Dutchtown Main Streets, in partnership with the St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC), is proud to announce the recipients of the 2025 Façade Grant Program awards! Dutchtown Main Streets and SLDC will award a total of $81,000 in grants to 14 neighborhood businesses to support exterior improvements that enhance the appearance, safety, and vibrancy of Dutchtown’s commercial corridors. The projects will get underway in 2026.

The Façade Grant Program is part of Dutchtown Main Streets’ Economic Vitality committee work, supporting small businesses and commercial development in ways that are inclusive, equitable, and community-driven. The initiative is modeled on the Main Street America Four Point Approach, a nationally recognized framework for neighborhood revitalization that focuses on Design, Economic Vitality, Organization, and Promotion.

The 2025 grant cycle included a mix of awards in $1,000, $4,000, and $8,000 tiers. Applicants on our commercial corridors, including Grand Boulevard, Virginia Avenue, and Meramec and Chippewa Streets, were prioritized, along with funding set aside for open-location grants throughout Greater Dutchtown, including Gravois Park, Marine Villa, and Mount Pleasant. Read more about the available façade grants and the application process in our earlier post.

A panel of Dutchtown neighbors and volunteers from Dutchtown Main Streets, including members of the Economic Vitality Committee and a community member at large, reviewed all applications. The panel utilized a structured scoring rubric to evaluate brick-and-mortar presence in the neighborhood, financial need, alignment with the Main Street mission, visual impact, and artistic or cultural contribution. Projects that enhance the expression of Dutchtown’s neighborhood identity through visible, community-oriented design received additional points.

These projects illustrate the impact of small, community-rooted investments. They represent pride, opportunity, and the collective vision of neighbors working together to uplift our streetscape and economy. We’re excited to see these sparkling storefronts shine their brightest for Dutchtown!

And the 2025 Dutchtown Façade Grant Winners Are…

A & Q Custom Wheels & Tires

4036 South Grand Boulevard: For the past 13 years, A & Q Custom Wheels & Tires has specialized in automotive repair and sales for the community. A & Q will enhance its façade by repainting the building and improving the front-facing landscaping to make the establishment more inviting and to showcase pride of ownership in the neighborhood.

Brighter Futures Daycare

4657 Virginia Avenue: A longtime neighborhood childcare center, Brighter Futures Daycare will replace a damaged awning with a new illuminated sign, improving safety and curb appeal for families and early learners. Brighter Futures prides itself on its service to the community and looks forward to implementing façade improvements to beautify Dutchtown and foster an inviting atmosphere and learning space that attracts new families. 

Flowers to the People

3463 Itaska Street: Flowers to the People takes pride in bringing color and joy to the neighborhood at their Dutchtown floral shop. The business will update existing windows to improve energy efficiency and make the establishment more welcoming to passersby, and will repair and repaint damaged concrete, a front-facing cornice, and wood trim on the building’s exterior. Additionally, Flowers to the People will hire a local artist to paint the side of the building to make the establishment more inviting, continue the existing theme of the business’s front façade, and support local artistry in Dutchtown.

Gurung Bazar

4500 South Grand Boulevard: A family-owned grocery store and retail shop serving Dutchtown’s international residents, Gurung Bazaar prides itself on offering a huge variety of food options to our diverse community of immigrants and neighbors seeking new flavors. Gurung Bazaar is operated by longtime neighborhood residents who plan to use façade grant funding to update the storefront to better serve the community and reflect Dutchtown’s diversity.

The Haunt

5000 Alaska Avenue: Priding itself on being a community hub where patrons can relax and unwind, The Haunt remains committed to community, welcoming a full spectrum of Dutchtown neighbors to enjoy spirits of all sorts together. The year-round Halloween-themed bar will upgrade its façade with fresh paint, repaired windows, and added lighting, handrails, and a bike rack to boost both safety and style.

Iowa Buffet

2727 Winnebago Street: A family-operated watering hole for generations, Iowa Buffet has been a staple in Greater Dutchtown since the 1940s, with a commercial history dating back to the 1880s. This historic drinking establishment will restore its original porcelain and neon “V-9” Budweiser signage, preserving the mid-century commercial character of Dutchtown. The business will also make important façade improvements, including building repairs and lighting upgrades.

