On Tuesday night, neighbors, business owners and city staff packed into the Omega Center to weigh in on a draft PlanSTL vision for the Mark Twain I-70 Industrial neighborhood. The proposal aims to reconnect jobs, industry and possible housing along a long-neglected stretch of north St. Louis that hugs Interstate 70.
The PlanSTL program covers the area bordered by I-70 to the north, Kingshighway Boulevard to the east, Natural Bridge Avenue to the south and the city limits to the west, and it sketches out ideas for industry, housing, zoning and transportation, according to the City of St. Louis. City officials say the recently acquired former St. Louis Army Ammunition Plant is one of the largest redevelopment parcels in the area and a central focus for future jobs and industry.
Residents at the open house did not exactly speak with one voice. Some attendees told FOX2 the draft felt like a welcome reset and a chance to finally see real investment, while others dismissed it as “smoke and mirrors” and warned that past plans had failed to deliver. That coverage also notes the draft highlights three major sites, the former ammunition plant, the Goodfellow Federal Center and a U.S. Army Reserve center, and says leaders hope to have a draft plan ready by August 2026.
What's in the draft plan
According to materials on the PlanSTL site, the draft lays out a broad neighborhood playbook that includes new jobs, workforce training programs, local-hiring efforts, transportation upgrades, public art and beautification projects, plus potential housing opportunities. Planners say the goal is to strengthen industrial employment while improving street-level retail and public spaces for the people who live and work nearby.
Big sites, tricky cleanup
The city has described the former St. Louis Army Ammunition Plant as a once-in-a-generation redevelopment opportunity that could host advanced manufacturing, logistics operations and even recreation, according to the City of St. Louis. Residents at the meeting, along with local reporting, stressed that getting there will be a heavy lift, from environmental cleanup to adding basic retail such as pharmacies and grocery stores so nearby households are not traveling far just to pick up essentials.
Timeline and next steps
City materials say planners will incorporate community feedback into the draft over the summer, then work toward finalizing the neighborhood plan in the fall of 2026. Updates and draft documents are being posted on the PlanSTL hub, which the city is using as the central home for information and remaining outreach.
Those who missed the open house can review maps and display boards online and send comments to the Planning & Urban Design Agency; city press materials list [email protected] as the contact for the effort. Officials say the next few weeks are especially important as planners refine recommendations that could influence whether key sites are marketed for industry, reserved for community-oriented uses or prepared for housing and retail.
For many north St. Louis residents, the plan carries a mix of hope and hesitation. It offers a framework that could finally attract jobs and investment along the I-70 corridor, yet attendees repeatedly stressed that the city will have to prove that environmental cleanup and local hiring actually happen before long-standing skepticism gives way to support. City officials say public input from meetings like this one will shape the final blueprint that leaders hope will guide redevelopment in the area for years to come.
