© 2024 St. Louis Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

St. Louis County now controls all Jamestown Mall property

There are still some traces of the Jamestown Mall in north St. Louis County. A deal to put all the property under control of the county port authority could help speed up the long-delayed redevelopment of the site.
Provided | St. Louis County

The entire site of the former Jamestown Mall is now under the control of St. Louis County. The county Port Authority has contracts for the final two sections of the property, which has become an eyesore since the mall closed in 2014.

St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger said the $1.7 million deal is an important step in converting the north county site  into a "productive use property." 

"We are open minded to many uses," Stenger said.

"And we are looking for public input to determine what that use is going to be."

A public open house is expected in the next few weeks to gather input from area residents. A date for that meeting has not been set.

Even though the deal for the last pieces of the old mall should be complete in December, the county is already moving ahead with environmental cleanup work at the site, which has fallen into disrepair.

"The types of things they are removing are things like asbestos and, quite literally, dead animals," Stenger said. Lead paint removal is also underway.

A request for redevelopment proposals will be issued once the public information gathering phase is complete. A specific timeline has not been determined. 

The Jamestown Mall property is northeast of the city of Florissant near Lindbergh Boulevard.
Credit Mapbox | OpenStreetMap
The Jamestown Mall property is northeast of the city of Florissant near Lindbergh Boulevard.

Jamestown Mall was built in 1973. St. Louis Public Radio's Maria Altman reported this year that developers had anticipated construction of another 8,000 homes nearby. That never happened because geologists found sinkholes north of the property.

At least one retail expert also attributes the mall's demise to the average income level being lower than developers expected.

St. Louis County has set up a website where the public can monitor the work at the mall property.  People may also send in questions or concerns to stlouisco.com/jamestown

Follow Wayne on Twitter: @WayneRadio

Wayne Pratt is the Broadcast Operations Manager and former morning newscaster at St. Louis Public Radio.