Knowledge is Best LLC

4219 Virginia Avenue: Located in Downtown Dutchtown at the intersection of Virginia Avenue and Meramec Street, Knowledge is Best LLC aims to continue the tradition of a long line of commercial establishments in the community, branding itself as a legacy Dutchtown enterprise. The business will contract an artist to paint the large street-facing picture window as a canvas that brands the building as a Dutchtown enterprise. Currently, the location houses the shared office spaces of Knowledge is Best LLC and Dutchtown Main Streets.

Read A Book STL

3125 Meramec Street: Read A Book STL takes its mission to salvage books and keep knowledge accessible and affordable very seriously. Dutchtown’s community-focused bookstore will install a shaded awning to create a welcoming space for neighbors to pause, read, and connect, aligning with its mission to promote literacy, learning, and access to books for all.

Sawhorse Recording Studios

5205-09 Virginia Avenue: A unique recording studio that has attracted musicians to Dutchtown from across the United States, Sawhorse Recording Studios has held a presence in the community for more than two decades. The business will repair exterior wood trim and the front-facing awning, repaint the storefront, and install additional exterior lighting and security measures to improve the safety of patrons and nearby community members. 

Sign of the Times Tattoo

4722 Virginia Avenue: Established in 2021, Sign of the Times Tattoo prides itself on being a hallmark of new growth in historic Dutchtown as the community’s premier tattoo parlor. The tattoo studio will use façade grant funding to install new custom signage and other enhancements to reflect its creative brand and attract more visitors to the Virginia Avenue corridor.

South Broadway Art Project

3816 South Broadway: South Broadway Art Project prides itself on being a space “where clay meets community,” offering affordable and free art education for children and adults. To further its mission of teaching the community to enhance life through art, this creative hub will use façade funding to repair storm-damaged brickwork, install a new sign, and repaint fencing at its community-centered arts space. 

Wagons and Wheels Preschool

4445 Virginia Avenue: Wagons and Wheels Preschool has operated in Dutchtown for a number of years, hiring locally and offering community-centered services that reflect the needs and values of local families. Wagons and Wheels will use the façade grant to repaint the storefront, install new signage bearing the business name, add exterior lighting to improve visibility and safety, replace outdated windows, and repair damaged brickwork.

Wildfruit Projects

4704 Virginia Avenue: Wildfruit Projects is a community-centered art space that devises creative ways to improve art accessibility in Dutchtown. The gallery will utilize the façade grant funding to transform the front-facing driveway into a community space with permeable pavers, replace deteriorated front and back gates with more welcoming and secure designs, install improved exterior lighting to enhance safety and visibility, add new landscaping to make the exterior more inviting, and install new hardware on the entryway doors.

Winkelmann Drug

3300 Meramec Street: A historic staple in the community for well over a century, Winkelmann Drug will replace the store’s front-facing glass, install high-grade security film across all window units, digitally print and install custom window graphics on the windows facing Virginia Avenue, and install exterior egress vinyl paneling for advertising. The business looks forward to the improvements as part of its mission to enhance safety and accessibility while strengthening Dutchtown’s commercial corridor, preserving the area’s history in concert with surrounding buildings.

Funding for this initiative comes from SLDC’s Economic Justice Action Plan, focused on neighborhood-based growth and inclusive support for small businesses in St. Louis.

Dutchtown Main Streets and St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC) are excited to announce $80,000 in new funding for façade improvements for Dutchtown businesses! These façade grants help to enhance the appearance of our neighborhood storefronts, attract customers, and strengthen our key commercial corridors in Greater Dutchtown.

Façade grants can be used for exterior improvements that are publicly visible from the street. This includes, but is not limited to, signage, awnings, paint, windows and doors, and more. The funds can be used for repairs, updates, and upgrades, big and small.

Who Is Eligible?

