Collaborative zoning, land use, and economic development along West Florissant Avenue
Abstract
The West Florissant Avenue Great Streets project in St. Louis County, Missouri, represents a rare example of three cities — Dellwood, Ferguson, and Jennings — developing and adopting a unified zoning ordinance for a historically disinvested, socially significant commercial corridor. This initiative to revitalise a corridor deeply affected by decades of disinvestment and the 2014 civil unrest following the death of Michael Brown Jr. integrates land-use reform, community-driven redevelopment, brownfields planning, and infrastructure investment and was coordinated by the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership in collaboration with the cities and other regional partners. This paper examines the governance structure, planning process, and policy mechanisms that enabled the creation of the shared West Florissant Corridor District Zoning Ordinance,1 analyses its outcomes to date, and discusses how the approach can inform regeneration efforts in other multijurisdictional urban environments. The case demonstrates the value of sustained collaboration, shared regulatory tools, and community stewardship in transitioning corridors from sites of crisis towards resilient, opportunity-rich places. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/.
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Author's Biography
Maude Bauschard Trost is a Senior Project Manager in the Community Investment division at the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership (STL Partnership). Maude is a 10-year community development professional focused on cultivating collaboration, equity, and forward-thinking initiatives that mobilise stakeholders, align resources, and create solutions to improve the quality of life for residents in historically underinvested communities. Maude served on the intergovernmental team that brought the US$18.2m Federal Highway Administration Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant for the West Florissant Avenue Great Streets project. She leads STL Partnership’s Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund and Assessment Grant programmes that clean up environmental contaminants on sites to prepare them for redevelopment. She led portions of STL Partnership’s COVID-19 response team that deployed a Small Business Resource Grant Program that disbursed over US$2.5m to more than 2,500 businesses negatively affected by the COVID-19-induced recession.
Kellie Shelton is a Senior Project Manager in the Major Projects division at at the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership (STL Partnership). Kellie is a dedicated economic development professional with over 15 years’ experience supporting community revitalisation and redevelopment efforts. She has led initiatives focused on construction oversight, strategic planning, and real estate development while managing budgets, grants, and stakeholder engagement. Kellie is skilled at collaborating with government agencies, businesses, and community partners to move projects forward and address local economic challenges. She has a strong commitment to equitable development and improving the quality of life in underserved communities. Kellie also serves in leadership roles with several non-profit and civic organisations, supporting health advocacy, housing, and economic growth.
