WASHINGTON AVENUE CORRIDOR COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT, INC.

NOTICE OF BOARD OF DIRECTORS ANNUAL MEETING

Please take notice that the Washington Avenue Corridor Community Improvement District will be holding a Board of Directors Meeting on May 13th at 11:30 am virtually via Zoom at  https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88351624997. You can also find the Zoom link and more information about the DNS CID at our website: https://downtownnorthstl.com/washington-avenue-corridor

This will be an open meeting and all members of the public are welcome to attend via the above Zoom link. A copy of the Agenda for this meeting is below:

WASHINGTON AVENUE CORRIDOR COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT, INC.

AGENDA FOR BOARD OF DIRECTORS ANNUAL MEETING

MAY 13, 2025, 11:30 AM

HELD VIRTUALLY AT: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88351624997

1. Call to order

2. Approval of meeting minutes from 04/08/25 Board of Directors meeting (5 minutes)

3. Annual meeting requirements (15 minutes)

1. Election of Board Members (no open seats, no vacancies)
2. Election of Officers
3. Approval of Work Plan (attached below)
4. Approval of annual budget for Fiscal Year July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026

4. Getting ready for summer update (15 minutes)

5. Meeting with Captain Stamper
6. More aggressive policing in 4th District (i.e. dirt bikes / 4 wheelers)
7. Closing Washington on weekend nights between Tucker and 14th
8. Nightclubs update (Whisky on Washington, 1128 Washington, Uturn)
9. Food trucks on Washington operating past 11pm
10. Venues blaring music outside (i.e. House of Soul, Boom Boom Room, Flamingo Bowl)

5. Uplighting – Reed Burkett Lighting Design proposal (10 minutes)

6. Establishment of Marketing / Branding Committee (10 minutes)

7. New projects

11. Traffic light synchronization on Washington (10 minutes)
12. Streetscape refresh project (10 minutes)

8. Rescheduling June Board of Directors meeting (5 minutes)

9. Adjourn

Fiscal Year July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026 Work Plan

For the Washington Avenue Corridor CID (“District”)

The programs, services, and capital improvements to be provided by the District will be focused on three categories: safety and security, physical infrastructure, and economic expansion / development.

Safety and Security

Efforts will focus on the primary drivers of crime downtown: nuisance properties, street homelessness, drug dealing, cruising, problem liquor licenses, late night violence, parties at short term rentals and youth violence. Specific approaches may include but will not be limited to:

• Addressing the causes of violent crimes through approaches such as:

• Working to close or prevent from opening problem liquor licenses
• Working to terminate the occupancy of nuisance properties and prevent new nuisance properties from opening
• Installing traffic calming strategies to deter cruising and street racing (including the Washington traffic calming plan)
• Working to close or prevent from opening homeless encampments

• Forming alliances with adjacent and/or overlapping civic organizations to collaboratively address security problems including by improving the appearance and function of public infrastructure.
• Facilitating private sector partnerships with government to address security issues, including initiatives such as encouraging property owners to install security cameras in coordination with a centrally managed plan, asking security guards to patrol the perimeter of properties in a coordinated and more effective way, and facilitating greater communication among the many security resources in Downtown properties.
• Working with City government toward more effective performance of its divisions that have a role in addressing Downtown safety and security, including Excise, Streets, Human Services, and Parks.
• Utilizing the knowledge and experience of peer cities and other resources, such as the UMSL Criminology Department, the ASU Center for Problem Oriented Policing, National Police Foundation and others to inform strategy.

Infrastructure

Continued deterioration of streets, sidewalks, lighting, signage and other District infrastructure is not consistent with a vision of a vibrant, growing neighborhood. The Washington Avenue corridor needs a transformative approach to investing in significant upgrades to essential infrastructure. Additional investment is needed and current public revenue sources and processes are simply not sufficient to meet the needs of a modern downtown district. Strategies to maintain existing improved infrastructure and transform outdated infrastructure will include:

• Collaborating with Greater St. Louis Inc. and other stakeholders to develop and implement a comprehensive plan, or series of plans, aimed at calming traffic and enhancing the aesthetics of the Washington Avenue corridor, with a focus on improvements from curb to curb.
• Advocating for a significant portion of the Rams settlement funds to be allocated to the District to be used to implement the comprehensive plan developed.
• Using available revenues to leverage federal, state, and private funding by providing local matching grant funding for projects of scale.
• Leading an effort to transform the corridor’s streets, including better maintenance and synchronization of the District’s traffic signals, considering returning key streets to two-way flow, installing traffic-calming medians on signature streets, and replacing traffic lights with stop signs where appropriate.
• Working with the City Treasurer to greatly expand the metered parking count within the District in support of retail and restaurants.

Economic Expansion

Continued economic growth and development of the Washington Avenue corridor is essential to the interests of District property owners. Increasing property values and rents are signs of economic growth and well-being, yet those indicators have not been consistently positive in recent years. The District’s image had been affected by security incidents, disorderly and unattractive public spaces, deteriorating infrastructure, and other negative conditions, both real and perceived. Combined with increasing competition from other increasingly attractive urban neighborhoods, the Washington Avenue corridor has lost much of the luster that created the transformative growth over the last two decades. While financial incentives play a limited role in development, research and experience suggests that the keys to long-term sustainable economic growth of cities are relentless attention to quality-of-life conditions like security and cleanliness, modern and well-maintained infrastructure, and quality of public services and spaces. The District will focus on visible and effective improvements in these areas as a foundation for continuous economic growth. Accordingly, activities related to economic growth of downtown will include:

• Enhancing the security environment and improving the perception of safety within the District to make it a more appealing location for businesses, residents, and visitors, with a particular focus on attracting young people.
• Increasing support for the expansion of the innovation ecosystem in the District.
• Developing a plan for the improvement of public spaces in the District, drawing as appropriate from the Design Downtown plan, and using this as a guide for the rejuvenation of the District’s public infrastructure.
• Working to fill the District’s many vacant retail spaces with restaurants (with active sidewalk cafes) and complementary retail uses in order to activate the streetscape and pull regional visitors back to the Washington Avenue corridor.
• Rebranding the Washington Avenue corridor as a mixed-use district with a focus on innovation and technology rather than an “entertainment district”.
• Developing and implementing a marketing strategy for the District that overcomes the pervasive narrative of a lack of safety, focusing on the unique assets of the District, with particular emphasis on the innovation and technology industry jobs and spaces within the District.
• Engaging in other initiatives to improve the livability of the district including dramatically expanding metered parking, supporting up-lighting of properties, facilitating the synchronization of traffic lights, and encouraging art galleries to occupy vacant storefronts.