The Crestwood Board of Aldermen took a hard look at an updated design for a Family Games Complex at its June 23 meeting, weighing a fresh outdoor-focused concept that would replace the existing Crestwood Community Center at Whitecliff Park. The new plan leans into outdoor amenities like courts, lawn games and a terraced amphitheater instead of renovating the aging building. Aldermen pressed architects and staff on access, concessions and parking as the design gets sharpened over the summer.
City frames the change as a cost and program win
According to City of Crestwood officials, the complex would sit on the current Crestwood Community Center site in Whitecliff Park, with the existing building demolished to make room for the new amenities. The city says this revised approach avoids an estimated additional $2.5 million in renovation costs while opening up more green and gathering space. Mayor Scott Shipley told the city the update "creates more recreation space, more gathering space and really more long-term value" for residents.
What the plans show
The latest site plan calls for four regulation pickleball courts along the north side, two 20-by-20-foot concrete patios with pavilions, and a gated access drive that follows an existing path, St. Louis Call Newspapers reports. At the center of the layout is a covered 37-by-26-foot stage backed by a storage unit, facing a terraced turf amphitheater roughly 111-by-60 feet that is designed to seat 300 to 500 people. To the southwest, the draft shows an open artificial turf area, a regulation shuffleboard court and two bocce courts adjacent to the Crestwood Aquatic Center fenceline.
Design trade-offs and the role of the architects
Bond Architects, which led design work on The Cliffs community center and is steering the Family Games concept, has been working with the city to reuse the existing footprint and squeeze out site-based savings. The firm told officials that an outdoor-focused layout trims hardscape, improves stormwater management and lowers ongoing maintenance costs compared with renovating portions of the nearly 50-year-old building. Designers also said they are aiming to reuse existing materials and circulation routes where feasible to keep the program within budget.
Aldermen press on parking and concessions
During the June 23 discussion, Ward 4 Alderman John Sebben asked whether a concession stand could be included for event crowds, while Ward 1 Alderman Jim Zavist warned the plan will wipe out "a couple dozen" parking spaces and urged the team to look at double-loaded parking along the access drive, St. Louis Call Newspapers reported. Architects responded that they will study parking layouts and circulation in the next design round and try to preserve as many existing spaces as possible. The board directed staff to return with refined drawings that address those operational concerns before giving final sign-off.
Timeline and next steps
City officials say the preliminary concept will be refined through the summer, with a finalized plan expected in August and construction anticipated to begin in fall 2027 as the city phases work around The Cliffs and the Crestwood Aquatic Center, City of Crestwood notes. Bond Architects, the Parks and Recreation Department and the city's owner's representative are slated to fold aldermanic feedback and any updated budget constraints into the August deliverable. Public updates and new renderings will be posted on the city's project pages as the design process rolls forward.
