"We now have a large sales tax engine here with Costco, Dierbergs and Target," University City Mayor Terry Crow told First Alert 4 in May. He said part of that money is set aside to invest in the Third Ward and in Olive Boulevard farther east.
Part of what the new stores at I-170 bring in is earmarked for the older stretch between Skinker and the interstate. In October, that stretch got its own planning study and a recommended consultant team. This November is also the first holiday season with all three Market at Olive anchors open at the same time.
The west end was built as the funding source
The Market at Olive sits on 50 acres at the southeast corner of I-170 and Olive. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch puts its cost at an estimated $211 million. Seneca Commercial Real Estate and Clayco led the project. The city approved up to $70 million in tax-increment financing for it in 2018.
The build-out took a long time. Costco opened in the first phase in 2022. In 2023, Target stalled its plans because of high interest rates, and Dierbergs dropped out after that. Both chains came back a year later. The Post-Dispatch reported that during the gap, Crow talked with the developers about switching to apartments or a hotel. He decided against both because neither would bring in as much sales tax. Instead, he wrote to the two retailers: "We are shovel ready, if you are."
Both anchors opened in May 2026, according to St. Louis Public Radio's May roundup and First Alert 4.
- Dierbergs Market at Olive, 8680 Olive Blvd. The 75,000-square-foot store has a larger kosher section, more seafood, grab-and-go food and a counter run by Corner 17, the Chinese restaurant from the Loop. It's open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day.
- Target, 8645 Olive Blvd. At 149,000 square feet, it's Target's largest store in Missouri. It includes an Apple at Target, a CVS Pharmacy and a Starbucks, and it's open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Dierbergs leases its building from the City of University City. The rest of the center includes 7 Brew, First Watch, Sport Clips, Chipotle, Panera, Raising Cane's, AT&T and Chick-fil-A. Crow told the Post-Dispatch that every parcel has been sold and every building leased.
The numbers Crow gave in May show the scale of the bet. He told First Alert 4 he expects the Target alone to bring in $60 million in revenue, and he said the development creates 270 jobs. He also described University City as a city "designed without a tax base," one that depends on sales tax the way many St. Louis County municipalities do.
The money set aside for the east
The tie between the two ends of Olive is written into the deal. In April 2026, First Alert 4 reported that the development is expected to produce $15 million for Third Ward reinvestment. Of that, $10 million is for neighborhoods and $5 million is for business activity. As of that April report, $5 million of the neighborhood share had already built up, and the details of how it would be spent were still being worked out.
That $5 million business share is where the older corridor comes in. A pot of money only goes so far without a plan for the street it's meant to help. Until this fall, Olive east of I-170 didn't have one.
Walking the corridor from west to east this November
Before getting to the plan, it helps to see what Olive holds right now. Here are the addresses that set the street's November rhythm, listed from the interstate eastward.
| Address | What's there | November detail |
|---|---|---|
| 8680 Olive Blvd. | Dierbergs Market at Olive, with the Corner 17 counter | Open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily |
| 8645 Olive Blvd. | Target, next to Costco | Open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily |
| 7828 Olive Blvd. | Opus Kitchen + Lounge | Dinner daily from 4 p.m. |
| 7210 Olive Blvd. | Centennial Commons and Heman Park | Farmers market Saturdays through Nov. 21; food drive through Nov. 24 |
The table shows a gap. Between the national chains at I-170 and the city's own campus at 7210, the newest arrival is one independent restaurant.
Opus is the private bet in the middle
Opus Kitchen + Lounge opened at 7828 Olive Blvd. in June 2026. Its owners, Keith Harris and Fred Finley, called it "a significant private investment into the Olive Boulevard corridor," according to KSDK's report, which drew on the St. Louis Business Journal. KSDK describes a 3,700-square-foot space that seats about 150 guests and hosts live entertainment.
The menu is built around shareable plates and comfort food. The version posted in May lists broccolini with Calabrian chili and garlic vinaigrette, baked spinach-artichoke dip, crispy shrimp, and wings with three sauces. Dinner starts at 4 p.m. every day. Groups of six or more can reserve a section, which helps with the holiday-party season that starts after Thanksgiving.
The owners' wording matters here. They describe their restaurant as an investment in the corridor, which is the same frame the city uses for its TIF set-aside. Opus is what private money looks like on the stretch the public money is meant to reach.
7210 Olive carries the city's own calendar
The Heman Park and Centennial Commons campus at 7210 Olive holds most of University City's civic November. Here's what remains from this week through early December, based on the city's Fall 2026 newsletter.
- Saturdays, Nov. 7, 14 and 21: The U City Farmers Market at Heman Park runs 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Nov. 21 is the last market of the season.
- Thursday, Nov. 19: Laughter, Lunch and Bingo for adults 60 and older at the Heman Park Community Center, 975 Pennsylvania Ave. Lunch is at 11 a.m. and bingo starts at noon. It costs $5 per person, and you have to register ahead of time.
- Through Tuesday, Nov. 24: The Centennial Commons lobby collects nonperishable food for Operation Food Search's Thanksgiving drive.
- Saturday, Dec. 5: The Holiday Market & Bazaar takes over after the farmers market season ends.
Centennial Commons is on fall and winter hours: 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.
Taken together, the city's busiest public address and its newest private restaurant both sit inside the stretch the new planning study will cover.
Skinker to I-170 gets a planning team
On Aug. 12, 2026, East-West Gateway Council of Governments put out a request for proposals for a Great Streets plan covering Olive Boulevard from Skinker to I-170. Proposals were due Sept. 11.
Five consulting teams applied, led by Confluence, Design Workshop, Development Strategies, RDG and Stantec. A selection committee of University City and East-West Gateway staff scored the proposals and interviewed the Design Workshop and Development Strategies teams on Oct. 13. The committee recommended the team led by Development Strategies. That team also includes MKSK, Lochmueller Group, Rise Community Development, &Access and Venice Communications. The packet for the council's Oct. 28 board meeting asks for approval to negotiate a contract of up to $750,000, with Design Workshop as the backup if those talks fail.
The RFP spells out how residents can take part. The consultant has to hold an in-person kickoff and set a schedule with the project sponsors. It also has to run a project website, hold public meetings and open houses, and put out online surveys. No dates for those meetings or surveys have been published yet. Keep an eye on the city and East-West Gateway sites over the winter.
This is a planning and vision study, not construction. Separately, MoDOT's Route 340 project on Olive, which covers the road between I-270 and Ferguson Avenue, scheduled sidewalk and pedestrian improvements for 2026. It plans to resurface Olive from I-170 to Ferguson Avenue in mid-2027 and finish in fall 2027.
Here's the order of events on Olive. The stores at the west end opened in May, and the money they bring in has a share already set aside for the east. The consultant team picked to plan that eastern stretch was recommended in October, and the open houses where residents can weigh in are next. Opus at 7828, Heman Park at 7210 and the storefronts in between are the part of Olive that plan will cover.
For residents who own property between Skinker and I-170, Olive's next few years will be decided in those public sessions. Adam Briggs follows corridor plans like this one closely because they shape the blocks around them. If you'd like to talk through what the Olive Boulevard study could mean for your home, request a personalized home valuation with Adam.
