St. Louis officials hope a plan to overhaul the city's more than 70-year-old zoning code that kicked off last week helps reverse its population decline.
The Zoning Upgrade, called ZOUP, aims to modernize the city’s code that officials say has stifled development for years. It’s a plan that Mayor Cara Spencer calls a “once-in-a-generation” opportunity.
In February, St. Louis enacted a Strategic Land Use Plan directing future land use policy — it replaces a policy enacted in 2005. The new policy called for an 18-month plan, which is now underway, to overhaul the zoning code originally adopted in the 1950s.
Board of Aldermen President Megan Green said that currently, prospective builders must navigate the dated codes. She said the current rules are “hostile” toward population density.
“It definitely makes it hard to attract developers, to attract businesses — but it also contributes to population loss,” Green said. “A lot of our zoning codes right now actually are pretty hostile toward density, and density, we know, is the lifeblood of cities. It is what helped St. Louis, at one time, be one of the largest cities in our country.”
For city land use, it means a big update officials hope will cut down on red tape. For example, many of St. Louis’ neighborhoods only allow for single-family zoning. Green said that rule makes it difficult to build housing that can accommodate more families, deepening a growing housing shortage.
Currently, Green said the city has to direct builders to get a variance from the city for that type of build, allowing them to deviate from the city’s zoning ordinance. However, that can bring development to a halt for months.
“That often means that they have to wait — three, four, five, sometimes, even six months — to get a hearing, which slows down a lot of development,” Green said. “If we can update our zoning code to make it better reflect today's priorities, so many projects will not have to go for a variance, and we'll be able to move development much faster in the city.”
Green said the zoning upgrades are especially important in the wake of the EF3 tornado that ravaged parts of north St. Louis. She said the updates to the code will ease the difficult process of redeveloping the area.
A 12-person advisory committee made up of St. Louis residents selected through a lottery pool will provide feedback on changes proposed by the city and Code Studio, a Texas-based firm leading the overhaul.
Green said the changes are a big step in the right direction to reversing troubling population trends in St. Louis.
“Part of this is not just supporting the building of housing and of businesses, but it's also creating a city that welcomes more population and welcomes more density,” Green said.
A report released in May by the Census Bureau estimated St. Louis has the most severe population loss among major U.S. cities..
St. Louis overtook San Francisco for the top spot with an estimated loss of 21,700 residents from 2020 to 2024. The city’s population stood at 301,371 in 2020. According to the report, the city has the sixth-highest rate of population decline of U.S. cities with at least 20,000 residents.
Ness Sandoval, a professor of sociology and demography at St. Louis University, said the zoning updates are a major piece of the puzzle when it comes to reversing population decline in St. Louis.
He said modern zoning upgrades make it easier for developers to create affordable housing. Many developers see St. Louis as a risk due to the possible zoning hazards, he said.
“The city is just not where other cities are today, and so this zoning update is a very important update,” Sandoval said. “You have to modernize what it's like to develop today in any city.”
Sanvodal said developers he’s spoken with while researching population decline say other cities provide “one-stop shopping” where developers can get all their approvals done at once. In St. Louis, he said, some developers worry about when and if potential projects will finish under the current rules.
“They're afraid to even put money down, to start thinking about development, because that development can stop at any process, at any point in this process," Sandoval said. “Many developers are timid to actually put down large amounts of money and then to be told a year later, well, this is not going to work. You have to do this or just stop the project.”
Alderman Michael Browning agrees — the city needs to cut down on the bureaucracy and red tape the zoning codes create. He said in 10 years, he hopes St. Louisans will look back on the changes as a catalyst for new housing, jobs and a reversal of population loss.
He said attracting people to the city with new housing and businesses, along with an easier process in which to develop, is key to getting the city on the right track.
“We just don't have the tax base to provide quality city services for every city resident, and I would like to see us get to that point,” Browning said. “A new zoning code is going to help us get there.”
