Ballpark Village – Centene project on the rocks

In the realm of über development projects in St. Louis, the Ballpark Village project next to Busch Stadium is probably the most prominent. The St. Louis Cardinals are required to develop the land and have been working with developer, Cordish, for what’s seemingly been an eternity. Last September, Clayton-based health care company Centene Corporation announced that they would be relocating their headquarters to the Village site. The pic to the right is the rumored design proposal. Development nerds, like myself, city-wide rejoiced.

Six months later, the picture isn’t looking as rosie. What was once a “sure thing” could be in danger. Most of this is only rumor at this point, but KMOX reported on the situation this morning and it doesn’t sound that great. Apparently Centene is bumping heads with Cordish on various aspects of the project. KMOX is claiming that the fate of the project might be determine in the next few weeks. You can listen to the report yourself here.

This report along with Mayor Slay’s blog entry on the matter in January, lends some credence to the belief that Cordish is rubbing everyone the wrong way. Lets just hope they can work something out. Not only are the residential and commercial components of this project a big deal, but we could really use an influx of new jobs Downtown. I was really hoping Centene’s move Downtown was a sign of things to come. Here’s to hoping.

To keep up on all the rumors and gossip, check out this thread on Urban St. Louis.