ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Urban League of Metropolitan Saint Louis, Inc. is seeking bids until Jan. 9 from contractors for the construction of its future plaza along the West Florissant Ave. commercial corridor in Dellwood, Mo.

The project will include a 13,500-square-foot commercial center to function as an incubator for new businesses.

Development of the project is moving forward in the St. Louis Promise Zone, a program that partners with local leaders to give communities tools to rebuild and revitalize. The St. Louis Promise Zone is an area that includes parts of North St. Louis City and North St. Louis County, designated in 2015 as a part of a federal program intended to increase economic activity, improve educational outcomes, reduce serious and violent crime, invest in transformative development and improve health and wellness in high-poverty urban, rural, and tribal communities.

At the start of 2020, the Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority of St. Louis and University and the League signed an agreement to clean up the former Advanced Auto Parts on West Florissant Ave. and the former Juanita’s Fashions R Boutique, also on the same street. The LCRA Brownfield Revolving Loan Fund provided a sub-grant to remediate subsurface soils in preparation for construction of the plaza.