ST. LOUIS — A new regional strategic plan to set priorities for the metro area and coordinate existing efforts from governments, nonprofits and the private sector will stop short of naming population loss as a key issue, opting instead to focus on its root causes.

Still, the move to craft a regional plan is a nod to a growing chorus of business groups advocating for a sharper focus on the region's stagnant population, which has stood at around 2.8 million for more than a decade and is showing signs of tilting toward decline. Some have called on the East-West Gateway Council of Governments — the region's planning organization whose board is made up of St. Louis-area political leaders — to make reversing population loss a stated priority.

East-West Gateway board leaders discussed regio

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