About the Plan
What is
STLCO 2050?
STLCO 2050: An Equitable and Sustainable Comprehensive Plan defines St. Louis County’s priorities for how our communities will look and operate over the next 25 years. This roadmap has recommendations for land use, transportation, housing, and more. STLCO 2050 provides a platform to align new and existing policies that support the entire region.
At their best, comprehensive plans are a vision for the future that is based in the hopes, desires, and aspirations of the people who call the community home. By looking at where we are now, where we’ve come from, and where our residents are telling us they want to be over the next generation, we have created a roadmap to get to 2050.
Through extensive engagement and civic dialogue, this is the community's plan, serving as a blueprint for future collective action, as we work towards our shared goals. The plan guides the County towards Five Desired Outcomes that create a future of growth and prosperity.
Does STLCO 2050 Cover the Whole County?
Yes. STLCO 2050 will guide strategic and operational decisions at County government through the year 2050. This includes economic development, transportation investment, and service delivery decisions across all 523 square miles of the County.
STLCO 2050 does not replace or supplant the comprehensive plans of the 87 municipalities within the County. Municipalities are vested with land use and zoning decisions within their city limits, and this plan does not change that. STLCO 2050 was built after a deep review of the various comprehensive plans of communities across the County and is intended to be an additional tool used by municipalities when they revise or update their own plans.
Unincorporated residents enjoy additional use from STLCO 2050 in that it serves as the basis for future development regulation changes. So the policies and recommendations in the plan will directly inform future reforms to the County’s zoning and subdivision rules. Those ordinances were last wholesale revised in 1965 and 1956 respectively.
This plan gives the County a vision that strategically coordinates and unifies policy which can unlock a future of growth and prosperity.
Why Are We Planning?
St. Louis County's last comprehensive plan was adopted 40 years ago. The recommendations from that vision of the future no longer match with the St. Louis County of today. STLCO 2050 guides how we will invest our resources over the next 25 years. The Plan is living and data-driven, turning input and ideas from the community into actions.
What Happens to the Old Plans?
This Plan does not aim to create entirely new processes and tools. Many current programs already support our goals, but need reinforcement and alignment. The recommendations in STLCO 2050 build on the success of existing policies and programs, expanding where appropriate to facilitate the Five Desired Outcomes.
How Will this Impact Me?
STLCO 2050 addresses many aspects of life in the County, including housing, economic development, transportation and infrastructure, parks and open spaces, and more. The County will use this plan to inform decisions pertaining to policy, resource allocation, budgeting, operations, and strategy over the next generation.
What is the lifespan of STLCO 2050?
As the name implies, this plan takes the County forward to the year 2050. However, we know that a plan with an ambitious time horizon will need to be evaluated on a regular basis to ensure the vision aligns with the desires and values of the community as we continue to evolve.
The County Charter requires the Comprehensive Plan to be reviewed every five years. As STLCO 2050 is implemented, County leadership will assess the plan for necessary refinements, improvements, or additional studies and recommendations. In 2030, the County will undertake a formal update of STLCO 2050.
Plan Creation & Adoption
Studied and Analyzed Historic and Anticipated Development, Demographic, and Transportation Trends
Created the Existing Conditions Report
Investigated Best Practices from around the U.S. in the fields of land use, transportation, housing, the environment, and more, to inform STLCO 2050
Reviewed Transportation Connectivity
Community Outreach
General Public, Stakeholders, County Partners
Implementation
Emphasizing Comprehensive Land and Economic Development
Understanding Sustainability and Equity Implications of New Investments
Prioritizing Development that Creates Housing Choice
Maximizing County Transportation Investments by Allowing More Development Along our Corridors
Community Outreach
General Public, Stakeholders, County Partners
2030 Update
Analysis of Lessons Learned from 2025 to 2030
Determine what Changes and Improvements Need to be made to STLCO 2050 based on new Data
Assessment of Housing Successes and Challenges to Determine whether Population Stagnation and Affordability Challenges are Improving
Collaborate with Regional Partners to Keep Working Relationships Strong and Productive
Community Outreach
General Public, Stakeholders, County Partners
On to 2050
STLCO 2050’s Policies, Future Land Use Map, Recommendations, and Final Document are Regularly Refined to Ensure they are Meeting the Needs of Residents. In 2050 the County will wipe the slate and create a new Comprehensive Plan for the Needs of Their Time
STLCO 2050 uses some acronyms and technical terms. Our Glossary of Terms identifies and describes each of them.