Most businesses throughout Greater Dutchtown are eligible to apply! See the map below to determine if you’re within the qualifying Greater Dutchtown footprint, which roughly spans the area from the railroad tracks on the west to the Mississippi River on the east and from Bates Street on the south to Potomac Street on the north.

Certain funds are set aside specifically for businesses on key commercial strips, including South Grand Boulevard, Chippewa Street, Virginia Avenue, and Meramec Street. Please note that businesses within the Cherokee Street Community Improvement District are not eligible.

Business owners who do not own their building are eligible; however, they must obtain written permission from the building owner for any work performed on the property in conjunction with the façade grant. Funds will be paid directly to the vendors performing the work and supplying the materials. Business owners cannot be reimbursed for previously performed work or unapproved improvements.

What Funds Are Available?

$80,000 will be divvied up into 21 grants available in the following amounts:

• Eight $1,000 grants available to businesses anywhere in Greater Dutchtown
• Two $4,000 grants for businesses anywhere in Greater Dutchtown
• Two $4,000 grants for businesses on South Grand Boulevard
• Two $4,000 grants for businesses on Virginia Avenue
• One $4,000 grant for a business on Meramec Street
• One $4,000 grant for a business on Chippewa Street
• One $8,000 grant for a business anywhere in Greater Dutchtown
• One $8,000 grant for a business on South Grand
• One $8,000 grant for a business on Virginia
• One $8,000 grant for a business on Meramec
• One $8,000 grant for a business on Chippewa

Only one grant application per business will be accepted.

Who Decides Which Grants Are Approved?

The Façade Grant Review Committee will review applications. This committee includes representatives from Dutchtown Main Streets, along with neighbors randomly selected from a pool of applicants.

While any business that meets the criteria above can potentially be selected to receive a façade grant, the committee may give additional weight to certain factors when reviewing applications. Bonus points can be awarded to proposals that contribute to the artistic and cultural landscape of Dutchtown by enhancing the landscape with publicly visible art by local artists, preserving architecturally and culturally significant buildings, or otherwise supporting the expression of Dutchtown’s identity.

When and How Can You Apply?

We’re accepting grant applications now through November 1st, 2025. The grants will be reviewed and awards will be announced by December 1st, 2025.

To apply, you will need to provide:

• A description of the proposed work
• Photos of the façade to be improved
• Your business’s annual revenue
• An explanation of how the grant will help your business financially
• An explanation of how the proposed improvements will benefit the neighborhood

If you have questions about eligibility or criteria or would like assistance with your application, drop by Dutchtown Main Streets’ office at 4219 Virginia Avenue on Tuesday or Thursday between noon and 2pm. You can also contact us at info@dutchtownstl.org or (314) 266-9696.

Ready to apply? Fill out the application here!

Dutchtown Main Streets is proud to work alongside Lutheran Development Group and many community partners to expand affordable housing options in our neighborhood, including deeply affordable units for neighbors earning as little as 30% of the area median income. We’re especially excited to share that building permits have now been issued for the Marquette Homes project, bringing us one big step closer to adding more high-quality, affordable housing right in the heart of Dutchtown!

Construction on the project is set to begin soon, with a hopeful completion by the end of 2026. You may have already noticed the scaffolding going up at 3305 Meramec in the heart of Downtown Dutchtown. The long-vacant 3600 South Grand, also known as the Melba Theater, will also undergo a full rehabilitation as part of Marquette Homes, along with several single- and multi-family buildings across Dutchtown and Gravois Park.

Committed to Affordable Housing in Dutchtown

Marquette Homes will provide much-needed options for families and individuals who want to stay and grow in Dutchtown. Across the Dutchtown Main Streets footprint, there are now 182 affordable housing units in the development pipeline, including:

• 79 units within our mixed-use commercial district on Meramec, Virginia, and South Grand
• 103 additional units across the broader Dutchtown Main Streets footprint and our primarily residential streets

These units comprise a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom homes to meet the needs of families of all sizes. Many of these projects also include ground-floor commercial spaces, creating new opportunities for local businesses to open, grow, and serve the community right where people live.

This progress reflects the commitment of Dutchtown Main Streets and our partners to a walkable, mixed-use Dutchtown where affordability is at the center—not the margins—of development. 

