ST. LOUIS — Open Space STL and St. Louis resident Henry Robertson, represented by Great Rivers Environmental Law Center, filed a lawsuit this week challenging the City of St. Louis’s attempt to sell Interco Plaza without a vote of the people, as required by the St. Louis City Charter.

In October, the Board of Aldermen passed Ordinance No. 72060 authorizing the sale of Interco Plaza, a three-quarter-acre parcel at North Tucker Boulevard and Martin Luther King Drive, without submitting the decision to voters. City officials have argued that no vote is required because Interco Plaza was never formally “designated” as a park by
ordinance or deed restriction.

The lawsuit calls that interpretation inconsistent with the Charter’s plain language and intent. If the city can now unilaterally decide that this isn’t a park simply to avoid a vote, then no green space in St. Louis is truly protected.

These protections exist for a reason. In 2007, St. Louis voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition P to amend the City Charter, requiring voter approval before the City can sell, lease, or repurpose land that is used or held out for use as a public park. That amendment was adopted in direct response to a proposal to lease part of Forest Park for 99 years, ensuring that decisions about public parks remain with the public. Any attempt to weaken or sidestep these protections would directly undermine the will of the voters.

Henry Robertson, a plaintiff in this case and the author of Proposition P, said “This is not a Save Our Park case. It’s a Save Our Right to Vote case. The City can’t ignore the will of the voters who put this right in the Charter.”

“This is not just about one park,” said Natalie Johnson, Executive Director of Great Rivers Environmental Law Center. “If City Charter protections can be weakened here, it puts every public green space at risk. Upholding the Charter is essential to protecting the parks and public spaces that define our neighborhoods and our quality of life.”

The lawsuit asks the Circuit Court to declare that Interco Plaza is a public park under Article XXVI, to block any sale of the property without voter approval, and to require the city to place the proposed sale on the April 2026 ballot.

Bonnie Harper, Executive Director of the Open Space STL shared that “Parks are created as forever spaces and they belong to the people. For decades, Open Space STL has stood up to ensure the public has a clear, legally protected voice in decisions about parkland—from stopping private development at Creve Coeur Park to strengthening charter protections
across the region. The City Charter is explicit: parkland like Interco Plaza cannot be sold or repurposed without voter approval. This lawsuit is about honoring that promise. The public deserves the right to vote on the future of any park – no matter its size – and deserves the right for the city to uphold its Charter and promise to the voters.”