A small park in the heart of South Grand’s business district would be kept on a tight curfew under a new proposal at the Board of Aldermen.
Board Bill 179, which will be introduced by Alderwoman Daniela Velázquez on Friday, December 8, calls for Ritz Park to close at 6 p.m. and open at 6 a.m. from November 1 to March 31. The park would close at 7 p.m. and open at 6 a.m. during all other months.
The “curfew” would prohibit people from “idling, wandering, strolling, playing or otherwise being in or upon” the park after hours. Violations could result in fines from $100 to $500.
Velázquez, whose Ward 6 includes Tower Grove South, says business owners along South Grand Boulevard asked to change the park’s current curfew, 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
“It’s really just an effort to make that park safe for everyone in that neighborhood,” Velázquez tells the RFT. “There’s been some issues that have affected South Grand.”
South Grand Boulevard has received a flurry of negative press recently, from high-profile tenant disputes and vacancies to crime. All of that has hurt business, so the South Grand stewards who spoke to the RFT were hesitant to provide specifics on what issues the park could have.
“We noticed an uptick in crime from activity in the park, particularly overnight,” says Danni Eickenhorst, CEO of HUSTL Hospitality Group and co-owner of nearby Steve’s Hot Dogs (3145 South Grand). “We just want to make sure it’s safe and inviting for all of our guests in the South Grand area.”
Yet even Eickenhorst says closing the park at 6 p.m. during cold months and 7 p.m. during warmer months does seem a bit early.
“Eight or nine makes sense to me,” Eickenhorst says of the curfew.
Velázquez’s bill quickly garnered criticism from city gadflies online, mostly because of what they saw as an early closing time.
Most city parks close at 10 p.m., though some of the city’s smallest parks (including Buder, Terry, Tiffany and Marie Fowler Parks, to name a few) close at 7 p.m., according to city ordinance.
But Velázquez says she’s open to adjusting the proposed curfew times for Ritz Park, which sits on South Grand between Juniata and Hartford streets. The first version of the bill was based on sunup/sundown times.
Eickenhorst and South Grand Community Improvement District Executive Director Rachel Witt say there are several events held at Ritz Park that can go past 9 p.m.
Though businesses are seeing less foot traffic and dips in sales, it's far from doom and gloom on South Grand, Witt assures. Two new businesses are coming to the thoroughfare soon — a Filipino restaurant and a poke joint inside what had been once planned as a Boardwalk Waffles and Ice Cream Joint. Plus, a community event space will soon open in what was once a pawn shop.
Witt says she’s open to a curfew for Ritz Park, but what’s proposed now is too early.
“I appreciate Alderwoman Velázquez’s support and her ambition to move forward on things, but this seems too premature,” Witt says. “There’s a lot of things that we need to work out.”
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