x
Breaking News
More () »

Plan aims to revitalize the heart of Ferguson

The new development, called the ‘WestFlo District,’ will reshape the corridor and serve as a hub for residents to work, live and play.
Credit: KSDK

FERGUSON, Mo. – Business leaders in Ferguson announced a plan on Thursday to help revitalize the heart of Ferguson.

A nonprofit organization of local business and community leaders, ‘Health and Homes STL,’ unveiled plans to address the needs of the Ferguson community. 

Business leader said they have joined together to improve and revitalize a community rocked by civil unrest five years ago in Ferguson. They’re focused on the area along the West Florissant corridor.

A new Boys and Girls Club Teen Center of Excellence will open in October, followed by a new Mercy health care hub, surrounded by 12,000 square feet of sidewalks, 17 new crosswalks, almost four miles of improved curbs and gutters, and street lighting.

RELATED: Boys and Girls Club opening Teen Center of Excellence in Ferguson

“We met with residents in southeast Ferguson and asked them to tell us what the community needs,” said Donn Sorensen, founder and board chair of Health and Homes, as well as executive vice president of Mercy. “Their hopes for the neighborhood included basic services such as adequate health care, better infrastructure and new economic opportunities. It’s about removing the barriers that cause isolation and replacing them with connections that provide options.”

Credit: KSDK

The new development, called the ‘WestFlo District,’ will reshape the corridor and serve as a hub for residents to work, live and play. The new Boys and Girls Club is a $12.4 million project that will provide three stories and more than 26,000-square-feet of space to serve 1,500 community members between the ages of 12 and 18.

“This center will provide our children with access to fun, fitness, job readiness and leadership programs in the neighborhood where they live,” said Flint Fowler, president of Boys and Girls Club of Greater St. Louis.

Mercy plans to break ground by the end of the year on an 11,000-square-foot facility next to the Boys and Girls Club. The clinic will provide primary care and women’s services, as well as behavioral health services and other needed social services.

Health and Homes STL has raised $8 million and secured four acres of land. 

Longer term plans include the addition of better housing, a new grocery store and improved stormwater management.

The underlying effort is in line with the social determinants of health developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services via Healthy People 2020. Factors include health and health care, economic stability, education and neighborhood environment.

Before You Leave, Check This Out