East Lot Litigation Will Add $4 Million To Landing Cost

Completed in 2009, the 2.9-acre Citygarden in Downtown St. Louis cost $30 million to construct.

That’s all before the expenses of converting the site to a park, which will require millions more (and tens of millions for a high quality park, should the city pursue that). Additionally, the city has committed to creating another entertainment space a mile away at Lot J, a project that will require millions in city subsidies to come to fruition. These kinds of unforeseen costs are one reason the other cities with festival marketplaces have looked for new uses instead of demolishing them outright.

Chicago’s 24.5-acre Millennium Park opened in 2004. The City of Chicago funded $270 million towards the project, and was nearly matched by $220 million in donations. The park’s annual operating budget in 2009 was $12.85 million.

Completed in 2016, Downtown Tampa’s 12.5-acre Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park cost $25 million to construct.

Baltimore’s 3.4-acre West Shore Park was completed adjacent to Harborplace Festival Marketplace in 2006 for the cost of $7 million.

Historic Jacksonville Landing images courtesy of HDS Architecture.

Article by J.D. McGregor.