City of St. Louis Invites Residents to Help Shape the Future of Their Neighborhoods

The City of St. Louis continues an ambitious new chapter in community planning with a heavy focus on tornado-impacted neighborhoods, and residents are at the heart of it.

Through the PlanSTL Neighborhood Planning Program, led by the Planning and Urban Design Agency in partnership with the Office of Recovery, the City is launching neighborhood planning efforts that will guide how development, investment and growth take shape for the next decade. This will be how we jointly prioritize reimagination and rebuilding efforts in many of the neighborhoods hit hardest by the May 16 tornado.

This planning effort is community-driven, not top-down. Neighbors will work hand-in-hand with planning teams through workshops, pop-up events and visioning sessions to imagine the future of their communities. The resulting plans will be formally adopted by the City’s Planning Commission, making residents true co-authors of St. Louis’ future.

“Reimagining North St. Louis, especially after the devastating tornado, must be done in real partnership with North City residents,” said Mayor Spencer. “I stand by that commitment and am excited to embark on this effort with the community.”

Calling All Community Leaders: Join a Neighborhood Planning Committee

The City is now accepting applications for Neighborhood Planning Committees in Plan Areas 4, 5 and 6. These committees are powerful platforms for residents, business owners, schools and organizations to help define what progress looks like for their neighborhoods.

Committee members will:

• Shape the vision, priorities and goals for their area.
• Serve as community ambassadors during the planning process.
• Help ensure the plan reflects the voices of all residents.
• Lay the foundation for lasting change during implementation.

What Are the Planning Areas?

The City is forming five new neighborhood planning committees:

• Plan Area 4 - West Cluster: Wells-Goodfellow, Hamilton Heights, Kingsway West.
• Plan Area 4 - Central Cluster: O’Fallon and Penrose.
• Plan Area 4 - East Cluster: College Hill and Fairground Neighborhood.
• Plan Area 5: Academy, Fountain Park, and Lewis Place.
• Plan Area 6: Mark Twain I-70 Industrial.

Who Should Apply?

We’re looking for residents, leaders from nonprofits, organizations, school districts and business representatives from the relevant neighborhoods who are:

• Passionate about their community and future.
• Eager to bring diverse perspectives to the table.
• Strong communicators and collaborators.
• Ready to think big about long-term opportunities.
• Interested in helping lead the transition from planning to action.

Local elected officials will serve alongside selected individuals as honorary committee members.

Expectations & Timeline

• Plan Areas 4 & 5: Committee service begins Fall 2025 and continues through November 2026.
• Plan Area 6: Service runs through July 2026.
• Members will attend regular meetings and play a key role in shaping decisions.

While the full planning process continues in late 2026, we will use early insights to develop actionable plans for immediate investments.

Don’t worry if you’re not selected for a committee; there will be plenty of other opportunities to get involved through community events, ambassador programs, newsletters and public forums.

Applications are Now Open!

Be part of building the future of your neighborhood. Apply today to join a Neighborhood Planning Committee at PlanSTL at planstl.com. The deadline to apply is Monday, Oct. 13.

Have questions about the application and planning?

Join one of our upcoming info sessions:

• Tuesday, Sept. 23 | 6-7 p.m. | Virtual Office Hours https://stlouis-mo-gov.zoom.us/j/81966420177
• Monday, Sept. 29 | 12-1 p.m. | Virtual Office Hours https://stlouis-mo-gov.zoom.us/j/87322190643
• Tuesday, Sept. 30 | 4-6 p.m. | Virtual Office Hours https://stlouis-mo-gov.zoom.us/j/87868182771

For more information, please email pda_planning@stlouis-mo.gov or call 314-657-3852.