From Vacancy to Vibrancy

When very affordable housing is involved, the funding process can be quite complex and the timeline long, but that’s what it takes to build real, lasting affordability. Organizations like Lutheran Development Group, St. Joseph Housing Initiative, Tower Grove CDC, and Legal Services of Eastern Missouri work tirelessly alongside Dutchtown Main Streets and our neighbors to navigate the long and arduous path from vacancy to vibrancy, transforming empty eyesores and nuisance properties into quality affordable housing and commercial space.

Let’s keep building a Dutchtown where all of our neighbors and businesses can thrive together!

Lutheran Development Group has announced that they will begin collecting data for a potential new National Historic District in southeastern Dutchtown and Mount Pleasant. Survey workers will venture out across the neighborhood beginning on January 27th, kicking off the registration process in earnest.

The proposed district aims to bridge gaps between several existing National Historic Districts covering other sections of the Greater Dutchtown neighborhood. The survey area lies east of Virginia Avenue, spanning from Meramec Street to the north, Bates Street to the south, and Interstate 55 and South Broadway to the east.

What to Expect in the Neighborhood

Survey workers will disperse across the neighborhood to gather data on the buildings in the survey area. Workers will document information on the age, condition, style, and architectural features of each building. They will also be photographing buildings from the sidewalk. If you see someone in an orange vest walking around with a clipboard and a camera, you’ve spotted a survey worker!

The survey is limited to exterior assessments. Not to worry—workers won’t be knocking on your door to ask questions and peek inside. As a neighbor, you don’t have to do anything.

What Not to Expect

It’s very important to note here that a National Historic District does not place any additional obligations on property owners unless they pursue historic tax credits. No new rules, regulations, design standards, or rehab requirements will apply. You can do as you wish with your property—within existing laws and property codes, of course—unless you seek historic tax credits for your project. We’ll discuss the details a bit more below, but rest assured that no one will tell you what color you have to paint your window trim or what material you must use to build your fence.

What Are the Benefits of a Historic District?

Listing on the National Register of Historic Places acknowledges the history and importance of preservation of the built environment in the district. Placement on the National Register indicates the historical importance of a place, whether it be distinguished for its architecture or events, broad or narrow, that occurred there.

Additionally, properties listed on the National Register are eligible for various state and federal historic rehabilitation tax credits and historic preservation grants. With the availability of alternative funding like tax credits and grants, historic districts may see increased investment and development activity as project financing and rehab work becomes more financially viable.

Historic Tax Credits for Large-Scale Development

While credits and grants are available for historic preservation, they are generally used for larger projects. Because of the expertise and legwork required to apply for and acquire incentives, the average homeowner usually doesn’t pursue credits or grants for a modest home rehab project. The incentives provide more bang for their buck when applied to bigger buildings or a set of properties being redeveloped as a single project.

For example, Lutheran Development Group’s Marquette Homes development encompasses nine sites in Dutchtown and Gravois Park, all of which lie within the Gravois-Jefferson Historic District. Most of the sites contain historic buildings. Leveraging historic tax credits across multiple properties, LDG will be able to carefully rehab and preserve these buildings while staying within a budget that keeps the rehabbed properties affordable for future neighbors.

Historic Tax Credits for Small-Scale Rehabs

All of that being said, if your property is listed within a National Historic District and the work you plan to do exceeds 50% of the cost of the property at the time of purchase, you can apply for historic tax credits. But be warned: the complexity of the application process can be daunting. It is strongly recommended that you consult with a historic preservation specialist and an accountant to guide you through the process.

If you want to dive into the gory details, you can learn more about the Missouri Department of Economic Development’s Historic Tax Credit Program. You can also check to see if your property is already in an existing historic district via the City of St. Louis Planning and Urban Design Agency.

National Historic Districts vs. Local Historic Districts

It bears emphasis: the proposed new district around Mount Pleasant would be a National Historic District, not a Local Historic District. This is an important distinction that property owners in the survey area should be aware of.

