What is The Monarch on MLK?
The Monarch on MLK is a workforce development hub that will prepare St. Louis-area residents for high-paying, in-demand careers. Programming at the campus will expand the training, accreditation, and apprenticeship pipeline– potentially including trades like advanced manufacturing, geospatial, transportation/logistics, bio sciences, and construction.
What will go inside?
The Monarch on MLK, which is powered by the St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC), will be home to the city’s Land Reutilization Authority (LRA), the Northside Economic Empowerment Center, the Office of Violence Prevention, the St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment, a modular building construction company and more.
Connectivity
The site is on or near three reliable bus routes and within roughly a mile or two of Ranken Technical College, AMIC STL, the new National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Saint Louis University, the Cortex Innovation District, Washington University School of Medicine, Interstate 64, and the Central West End.
How did we get here?
A long history of wealth extraction, disinvestment, and environmental damage has created significant challenges that disproportionately affect communities of color. North St. Louis wasn’t exempt from this. Many of the residents in this area don’t have access to vast employment opportunities, available/affordable childcare, personal transportation, and educational options. Through goals identified through the Economic Justice Action Plan, The Monarch on MLK intends to be a one-stop shop addressing many of the lack of resources mentioned above.
In 2023, the Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority of the City of St. Louis (LCRA) purchased the 150,000 square-foot building at 3940 Dr. Martin Luther King Drive in North St. Louis. LCRA, which is staffed by SLDC, also purchased 29 parcels around the site for future development. An additional 79 parcels owned by LRA within a six-block area of the site are ready for redevelopment. SLDC aims to attract childcare services at the parcels surrounding the site.
Why?
The Monarch on MLK will become a connection point for the community. Small, women-owned and minority-owned businesses will convene at the campus alongside workforce development and training opportunities. Coupled with a collection of community resources and collaborators, the campus is a beacon of change for North St. Louis. This project will advance equity and improve economic resiliency for residents of predominantly black neighborhoods surrounding the site.
Leveraging a place-based strategy, the campus will be a hub for economic mobility organizations and initiatives that address housing, financial empowerment and job creation — with area residents prioritized for program enrollment.
When?
The Monarch on MLK aims to welcome its first tenants in 2025.
The Monarch on MLK is wholly funded with Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) passed through the City of St. Louis Community Development Administration (CDA).