Ozzie Smith's restaurant in Westport Plaza took a hit when Albert Pujols opened his eatery less than a home run away. Smith's restaurant shuttered in October, but it is reopening in April near downtown, where Cardinals fans enjoyed his Golden Glove play.

Look for the new restaurant to open in the East Bank Building in the 1500 block of Washington Avenue.

I pitched the idea to relocate downtown back in May on this blog. I'd like to think Ozzie has been reading. Or city leaders.

Here is the earlier post:

Get a whiff of that, city leaders. That is opportunity you are smelling.

The operators of Ozzie Smith's sports bar at West Port Plaza say they were thrown a curve ball by the owners of the office and shopping complex by allowing an Albert Pujols eatery to open there and offer the same basic fare.

As accusations of fraud and breach of contract make their way through St. Louis County Circuit Court, Mayor Franics Slay and his staff should be on the horn with Ozzie and his reps and say: "Move to the city. We'll treat you fair. We'll find a place for your sports bar near Busch Stadium, where fans flipped for your Gold Glove moves. It will be a extra bases hit. You'll make money hand over glove (or some other clumsy baseball analogy.)"

The company running Ozzie's wants its lease, which runs to 2015, rescinded. With nearly 3 million baseball fans descending on downtown St. Louis a year, it shouldn't be that hard of a sell for Mr. Slay and company.

After all, Slay knows the baseball superstar. He named Smith the city's first fitness czar in 2004.

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 There is a price to pay for being a pioneer. Just ask Pablo Weiss at Kitchen K. His restaurant on Wshington Avenue at 10th Street opened in 2003 when there wasn't much on the much ballyhooed street. Now, the competition is up and down the street and KK feels a bit long in the tooth.  So Weiss has a new chef and a new menu. The P-D's food critic Joe Bonwich weighs in on his Off the Menu blog. Click on headline to read more.

MAGGIE CAMPBELL NAMED PRESIDENT OF THE

PARTNERSHIP FOR DOWNTOWN ST. LOUIS

Arlington Downtown Management Association, Dallas West End, Fort Worth Main Street - Among Career Accomplishments

St. Louis, MO, September 30, 2009 – After a national search, the Partnership for Downtown St. Louis announced today the selection of Maggie Campbell as its President and CEO. Campbell has been President of the Arlington (Texas) Downtown Management Association since 2006, and she has been dedicated to downtown development in various positions throughout her career.

Prior to the position in Arlington, Campbell served as the President and CEO of the Old Pasadena Management District in Pasadena, California. The district is a nonprofit property owner association under contract with the City of Pasadena to manage a downtown business improvement district that includes numerous retail and entertainment properties.

Formerly, Campbell was the Executive Director for the Dallas West End Association, a nonprofit organization that represents 24 blocks in the downtown Dallas historic entertainment district. She worked as the Promotions Director for Downtown Fort Worth, Inc., Special Events and Projects Manager for the Jackson (Mississippi) downtown development program called Capital Center, Inc. and in Oklahoma as an executive director of Historic Duncan, Inc., a nonprofit, charitable organization under contract to manage the state’s first Main Street Program.

Downtown Partnership Board Chairman, Mark Mantovani stated, “The Search Committee sought a new leader for the organization with vision, energy, effective management skills, broad experience in crafting public/private partnerships and a diverse background that would enable the Partnership’s CEO to continue the progress that has been achieved in downtown St. Louis. We have found all of these qualities in Maggie Campbell.”

Campbell’s accomplishments over her 24 years of diverse downtown experience with organizations in Texas, California, Mississippi, and Oklahoma include: successfully recruiting new investors and tenants for the Center Street Station project, a $12 million expansion of a historic entertainment venue as a new performance hall and the recruitment of an anchor tenant; securing a substantial grant from the Mortimer Levitt Foundation to support the creation and operation of the “Levitt Pavilion”; raising more than $1.2 million in private donations in less than eight months for the Levitt Pavilion Business Plan and volunteer-based capital campaign; administering BID’s with budgets in excess of $1.5 million; and, successfully leading BID renewal’s. 

The search for a new leader of the Partnership for Downtown St. Louis was national and included candidates from both the St. Louis region and across the country. The Partnership’s search efforts were assisted by St. Louis based DHR International. Campbell’s first day on the job will be November 2, 2009.

The Partnership for Downtown St. Louis released its mid-year housing update today and the city's newest neighborhood has 12,409 residents, up 3 percent from Dec. 31. The increase is due to loft developers converting part of their buildings to apartments, taking advantage of a strong rental market.

Here is a news release on the population surge. Make sure to click on the link below to read the full four-page report.

