Face of Downtown Looks Different Than Rest of City

By Doug Moore, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Dec. 8–ST. LOUIS — Downtown, the city’s fastest-growing neighborhood, appears to be living up to its new-found, hip image.

Those living among the high-rises are younger, richer and better educated than the average St. Louisan. Men — most of them single — outnumber women, and dogs far outnumber children.

The findings come from a direct-mail survey by the Downtown St. Louis Partnership, which is trying to get a clearer sense of how the heart of the city is changing. Developers say the number of young adults moving to downtown validates their investments. But to sustain that growth, they need to offer properties that entice other age groups.

“We’d really like downtown to be for everybody,” said Jim Cloar, executive director of the Partnership.

While a younger person doesn’t mind concrete floors, exposed duct work and partial walls, a more finished look is often what older home buyers are seeking.

“They have had $1 million-plus houses in Ladue, Town and Country, Chesterfield and Creve Coeur,” said Steve Roberts, whose family company is building a 25-story glass and steel residential high-rise in Old Post Office Square. “They still want the quality of life without worrying about the minutia. They want to downsize, but downsize with amenities.”

The survey is the most comprehensive by downtown boosters. It was sent in late summer to 5,000 residents — about half the number the Partnership estimates lives downtown. Of the 727 residents who responded, 46.3 percent are between the ages of 25 and 34, younger than the city’s median age of 35.

“There are a lot of people in my age range,” said Chris Cerny, 26, a sales representative for a steel products distributor. “It’s a great place to socialize, eat, drink and have fun. I have no regrets.”

Just more than 7 percent of the respondents said they had children. That’s 53 children compared to 146 dogs.

Many downtown residents said they enjoy watching the once-dormant heart of the city come back to life and feeling the urban energy that, until recently, has eluded St. Louis. They appreciate the architecture and think of construction noise as more of a quirky neighborhood trait than a nuisance.

The emerging younger face of downtown reinforces what city leaders were hoping for when the aggressive redevelopment push began seven years ago: An infusion of energy and money into the heart of what was a boarded up St. Louis core.

“It has definitely met our expectations,” said Barbara Geisman, deputy mayor for development.

While the survey numbers don’t necessarily reflect a precise profile of downtown residents, Partnership officials say it offers a reliable reflection of the area, one that runs counter to the overall averages of the city.

For example, downtown is overwhelmingly white while the majority of the city is black. Almost every respondent has at least a high school education, compared with about three-fourths of St. Louis. And more than a third of the respondents claimed a household income north of $100,000 — 4 1/2 times more than the city average.

David Hinkle, a regional manager for Sisters of Mercy Health System, chose downtown St. Louis over Chicago, where most of his friends from the University of Illinois ended up after graduating. The sushi bars, martinis and boutiques weren’t around yet, but Hinkle could see the possibilities five years ago. He’s now on his second loft.

“There’s a real community aspect to it. You can walk out the door and there are lots of things to do,” said Hinkle, 30. “You’re walking into a community of people who are a lot like you.”

In taking its survey, the Partnership used different boundaries for downtown than it typically does when measuring population. The northern boundary for the survey was Delmar Boulevard, not Cass Avenue.

Cloar said the Partnership wanted to focus on the core downtown area where development is occurring. The Partnership sought at least 10 percent participation from each building. Surveys were sent through regular mail and e-mail.

Geisman, a downtown resident, says the survey seems a close representation of the neighborhood’s makeup. But, “I think there are a lot more old people like me at 54 than shows up in the survey,” Geisman said. The 50 to 64 age range is the third-largest group of survey respondents, following those who are 35 to 49.

As more residential and retail construction fills in the vacant lots and empty storefronts, Geisman says downtown will become more diverse.

“It’s really great to see kids who are just getting going in their lives down here with people who have already had successful lives enjoying retirement,” Geisman said.

Gary Touchette, 35, moved downtown in 2001 “before anything was really going on” and is now on his second loft. “As the neighborhood has grown, I’ve kind of grown, too. So it’s been a good fit for me,” Touchette said.

But downtown living is not for everyone, he warns. You should expect noise both from the street and from neighbors. And, Touchette added, the panhandling that is off-putting to visitors can be a constant annoyance for residents.

Potential buyers “should do their research and know what they’re getting into,” said Touchette, a project manager for Omnicell, a health care company.

Downtowner Howard Wynder doesn’t fit the typical downtown profile, as an African-American over the age of 50. Still, he says he feels like he fits right in.

Wynder moved to St. Louis from Nashville, Tenn., three years ago to take a position at Washington University Medical Center as a research laboratory manager.

“Everyone at Wash U. said ‘move to Clayton,’” Wynder said, but he chose downtown instead, where he walks his Great Dane, Layla.

“The people and the energy downtown are much more me than Clayton would be,” Wynder said. “It’s a very comfortable place to live. I’ve made good friends here.”

Ideally, the spread of downtown development will help link downtown to Soulard, midtown and Old North St. Louis, said city planning director Rollin Stanley.

“It can’t go back,” Stanley said. “It can only go forward.”

v

—–

To see more of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.stltoday.com.

Copyright (c) 2007, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

NASDAQ-NMS:OMCL,