The Downtown St. Louis Community Improvement District (CID) supplements St. Louis City services to ensure that the area within the CID is a safe, clean, and beautiful place to live, work, and visit.
Effective January 1, 2021, the CID’s primary special service areas will shift from Marketing and Economic Development, Security, and Beautification to focus on Maintenance, Beautification, Public Infrastructure, and Public Safety and Crime Reduction.
Maintenance
The CID helps our shared urban environment stay clean and pleasant.
The Clean Team
For two decades, the Downtown CID has funded The Clean Team, a group hired to supplement City trash removal and additional street-level cleaning services within the CID. Proudly sporting a purple uniform, the Clean Team works within the CID boundaries to clear away debris from the sidewalks, remove first-floor graffiti, notify the Citizens’ Service Bureau of issues, top-off trash cans between City pick-ups, and more. Our Clean Team works in highly visible public spaces to ensure that Downtown is a clean, welcoming space.
We participate in a Doggie Bag program to purchase, supply, and refill bags for pet waste dispensers throughout the CID. The CID Clean Team also manages the TerraCycle program which placed 65 cigarette butt recycling receptacles throughout the CID, preventing more than 500lbs of annual cigarette waste from littering our Downtown streets.
Beautification
Our landscaping team plants and maintains 1200+ trees, 275 hanging baskets, and 200 flower pots throughout the CID to help make Downtown beautiful and inviting for everyone. They also provide and install Winter-themed holiday decorations throughout the CID.
Public Infrastructure
While the City of St. Louis remains responsible for basic infrastructure, our CID can enhance its surroundings through support and advocacy for decorative lighting, public art installations, and streetscape projects within the CID boundaries.
Public Safety and Crime Reduction
The CID funds the 4th District SLMPD Police Bike Unit, the only neighborhood dedicated bike unit in the entire City. The CID maintains this unit by funding the Bike Unit’s substation on Lucas Avenue, specialized police bikes and equipment, as well as training for the Officers assigned to the unit.
In recent years, the CID provided funding for additional infrastructure to increase Downtown residents’ and businesses’ safety, including a state-of-the-art lighting system, security cameras connected to the SLMPD Real-time Crime Center, personal security apps, and a digital radio network that allows businesses to engage with secondary police officers and each other on safety awareness and crime prevention matters.