The Sanders Park expansion project is now underway with the structures at 971, 1001, and 1005 Sanders Drive demolished. The project will transform formerly flood-prone residential lots into safe, accessible public green space for the community to enjoy.
The expansion is part of a larger initiative made possible through a partnership between the City of Crestwood and the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD) to address ongoing flooding concerns along Sanders Drive.
In 2025, the City entered into an intergovernmental agreement with MSD to assist the City with purchasing multiple properties that had been repeatedly impacted by overland flooding—a type of flooding that occurs when heavy rainfall overwhelms the ground and stormwater systems rather than coming from a nearby creek or river.
MSD engineers studied the area and determined that the existing storm sewers could not reasonably be expanded to handle the volume of water that collects in this low-lying subregion. Because nearby Gravois Creek sits higher than the road and storm drains, water has nowhere to flow during heavy rains, causing significant flooding for nearby homes.
The Sanders Park Expansion Project is among MSD’s top 10 Capital Improvement Projects in the region and represents a key example of interagency cooperation to improve public safety and enhance community recreation.
Through additional funding provided by a grant from the St. Louis County Municipal Parks Grant Commission, Crestwood purchased 967 Sanders Drive in December 2025 and is expected to purchase 963 Sanders Drive in January 2026.
The affected homes were part of a voluntary buyout program administered by the City. By removing these homes and returning the land to open space, the City is both expanding Sanders Park and restoring the area’s natural floodplain.