National Historic Districts do not place new restrictions on the development, construction, rehabilitation, modification, use, transfer, or demolition of buildings within the district. No new regulations come into place when an area is designated as a National Historic District.

You may have heard the trials and tribulations of homeowners in neighborhoods like Lafayette Square who were cited for painting their doors the wrong shade of blue or residents of the Central West End who had to replace a brand-new fence because they built it with wood instead of wrought iron. These tales result from the tight design regulations that come with Local Historic Districts. 

Local Historic Districts are established through a process of residents petitioning their neighbors. Then, the Board of Aldermen enacts legislation that sets design standards and requirements for rehabilitation and new construction within the district. Properties within a Local Historic District in St. Louis often must present plans for new construction or alteration of existing structures to the City’s Cultural Resources Office for review and approval to ensure they conform to the district’s highly detailed design regulations.

Again, to be clear, the new district would not be a Local Historic District. You’ll still be free to do with your property as you see fit within the current rules and regulations unless you apply for historic tax credits.

The Next Steps in the Historic District Nomination Process

In addition to collecting data on the ground as explained above, survey workers will also refer to official records from the City of St. Louis Assessor and Recorder of Deeds, Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, and other sources. These records help determine the age of the building, the architect, the builder, and other relevant historical facts. The survey workers will then work with a historic preservation consultant to compile the complete survey. The survey is a painstakingly detailed, building-by-building description of each property in the survey area. For an example, see this listing from the 256-page Dutchtown South Historic District Nomination:

4661 VIRGINIA AV (1906)
Property Type: Two-part commercial block
Number of stories: 2
Builder: Ziegelmeier & Suter
Structural system: Load-bearing Brick

This two story commercial building has a painted brick façade with a chamfered corner bay facing the intersection of Virginia and Itaska. The primary elevation is on Virginia. The replacement door to the second story is at the right bay; wide storefront windows (not the original) occupy the rest of the Virginia elevation. A full-width fabric awning shades the first story. At the second story are two replacement 1/1 windows, with a corbelled cornice above. The store door at the corner bay is a replacement, and has its own fabric awning. Another replacement 1/1 is at its second story. The corner bay has a pyramidal tower roof with a metal finial. At Itaska, there is a bricked-in storefront at the west end of the elevation; its iron beam with floral ornaments is still in place.

Now, simply repeat this process for each of the hundreds of buildings that make up these districts! The Dutchtown South Historic District has 697 property descriptions, for example, in a footprint about half of the size of the proposed district around Mount Pleasant. An astounding amount of time, research, and shoe leather goes into preparing these surveys.

Once the survey is completed, it is submitted to the Missouri State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). SHPO reviews the survey to confirm the district’s eligibility for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. If they determine that the district is eligible, then the historic preservation consultant prepares a nomination to be reviewed and revised by SHPO. The nomination is then reviewed at a meeting of the Missouri Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, a governor-appointed board of historians and preservationists. With their approval, the nomination is finally sent to the National Park Service. After one more review by them, the district is finally listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

As you can see, the process of establishing a National Historic District is quite involved, requiring a ton of on-the-ground work, research, documentation, and bureaucratic navigation. From initial assessment to official listing, the process can take years. Historic districts don’t happen overnight!

Establishing this new historic district is a long-term investment in the Greater Dutchtown area that will pay dividends in rehabilitation and redevelopment of our historic built environment and preservation of the decades of history lived by our neighbors, from the German immigrants who built the neighborhood at the turn of the 20th century, to the diverse community of people that makes our neighborhood a place worth saving today, and for the generations to come after us who will write the next chapters in Dutchtown’s history.

We’re grateful for Lutheran Development Group’s substantial investment of time, money, and resources to pursue this opportunity to further cement Dutchtown’s place in the history books. Here’s to our past… and to our future!

Bi-State Development’s current plans for the north-south Green Line, the next MetroLink extension, do not extend light rail into the heart of the South Side here in Dutchtown. Dutchtown Main Streets has submitted a letter to Bi-State CEO Taulby Roach explaining why locating the southern terminus at the intersection of Chippewa, Jefferson, and Broadway is short-sighted.

