of the St. Louis Business Journal the city is trying to lure Whole Foods as an anchor tenant for the Project.