Last week, the Maryland Heights City Council voted unanimously to approve a contract with Ultimate Soccer Arenas of Missouri to lease Sportport, the facility located at Sportport Drive and Maryland Heights Expressway in the Howard Bend floodplain.  We applaud this vote because:

• Using land in Howard Bend for recreational purposes makes perfect sense.  Land used for recreation is less expensive -- and easier -- to restore than other commercial properties after the inevitable flooding that occurs in a floodplain.  We believe more opportunities should be sought to use the land in this area for recreation.
• This kind of sports facility requires a lot of land, which is not available elsewhere in Maryland Heights.  In fact, it's not readily available anywhere else in St. Louis County.  Thus, this is a wise use of land resources for our city and region.
• This type of development has a low impact on the character of the area.  Soccer fields do not loom many stories high, sprout smoke stacks, or generate the traffic of large-scale commercial developments.

Read more about the city's agreement here.  If you like this move by the city, you can let your City Council representatives know with just two clicks!

Maryland Heights is celebrating its 25th anniversary this weekend with a fair at Creve Coeur Park's Sailboat Cove.  Come join the fun!

• Children's activities
• Beer and wine garden
• Music
• Carnival rides and games
• Kayaking
• And more!

Find out more here.  Stop by our booth between noon and 7 p.m. Saturday and see what's new!

MoDot has produced a great little video explaining upcoming street closures and lane changes at Dorsett & I-270.  The video clip includes an animation of how the new intersection will work and explains the accelerated timeline. 

The cover of today’s St. Louis Post-Dispatch also features the upcoming changes at the exchange.  Find more information here.

The construction phase is painful, but the result will be worth it.  Traffic will move better and new landscaping will improve significantly the impression of Maryland Heights when you get off the interstate.

Join us this Saturday morning between 9:30 and 11:00 at the St. Louis Bread Company in Westport Plaza for the next in our continuing series of community meetings.  Our topic will be the ideas recently proposed by the City for future redevelopment of the Dorsett/McKelvey and Page/Bennington areas. 

If you were unable to attend the City’s open house that showcased different scenarios, this is your chance to view the plans and discuss your opinions.  What is the potential of these areas?  What businesses would you like to see attracted?  Do we need new residential options?  Should we have a town square?  We will have copies of the scenarios for you to review.

You can also view the planning scenarios online and comment (by May 10) by following this link: http://goo.gl/RbeH.  But then, the coffee and camaraderie might not be as good. ;) 

Join us the Second Saturday of every month to discuss the latest development news affecting life in Maryland Heights.

You are invited to a public hearing to review and comment on the proposed route of the McKelvey Woods Trail that would link the Maryland Heights Community Center to Creve Couer Park.

Public Hearing: Proposed McKelvey Woods Trail Route
Thursday, May 6
6:30 p.m.
Maryland Heights Government Center
11191 Dorsett Road

The Great Rivers Greenway organization will present Phase I of the McKelvey Woods Trail with a proposed route for the trail. All community members and residents are invited to attend the presentation and comment on the proposed trail route.

Please support the Maryland Heights Parks & Recreation Department in creating a more walkable, bikable community by participating in this process. Your opinion matters! We hope to see you there at the first look of where the trail might go.

We invited newly elected Ward 3 Councilman Chuck Caverly to join us at the St. Louis Bread Company at Westport where we hold our monthly community meeting called ‘Second Saturdays.’  On arrival, he promised us a good 30 minutes.  An hour later, as we all extracted ourselves from the lively discussion to go on with our day, he said he looked forward to coming back.  Such is the pull of the Second Saturdays.

Caverly shared his motivation for running, his experience on the Planning Commission (where he has served 10-12 years), and some of his priorities as councilman.  Importantly, we think, one of his priorities is listening.  “Sometimes, people just want to be heard,” said Caverly.  “We have a great system [of government] where people have the opportunity to show up and tell the Planning Commission or City Council ‘Here’s what I think about that.’  And that’s great, we should be listening to everyone.”

We couldn’t agree more.  We look forward to hearing more from Councilman Caverly, and to being heard – whether it’s at Second Saturdays, the Planning Commission, or City Council.

We plan to invite other members of Maryland Heights’ government to stop by for open discussion at Second Saturdays. Please come and meet neighbors and special guests at the next Second Saturdays meeting on May 8, from 9:30 to 11 a.m., at the Westport St. Louis Bread Company.  See you there.

Please join us from 9:30 to 11 a.m. this Saturday, April 10, at the St. Louis Bread Co. in Westport.  We've asked some of our newly-elected council members to join us for one-on-one conversation.  Plus, we'd like to hear your thoughts on new development interest in Howard Bend and the city's discussion of the Page/270 intersection -- and what ever else is on your mind!