You too can advocate for extending the MetroLink Green Line into Dutchtown by submitting feedback to Bi-State. While everyone will have their own reasons for wanting to see light rail come to Dutchtown, you can learn more about some of the factors that prompted Dutchtown Main Streets to request that Bi-State incorporate more community feedback into their plans for the Green Line.

Submit your feedback on the MetroLink Green Line

Supply and Demand: Transit in Dutchtown

Nearly a third of households in eastern Dutchtown lack vehicles,¹ making the area the most transit-dependent section of the South Side. However, most Dutchtown neighbors who use transit will tell you that service to the neighborhood lacks coverage, frequency, and reliability.

Metro has slashed bus service across the region in recent years, cutting lines and reducing frequency. Currently, four MetroBus lines serve Greater Dutchtown’s 26,000 residents: #8 Shaw-Cherokee, #11 Chippewa, #70 Grand, and #73 Carondelet. Aside from the Grand line, which is the busiest route in the Metro system, the length of time between buses ranges from 20–30 minutes during peak travel times and up to an hour at others—assuming no hiccups in service. Transit riders know that the limited service is not for lack of passengers—most of these buses are well used, with seats especially hard to find during rush hours.

Dutchtown transit riders would be delighted to see greater capacity—more routes, more frequently, and more reliably. Routes that take people to a greater variety of destinations like work, school, shopping, healthcare, and so on would see high ridership figures through Dutchtown. However, when service is curtailed and complicated to use, riders will either minimize their trips or scrimp and save to get their own wheels, a solution that begets a new set of challenges.

With an extended Green Line, transit accessibility in Dutchtown would increase exponentially. Quick, direct access to job centers near Downtown and at the new National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in North St. Louis, along with a faster link to MetroLink’s Red Line and Blue Line, would open a broader range of employment and economic opportunities to Dutchtown residents by placing good jobs within a reasonable commute.

Economic Justice: Equitable Action for Dutchtown

Despite significant vacancy, Dutchtown is among the densest neighborhoods in St. Louis. We also have the highest concentration of households without a vehicle. Dutchtown has the highest concentration of immigrants and youth in St. Louis among our majority non-white population. And over half of Dutchtown households earn less than 60% of the area median income.² Most families in Dutchtown are low-income and otherwise economically disadvantaged in a myriad of ways.

In recent years, the City of St. Louis has developed an Economic Justice Action Plan with stated goals of equitable and inclusive development, neighborhood transformation, and economic empowerment. To measure economic disparity and determine the areas of greatest need, planners created the Economic Justice Index (EJI). According to the Action Plan, most of Greater Dutchtown has scores of EJI-1 or EJI-2—scores indicating the highest need for resources and equitable economic action.

The City made clear in the Action Plan that Dutchtown should be a priority focus area of the St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC) to address economic needs and provide equitable opportunities for neighbors. The Action Plan states: “It is recommended that SLDC concentrate its efforts in EJI-1 and EJI-2, offering incentives, workforce development opportunities, and support for local organizations.” Our hope is that SLDC uses its platform to lobby Bi-State for further extension of the Green Line into Dutchtown.

Transit-Oriented Development: Opportunity in Dutchtown

Dutchtown Main Streets suggests extending the Green Line just a few blocks south with a terminus on South Broadway in the area between Gasconade and Osceola. Unfortunately, this stretch of Broadway has seen significant disinvestment in just the last few years. Most recently, Walgreens pharmacy closed this fall, removing a vital source of healthcare and household needs for neighbors—especially those without cars. Similarly impactful, the Family Dollar in the Chariton Square strip mall closed. Prior to that, the Universal Food Market shuttered. And during the pandemic, Hardee’s shut down, and soon after, the building was razed.

While the losses of these businesses are no doubt harmful to Dutchtown in many regards, the state of these blocks of South Broadway leaves a nearly clean slate with lots of space for the development of both transit facilities and private projects. There is ample room to build train stations and a turnaround point for MetroLink cars to return north. Adding a park-and-ride lot or garage could further expand access to and ridership on the Green Line, giving residents further south in the City or South County the ability to drive partway to work, ballgames, or other activities without the concerns of parking in expensive lots and garages downtown.

