Behold… Ballpark Village!

Apparently April Fools Day has come a little early this year. The St. Louis Cardinals have just announced their plans for the Ballpark Village site for the year. I’d like to introduce you to our new parking lot and softball field.I guess they figured starting on their contractual-obligated, $400 million project wouldn’t show off St. Louis for the All-Star Game as well as 40 square blocks of asphalt and a softball diamond.

If you can’t tell, I’m a little peeved as should all other St. Louis taxpayers. The Cardinals received taxpayer money to build their new stadium and in return promised to build Ballpark Village. Where is this promised real estate development? Where are apartments, the condos, the office space, the nightlife? They have continually delayed this process, but this is a true slap in the face.

St. Louis City, as well as every other entity with a stake in this situation, should come out hard against the Cardinals on this one. Recession or no, they need to start up with those fines for lack of progress as soon as possible. A sad, sad day. Check out the Post Dispatch’s writeup for a more detailed scoop.