What's wrong with the current zoning code?


  • St. Louis’ zoning code has not been comprehensively updated since the 1950s. It is among the nation’s oldest still in place today in a large city!
  • The existing zoning code is difficult to use because it lacks graphics, tables, and clear definitions, and the cascading standards can make the code inaccessible to the public.
  • Our existing system relies heavily on variances and conditional uses, which can add many months to the approval process.
  • In 2025, the City adopted the Strategic Land Use Plan (SLUP), which lays out a new vision for land use and built form in the City. The SLUP includes a map of different uses and intensities, but this is misaligned with the current zoning code and map. A new zoning code and map are needed to implement the vision of the SLUP

What is the ZOUP?


  • The ZOUP is a nearly two-year-long process of drafts, public engagement, and refinement of the new standards and map, ending in adoption by the Board of Aldermen (currently targeted for November 2027. Since this is an ongoing process, many of our specific asks are changing with each new opportunity for public engagement.


What are our general recommendations for the new zoning code?


Eliminating barriers to new construction, such as. 

  • Setback requirements

  • Floor-area ratios

  • Lot size requirements

  • Rezoning to match SLUP designation


Liberalizing home occupations and allowing ADUs.


    Promoting diverse and granular uses.


      Eliminating parking minimums, and enacting parking maximums in some districts.



        What have we done so far?


        • We launched the campaign in June 2025, taking our petition to City Hall.
        • We hosted a group bike ride and a walk audit over the summer to assess issues with Gravois.
        • We collected stories of people’s experiences walking, riding, and driving on Gravois, and shared them on social media. We learned of people's feelings of hurt and hopelessness when confronted with the deadly conditions on Gravois.
        • We partnered with Cleanup Crew STL to build community and improve walking conditions.
        • We met with key stakeholders, including each of the alders whose ward contains a section of Gravois, Mayor Spencer, representatives from the City’s BPS, Streets, and Planning departments, representatives from MODOT, and Board of Aldermen President Green.
        • We coordinated with the Better Bevo Now neighborhood association to pass a resolution supporting quick build safety improvements on Gravois.
        • We delivered our set of recommendations to city officials. The City Board of Aldermen supported our recommendations by passing Resolution 197 -- this was a big win for us!

        What's happening now?


        • The city is planning designs for quick build safety improvements at locations outlined in Resolution 197. 

        • These are on track to be installed by mid-Summer 2026.

        • MODOT’s Resident Advisory Committee and Multimodal Advisory Committee are meeting to give community input to the 2029 Gravois safety plan.


        What's coming up next?


        • The next public meeting for the 2029 Gravois safety project is on June 10th. (Details below.) Show up and give your feedback on MODOT’s initial concepts for improving Gravois in the long term.





        How you can help


        • Join the CP2 (Coalition to Protect Cyclists and Pedestrians) working group-- We meet every first Thursday of the month. Check Instagram for details.