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redevelopment is expected to extend beyond the scope of the river into the inner core of the city, sparking commercial and
residential development in East St. Louis.
Joe Behnken, former executive director of Southwestern Illinois Development Authority, who worked with the senator and the
city of East St. Louis on tailoring the St. Louis model to East St. Louis, said that the legislation covers all of St. Clair
County and can be used in other communities as well.
Behnken said that the private, for-profit redevelopment corporations would be funded through investments by its
shareholders, who would be people with a vested interest in the project and are accountable to the city and the community.
"The redevelopment corporation would get a negotiated percentage based on the investment into the region. That's how
redevelopers sustain themselves and generate the funds for marketing, design and architecture," he said. "It's very incentive
driven - no public money goes to the redevelopment corporation."
Through a competitive process, the city of East St. Louis would issue requests for qualifications and requests for
proposals, and the redevelopment corporations would submit to the city a redevelopment plan. Four to six separate
redevelopment corporations could submit proposals on different sections of the riverfront, Behnken said, and the jurisdiction
for each - which could be divided into 40-acre to 200-acre sites - would be spelled out in contract between each entity and
the city.
Deborah Roush, project manager with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said the Corps entered into agreement with city of
East St. Louis in June 2001 to assist in developing a master plan for the riverfront.
"We covered the 1,000 acres of riverfront from city limits to city limits," she said.
The Corps' planning entailed a three-phase process. The first phase included assessing the existing condition and
infrastructure of the area along with the businesses, cultural and natural resources already there. The assessment also looked
at possible environmental contamination. In addition, this stage included a market analysis funded by the Greater St. Louis
Regional Empowerment Zone.
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The analysis reviewed what the region's needs were in terms of office space, housing and recreation. In addition, the
analysis considered what the private sector could provide and what amenities to the region were lacking to meet a known need,
Roush said.
At the close of Phase I, the Corps provided three major alternative plans or uses for the 1,000 acres along the riverfront,
and public meetings were held to collect input from residents and interested parties.
In Phase II, the Corps recommended a master plan to the East St. Louis City Council, outlining the different uses for the
area.
"The city adopted the plan in the summer of 2003," she said. The Corps' suggested uses included housing, entertainment,
retail and office space along with green space comprising such features as a linear park with wetland restoration and trails.
The Corps is currently in the process of Phase III, which is "implementation," and it hopes to have the final report in the
spring of 2004, Roush said. This final phase includes laying out the cost estimates for infrastructure for the entire
riverfront - water, wastewater treatment, roads, etc. - to make it viable for development.
A key element of Phase III is determining two to three lead projects - "the most promising with the highest level of
success anticipated - and estimating the funding needed for those projects, the partnerships that would be necessary for them
and the organization that needs to happen to make those selected projects come to fruition on the riverfront," Roush added.
East St. Louis Mayor Carl Officer offered solid support for Clayborne. "I'm very proud of Sen. Clayborne's efforts for
legislation," the mayor said. "We are anxious to do the development, not only for the city of East St. Louis, but for the
entire metropolitan region."
staff writer: Lorraine Senci
email: lsenci@ibjonline.com
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