Fifth Street Corridor Study

St. Charles, Missouri

Old St. Charles—the historic portion of the City of St. Charles, Missouri—counts among its assets a university, stable government employment, a hospital, turn-of-the-century homes, and much-visited historic main street that features colonial architecture. When St. Joseph Hospital began undertaking a campus planning exercise to help accommodate future expansion and economic growth, a dialogue began with the city and its residents about creating an expanded medical district and improving the image and marketability of its entry corridor.

It is in this context that DS conducted market analysis and made strategic and land use recommendations for the Fifth Street Corridor in St. Charles. Serving as the gateway not only to the medical district, but to residential neighborhoods and the historic Main Street, the corridor has suffered from years of commercial strip encroachment that is inconsistent with the historic, pedestrian-friendly character of the community, and fails to present a positive image as the gateway to the city’s employment center.

DS’s market study revealed significant future housing demand from seniors, singles, and young couples (as well as university and hospital employees) for quality housing in a main street setting. Strategic recommendations include changing land use regulations to allow for housing development along Fifth Street (particularly as part of mixed-use buildings with ground-floor retail) and creating a more pedestrian-friendly environment throughout the corridor in order to make housing more marketable.