Cardinals Pitching Latest Ballpark Village Plan To Local Officials

The MLB Cardinals this morning are set to "pitch their plan" for the Ballpark Village development to a committee of St. Louis Aldermen. The board must "amend the redevelopment plan and bless" $18M in tax-backed bonds "for the project to go forward." If that happens, and state approvals follow, team President Bill DeWitt III said that he "hopes to finally start construction on Ballpark Village this fall," with a goal to open by Opening Day in '14. Meanwhile, the team and Anheuser-Busch have "reached a licensing and sponsorship agreement for a restaurant and beer garden" as part of the $100M first phase of the project (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 6/27).