Downtown Chesterfield has a 96-acre site and a $2 billion plan. Right now it also has a lot of dirt behind construction fences. Here is what has firmed up this fall. The first parts of the old Chesterfield Mall property that people here will actually walk on are a sloped lawn running down to Central Park and a 3.31-acre park in the middle of the site. Both now have designs, budgets or start dates. Other than a modernized Dillard's in its existing building and a retail reuse of the former Macy's, no restaurant, shop or apartment building on the site has been announced by name.
On September 24, the City of Chesterfield held an open house at City Hall to show design options for that hillside, which planners call the "grand entry." If you have spent two years watching excavators from West Chesterfield Parkway, the open house was the first real look at what replaces them.
A city project inside a developer's project
The grand entry covers about 3.89 acres on West Chesterfield Parkway, between Park Circle Drive and the planned Downtown Chesterfield Boulevard. The slope drops roughly 48 feet. The plan uses stairs, an accessible ramp with switchbacks, a path across the grass and planted beds between the ramp runs.
Who builds it matters. The Staenberg Group, the developer of Downtown Chesterfield known as TSG, gave the city the 3.9-acre parcel plus $300,000 toward design. The city now handles design and construction. City Council approved that arrangement on January 20, 2026. That is why the open house took place at City Hall, with Public Works Director James Eckrich and his staff answering questions alongside the design team from Kanopi Gap and Lamar Johnson Collaborative.
"We want this space to become a memorable part of Chesterfield. Community feedback will help shape its design, character and experience." James Eckrich, Chesterfield Public Works Director
The city asked for opinions on three things: the character of the space, what activities it should support and how it should link Downtown Chesterfield to Central Park. Two planting approaches were shown:
- Layered garden. Cultivated native and adapted plants, described as "a layered garden with seasonal color, habitat value and an immersive landscape experience."
- Flexible lawn. Open grass with planted edges, meant for informal recreation, gatherings and clear views across the site.
The $5 million question is a crosswalk
The hillside ends at West Chesterfield Parkway, and Central Park is across the road. How people get across is the most expensive choice in the project.
| Crossing option | Estimated cost | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Pedestrian bridge | $10.1 million | Walkers go over Chesterfield Parkway and never meet car traffic |
| At-grade crossing | $5.1 million | An improved, marked crosswalk, possibly with Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons |
Assistant City Engineer Zachary Wolff explained a limit on the at-grade option. A full traffic signal is unlikely because the Missouri Department of Transportation would not allow one that close to the existing signal at Lydia Hill Road. So the cheaper choice is a marked crosswalk that could add flashing beacons but would probably not get a stoplight. The bridge removes that issue and costs about twice as much.
How many people will use the crossing is part of the decision. Parks, Recreation and Arts Director Wayne Dunker said new projects such as the Villas at Downtown Chesterfield will bring more people to live nearby. The Villas are a separate project. TriStar Properties is developing them, not TSG, with a site plan for about 105 single-family attached homes on roughly 16.82 acres along Chesterfield Parkway West. The site plan has been approved. TriStar's request for up to $750,000 in TIF reimbursement for a wider second road has not been resolved, and the council took no vote on it at a May 4 meeting.
As of early October, we have not found a published date for choosing the final design, starting construction or opening the grand entry, and we have not seen a comment deadline. Residents with views on the bridge or the crosswalk can contact the Public Works Department, which ran the open house.
What gets built, in what order
The hillside links to the larger park TSG is building on the site itself. TSG's published timeline puts the public space well ahead of the private buildings:
- Late 2024 to summer 2025. The 1.3-million-square-foot mall comes down. The former Dillard's and Macy's buildings stay for reuse.
- Fall 2025. Grading and infrastructure begin. By December 1, 2025, TSG said utility work and grading were focused on new roads and the 3.31-acre central park.
- Fall 2026. Construction starts on the central park, which TSG calls "the centerpiece of the project."
- Spring 2027. Infrastructure and grading wrap up, and residential construction begins.
- Fall 2029. The first residents move in, which closes out Phase 1.
By that schedule, the park is due to be underway about three years before anyone lives on the site. TSG's plans describe lawns, native shade trees, garden paths and plazas, with programming such as concerts, outdoor movies, art fairs and farmers markets. The plans also list three named trails: the Crossroads, Riparian and Wildhorse trails. The project's homepage describes a 1.25-mile pedestrian loop connecting the site. These are developer plans, not final construction drawings. Still, they show the order TSG intends to build in.
The trail along Downtown Chesterfield Boulevard is set to come in stages. The amended concept plan calls for a 12-foot trail with a 6-foot planted buffer. Where the final route can't be built yet, it uses a 6-foot interim path with a 6-foot striped buffer.
Why the buildings are moving slower
The only named retail reuses so far are a modernized Dillard's and a retail conversion of the former Macy's. An earlier West Newsmagazine report said the Dillard's could reopen as early as late 2026. At full build-out, the approved plan allows up to 2,363 residential units and 4.5 million square feet of development. The first phase is expected to deliver about 800 to 1,000 homes. According to Spectrum News, Tim Lowe, TSG's vice president of leasing and development, said some developers have signed and TSG is negotiating with others. None has been named publicly.
"We've got to have a good phase 1. You can't flood the market too much at one time." Tim Lowe, The Staenberg Group
The parking plan is still open for the same reason. TSG proposed shrinking a conceptual garage from 1,068 spaces to 617, while city code calls for 970. Lowe agreed to wait up to a year to set the garage's size until tenant details are clearer. Pacing the buildings to demand is what leaves the park, roads, trails and grand entry as the parts with firm schedules.
Where this fall's openings actually are
Until vertical construction starts, Chesterfield's new restaurants and shops are opening at existing addresses in the Valley, where the turnover in 2026 has been steady. None of these changes have been tied to the redevelopment:
- The Minifig Shop announced a second, larger store at 17057 N. Outer 40 in The District, with an August 15 opening date.
- Dolce Napoli was listed as opening September 2 at 17089 N. Outer 40.
- Yummy Bowl Mongolian Stir Fry & Sushi is listed as coming to 17308 Chesterfield Airport Road, the former Red Robin.
- Rock & Brews, the only St. Louis-area location, closed at 17258 Chesterfield Airport Road in Chesterfield Commons this year after more than nine years. Its KISS memorabilia was set for auction in July.
On the old mall site, the next milestone to watch is the start of construction on the 3.31-acre central park, which TSG has scheduled for this fall.
Downtown Chesterfield's schedule runs through 2029, and its public spaces are due well before its first homes. If you're thinking about what that timeline means for a home near Chesterfield Parkway, The Krummenacher Team watches these milestones as they happen. Get access to our private listings, and we'll keep you posted on what's changing around the site.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
