Peter Sortino, who chaired the project’s steering committee and is an assistant vice chancellor at Washington University, said the timing hadn’t been right to begin fundraising. He said other large-scale public projects were competing for a limited pool of money.

“There’s a major effort for the Arch project, and Forest Park Forever is doing a pretty broad campaign,” said Sortino, who is also secretary of Forest Park Forever. “We have to figure out the niche. We have to start going out and beating the bushes for it. There’s a good consensus around this plan.”

Sortino said the master plan was designed to be constructed in “bits and pieces.” He said he still held hope that the larger improvements would get done down the road.

Opponents have argued that any changes would take away the soul of the market. They argue that major alterations could increase prices, evict longtime vendors and take away the gritty character of the market.

Others call the market an untapped jewel and point to how other cities have made their markets sparkling gems. In 1971, a voter initiative led to the refurbishment of Pike Place Market in Seattle, which has become a destination for tourists and a hot spot for locals looking for fish and an international experience.