Mid-Year Report Shows

Downtown population grows by 3%, over 12,400 residents to date

St. Louis, Mo. – September 23, 2009 – A new mid-year report conducted by the Partnership for Downtown St. Louis shows that demand for downtown living remains strong.  At the end of 2008, the downtown residential population had an increase of 6% over the 2007 figure and now six months into 2009, the downtown population has grown another 3%.  

Partnership President Jim Cloar states, “Although the population increased throughout downtown, the largest growth occurred in properties where condos converted to apartments.  The success of condo conversions also helped to increase occupancy rates for both condominiums and apartments.”  

Much of the recent growth has occurred along the Washington Avenue corridor and near the Old Post Office.  The area surveyed includes all of Downtown St. Louis.  The boundaries are Chouteau on the South, Cass on the North, the Mississippi River to the East and Jefferson to the West.  The complete report is available on The Partnership’s website at www.downtownstl.org.

Updated population facts:

June 2009: 12,409 residents

Dec. 2008: 11,997 residents

June 2000:  8,354 residents

The Partnership for Downtown St. Louis serves as the catalyst for investment, creating a regionally celebrated and nationally recognized downtown.  The Partnership also manages the Downtown St. Louis Community Improvement District (The CID) that provides enhanced services to make Downtown St. Louis a cleaner, safer, more vibrant place.

St. Louis is hosting the All-Star game, a chance for the rest of the country to peak in on us and see what we're up to.

Here are some things they will be impressed with:

How good the city looks at night, especially the Gateway Arch. I know, it was built as a tribute to those who continued west instead of putting down roots here, but it's an amazing piece of work nonetheless.

CityGarden - This new addition to downtown is something to be proud of. I think they should keep Ninth Street blocked off so that pedestrians can safely stroll from one section of the park to another. In fact, why don't you contact Mayor Francis Slay and propose that, if you agree. Or Alderwoman Phyllis Young, who represents much of downtown.

Albert Pujols - He's the best in the game, and in his home park he'll get to show those other All-Stars what all the buzz is about. The light show from all the camera flashes when he is at the plate lets you know this guy is something special.

Sheryl Crow - She performs under the Arch. Saturday night. For free. Enough said.

Soulard - The neighborhood south of Busch Stadium is filled with corner taverns and decent, cheap eats and some of the best brick work around. Grab a seat on the patio at McGuirk's.

Four Seasons Hotel terrace. Take the elevator to the 8th floor, buy a drink at the bar, walk out to the pool area and plop down in a lounge chair. You'll feel cool, even if you are not.

Midwest charm - It's true. We're nice. We give directions to strangers. In great detail.

Washington Avenue - Much ink has been spilled about this street, the heart of the city's loft district. For a sidwalk cafe, coffee or gelato, this is the place to go. For a late night stop, try the Flamingo Bowl for pizza and a pitcher of beer.

Get a whiff of that, city leaders. That is opportunity you are smelling.

The operators of Ozzie Smith's sports bar at West Port Plaza say they were thrown a curve ball by the owners of the office and shopping complex by allowing an Albert Pujols eatery to open there and offer the same basic fare.

As accusations of fraud and breach of contract make their way through St. Louis County Circuit Court, Mayor Franics Slay and his staff should be on the horn with Ozzie and his reps and say: "Move to the city. We'll treat you fair. We'll find a place for your sports bar near Busch Stadium, where fans flipped for your Gold Glove moves. It will be a extra bases hit. You'll make money hand over glove (or some other clumsy baseball analogy.)"

The company running Ozzie's wants its lease, which runs to 2015,  rescinded. With nearly 3 million baseball fans descending on downtown St. Louis a year, it shouldn't be that hard of a sell for Mr. Slay and company.

After all, Slay knows the baseball superstar. He named Smith the city's first fitness czar in 2004.

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Much has been written about Ballpark Village - or at least the grand plans for the development next to Busch Stadium. Nothing has happened there. Many are skeptical anything ever will. The Cardinals owners promised the entertainment complex as a way to sell the city on the need for a new stadium.  Well, now after years of dragging their feet, altering their plans, and making promise after promise, the economy is in the tank and Ballpark Village is an eyesore. Ugly. Embarrassing. The temporary plan is to build a softball field on the property until -- well, until we're not sure when.

I say, turn it into a dog park. Let the hundreds of dogs that now live downtown have a place to roam off leash and enjoy a grassy area. The Cardinals could stand to create a little -- OK, a lot of goodwill with the public -- and this is one small way to do it.

Manager Tony LaRussa loves animals and he could come by after games and pet a few dogs on the head, shake a few pet owner hands and become an ambassador for a team that looks like it already has a shaky starting rotation and bullpen.

Got a better idea? Let me hear it. Let;'s get that piece of land into play and make it a meaningful part of a downtown that has made a remarkable turnaround in the last decade. Let's not let a flashy presentation and smooth talk from rich baseball team owners stand in the way.