ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo.—After years of anticipation, the demolition of the former Jamestown Mall is now underway in North St. Louis County.

The property, in North St. Louis County at Old Jamestown Road and Highway 67, closed in 2014 and was frequently targeted by vandals in recent years

The St. Louis County Port Authority approved a $7.3 million contract with Target Contractors, based out of Ladson, S.C., after receiving more than a dozen bids which went as high as $15 million.

Work at the site should last into late spring or early summer of 2024.

The future use of the property is still the subject of debate.

A proposal to turn the property into an industrial logistics park and distribution center emerged in 2018 but was shelved in 2021 after Webb, who represents the area, opposed the idea.

After collecting more public feedback, a December 2022 Market Analysis and Feasibility Study identified an Agriculture-Food Technology campus as a “preferred direction” for the site, which would also take advantage of over 140 acres of vacant or undeveloped land. It would work with other Ag-tech efforts in the region, including the “39 North” complex in Creve Coeur anchored by the Danforth Plant Science Center.

Other options in the study included senior housing featuring assisted living and single-family homes, with some commercial development. The study found that ideas like bringing large-scale retail or sports parks to the site were repetitive in North St. Louis County specifically or the St. Louis area.