Even more exciting is the potential for transit-oriented development. Walkable homes, shops, and other amenities could be within steps of a hub for light rail and buses. Walkability and access to transit are powerful forces for creating healthier lifestyles and reducing individuals’ carbon footprints. And with most of your needs covered within the distance of a short walk, train, or bus ride, the car-free lifestyle becomes a realistic possibility. Imagine the money you could save if you weren’t paying for a car and all of its related expenses!³

Building a Better Future: Dutchtown’s Next Generation

Dutchtown has the highest concentration of youth in St. Louis. Nearly a third of our neighbors are under 18 years old. Growing up on the South Side can be challenging. For a young person in Dutchtown, it does not appear that there is opportunity or hope around every corner. Decades of both private and public disinvestment, exposure to social challenges, and a lack of entertainment, employment, and educational resources nearby instill a sense of pessimism, especially for young people who haven’t scratched beneath the surface to see the potential in our neighborhood. Our average adolescent neighbor often doesn’t see a future for themselves in Dutchtown.

However, a key public investment in Dutchtown, such as the MetroLink Green Line, could drastically shift those perceptions. And with the potential to trigger further private investment in the area, Dutchtown’s kids could grow up in a more hopeful environment. Seeing new and renovated homes, new shops, more people, and more opportunities would present the neighborhood in a different light—a light that our young neighbors might want to follow and that would make them consider putting down their own roots in Dutchtown as adults.

How Can Dutchtown Neighbors Advocate for an Extended MetroLink Green Line?

Bi-State is still soliciting community feedback. Submit your comments on the Green Line website and make your voice heard. Let them know how impactful extending the MetroLink Green Line into Dutchtown could be for you as a Dutchtown neighbor, a local business owner, a transit rider, or a generally interested St. Louisan who wants to see meaningful investment where it can have the most significant impact.

Tell Bi-State to extend the MetroLink Green Line to Dutchtown

If you find yourself facing writer’s block, here are a few of the key points discussed above. Pick the ones that speak to you most.

Extending the MetroLink Green Line into Dutchtown would:

• Reach one of the most densely populated areas of St. Louis.
• Serve the most economically disadvantaged residents of South St. Louis.
• Provide accessible transportation to an area where a third of households do not own a vehicle.
• Connect residents to jobs, education, healthcare, and other amenities that are not available in the neighborhood.
• Catalyze economic growth within the neighborhood through transit-oriented development and other public and private investments
• Promote walkable neighborhoods, healthier lifestyles, lower environmental impact, and reduced dependency on automobiles.

Make it personal if you prefer. How does access to transit (or the lack thereof) affect your day-to-day life? Where would you go if you had fast, reliable transit available within walking distance?

Extending the MetroLink Green Line into Dutchtown would:

• Allow me to broaden my horizons when looking for better job opportunities.
• Make it easier for me and my family to get to our doctor appointments.
• Attract new customers to my business.
• Let me get rid of my car and start saving to purchase my own home.
• Shave time off of my commute and allow me to sleep a little later, eat a healthy breakfast, or just relax a bit before heading to work.
• Give me another great reason to stay in Dutchtown.

We’d love to hear your reasons why Dutchtown needs the Green Line and better access to transit in general. Feel free to drop us a line and share your thoughts.

1.  American Community Survey 5-Year, 2018–2022. ↩︎
2. The area median income, or AMI, is a figure calculated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to determine the midpoint of incomes across a metropolitan area. In St. Louis, the AMI for a family of four is $101,200 as of 2024. Households earning less than 80% of AMI are considered low income, and those earning less than 50% of AMI are rated very low income. A majority of households in the Greater Dutchtown area earn less than 60% of AMI. The median household income in Dutchtown is roughly half of the median household income for the City as a whole. ↩︎
3. According to Insurance.com, the average cost of owning a vehicle over a five-year period in Missouri is over $26,000, which works out to nearly $450 a month. This figure includes sales tax, registration, insurance, gas, maintenance, and repairs—but doesn’t include a car payment. ↩︎