about the cid

What is a community improvement district?

Special Taxing Districts are established to provide services and improvements to supplement what the city provides.

Community Improvement Districts (CIDs for short!) can collect sales and property taxes to fund these services and improvements. These services can range from infrastructure repair, to beautification projects, to even marketing for the district!

The ultimate goal for the Grove CID is to provide a place where St Louis residents want to live, work and play!

Now that you’re familiar with a CID, scroll down to see who we are and what we’ve been up to throughout the fiscal year!

Questions? Contact (314) 535-5311 or abdul@pcd-stl.org.

  • During the 2023 fiscal year, the Grove CID was managed by a board of ten (10) directors who voted on the services and improvements that were provided to the district.

    • Kelly Kenter, Chairman

    • Kelly Spencer, Vice Chair

    • Matt Bauer, Treasurer

    • Tatyana Telnikova, Secretary

    • Don Bellon

    • Neal Griffin

    • Fahime Mohammad

    • Sheryl Myers

    • Kimberly Smith-Drake

    • Guy Slay

  • There are five committees that provide the Board of Directors with suggestions.

    • Executive & Finance

    • Safety & Security

    • Public Service

    • Marketing

    • Nominations

  • All meetings are open to the public and are posted on our website for the publics convenience. Click here to navigate to our meeting agendas. This will provide you with the meetings’ agenda items as well as when/where the meeting is to occur.

 

events in the grove

The Grove continues to be a hub of activity and events in the city, attracting tens of thousands of locals and tourists to the district. The following outlines a list of events hosted during the 2022-2023 fiscal year:

Grovefest

GroveFest is the annual festival of all things Grove. Vendors from around the City sell food and goods on the street, businesses bring tents and games out, children play in the kids area with bubbles and activities, and there is an unlimited amount of live entertainment from jugglers and dancers to fashion shows. This past year’s saw almost 50,000 people coming to the Grove to support 140 unique businesses. The event generates more than $100,000 in sponsorships to make it free to the public and reduce vendor fees for planning.

  • This international event celebrating bikes and bodies meets up in the Grove every year and includes pre-ride festivities including body painting and a costume contest. Event goers can paint their bodies, decorate their bikes, and join the thousands of cyclist for a ride around the city. An after party then occurs in the Grove and features live music, local food and drinks, and so much more.

  • Flyover Comedy Festival remains unique as a festival, highlighting multiple venues on both the east and west ends of The Grove. The event took place at multiple venues on Manchester, which allowed all of The Grove’s remarkable restaurants, bars, and venues to be showcased.

  • The Moonlight Ramble hosted its 58th moonlit bike ride of varying length (7-18 miles), which always takes place on the Saturday closest to the Full Moon in August. The event draws riders of all ages and abilities to safely enjoy riding the streets of STL traffic free while enjoying the full moon. This past year, the ride started and finished in the Grove, and thousands came early and stayed late patronizing the bars and restaurants in the Grove.

  • Urban Chestnut Brewing Company (UCBC) held its annual Munich-style celebration--featuring live music, German beer, food, and activities--in the Grove this past year. This two-day festival featured the Polka Patio and the Rock Dock on two stages as well as yard games for all to enjoy. Also included were neighboring businesses Vails Brothers, Creole with a Splash of Soul, and Serendipity Ice Cream.

  • Pride has been in the Grove's DNA since the 80s! Built on the ideals of acceptance, our community has blossomed since then into an eclectic mix of businesses, residents, and guests, with this event celebrating through live entertainment, DJs, and closed off portions of Manchester.

 

pROJECTS IN THE GROVE

The Grove CID also takes on various projects throughout the year to increase attraction to the area as well as maintain the infrastructure we already have. Please view the following projects that we’ve worked on this past fiscal year.

  • The Grove CID led the repaving of four different alleys within the district, including collaborating in funding with the Alderman and Park Central Development.

  • During the fiscal year (2022-2023), the district transitioned and partnered with The City’s Finest to provide secondary patrols for the district.

    Additionally, the Grove added new security cameras through Flock at different locations throughout the CID that help reduce the amount of time taken to respond to crime incidents.

  • The Grove CID approved a budget of $50,000 from reserves to cover 50% (up to $2,500) per business to install smash resistant windows on a first-come first-serve basis, with a handful of businesses taking advantage of the opportunity. Additionally, following a power outage the CID provided monetary support to a restaurant that lost all of its food inventory due to spoilage.

  • The CID Assessment renewal petition passed and in this assessment, the board moved to lower tax by 25% and extend the assessment term to 5 years.

  • Zimmerman continues to provide support with the Grove signs and globe lights. Their annual inspections help ensure the structural integrity of the signs. Additionally, the Grove invested in repairing murals with graffiti on them to preserve public art.

  • The CID continues to work with EngageTaste to manage and provide a more consistent online presence. Additionally, the district is working with Explore STL to expand outreach.

    @TheGroveSTL has over 40,000 followers on Instagram and posts reach about 50,000 each month.

  • In addition to the smash-resistant window program, the CID partnered with Shelton Landscaping to provide street beautification projects to the Grove, including flower planters and watering along Manchester. The CID contracts ATBM for litter and trash pickup throughout the district.

 

expenses

2023

 

Revenue

2023

Sales and Use Tax Breakdown

overview

The Grove CID obtains most of its revenue from Sales and Use Tax. Special Assessment property tax is also collected based on the value of properties in the Grove. Reserves also included a portion of this years budget.

These funds are then used to provide the above services within the district.