St. Louis County feasibility study weighs South County Center conversion into youth sports and events complex

Project outline and current status

St. Louis County tourism officials have begun a feasibility study to evaluate whether South County Center in Mehlville could be partially converted into a youth sports complex anchored by two ice rinks and an event space. The effort is being led by Explore St. Louis, the region’s destination marketing organization, after county leaders received interest from developers proposing a sports-driven redevelopment that could also include a hotel, restaurant uses and structured parking.

The study comes as South County Center, a long-standing regional mall that opened in 1963 near the I-55 and I-255 interchange, faces the same headwinds affecting many U.S. malls: store closures, reduced foot traffic and shifting consumer shopping patterns. The mall’s second floor has been closed, underscoring the scale of underused space now under discussion for repurposing.

What the feasibility study is expected to examine

The county-authorized analysis is designed to test whether the concept can attract enough tournaments, practices and events to support the capital investment and ongoing operations, while also identifying potential community impacts. Among the questions expected to be addressed are market demand, competition, projected visitor spending, transportation effects and how a new ice facility might affect existing rinks and programs in south St. Louis County.

County officials have described the concept as a way to turn a struggling retail footprint into a year-round destination that could generate visitor-driven economic activity. Sports tourism has become a significant segment of the broader visitor economy, but its success typically depends on a mix of facility quality, scheduling capacity, regional demand and the ability to host events that draw traveling teams and spectators.

Regional context: existing facilities and recent cautionary examples

The St. Louis region already has multiple venues serving youth and amateur sports, including outdoor field complexes and specialized indoor facilities. At the same time, prior attempts to redevelop large retail properties into sports destinations have produced mixed results.

A prominent recent example is the former St. Louis Mills property in Hazelwood, where plans for a large-scale amateur sports destination did not reach completion. The sports operator ended operations after a long-term lease agreement could not be secured, and redevelopment shifted to an industrial-focused business park concept. Local officials have cited that outcome as a reminder that financing, governance and long-term tenancy are central to whether a sports redevelopment can be sustained.

Key decisions ahead

No final redevelopment plan has been approved, and the feasibility study is not a construction commitment. Any eventual proposal would still require negotiations among developers, the mall owner and public entities, along with financing decisions and a clearer operating model.

• Facility mix: two ice rinks, event space, and potential complementary hospitality uses
• Market demand: tournament and practice capacity, year-round scheduling, and regional competition
• Community impacts: traffic, parking needs and potential effects on existing ice programs
• Execution risk: lessons from past mall-to-sports conversions that stalled or changed direction

The feasibility study is expected to define whether the concept is financially and operationally viable, and what scale of development could be supported at the site.

County leaders have indicated they will use the findings to determine next steps, including whether to pursue formal development discussions and what public role, if any, would be appropriate.