Gateway South developer shrinks St. Louis riverfront project after fire

Steph Kukuljan | Post-Dispatch | May 27, 2026

The developer behind a long-delayed plan to remake a dilapidated industrial strip of downtown St. Louis has reduced the scope of the project after a Black Friday fire destroyed several historic buildings at the site last year. 

The first phase of the $1.2 billion Gateway South now will comprise 250,000 square feet — less than quarter of the 1.2 million square feet initially planned. Nonetheless, a consultant for Good Developments Group told the city’s Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority board on Tuesday that construction could start by the end of this year on spaces for two of the four planned tenants. 

The consultant, Doug Rasmussen of Steadfast City Economic & Community Partners, declined to disclose the names of the future tenants, but said they include an electrical contractor, panelized home manufacturer, workforce development group and a childcare provider. He said the four tenants are expected to create 400 jobs.

“Obviously, the fire affected the sizing and specific areas of the site,” Rasmussen said. “(But) all of the vision and strategy remains as it was in the beginning.”

St. Louis-based Good Developments Group pitched the project, located just south of Interstate 64, in 2022 where plans called for redeveloping the 95-acre site known as Chouteau’s Landing into a new housing, commercial and industrial district. The developer touted its focus of building an advanced manufacturing center that would produce construction materials for projects across the country. The historic Crunden-Martin warehouse complex was to be a project anchor. 

The city has approved incentives worth $45 million spread over 15 years for the project, as well as $155 million in bonds for sales tax exemptions on construction materials. Officials anticipate the developer will seek a community improvement district, which would add an additional tax to go toward its costs.

The developer, however, encountered delays after the property acquisition process moved slower than expected. In early 2025, LCRA agreed to give Good Developments Group another extension, this time until the end of the year.

Then a massive fire broke out at South Second and Cedar streets in the development’s footprint last November, engulfing much of the historic Crunden-Martin warehouse complex. 

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives sent “fire debris” found at the site for further testing. 

Good Developments Group on Tuesday was seeking a revised agreement, which the LCRA board approved even though commissioners had yet to receive a copy of the amended contract. 

A copy the Post-Dispatch obtained after the meeting showed the developer now will have until 2032 to start construction. 

The city last week approved demolition permits for the property damaged by the fire, records show. It is not clear when the demolition could start. Good Developments Group CEO Greg Gleicher did not respond to multiple requests for comment Tuesday. 

Gleicher told the LCRA board Tuesday that the cause of the fire was arson, saying two people who had broken into the complex had started fires to destroy each other’s belongings.

A spokesman for the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department on Wednesday called Gleicher’s statement concerning, saying the comments suggest the company may have information that has not been shared with investigators. The spokesman, Sgt. Sean Mazzola, said the investigation remains open and the cause of the blaze still is undetermined. He did say there were indications several homeless people were inside the building and had started fires to keep warm. 

Gleicher told the board that Good Developments Group had security at the time of the fire but that the blaze “occurred at an off-hour the day after Thanksgiving.” The company since has boosted its security presence, Gleicher added. 

Editor’s note: The story has been updated to correct the year developers have until they must start construction.