urbanSTL

newstl2020 wrote:well to put it into perspective, the eagleton federal building downtown has 1,000,000 sf of total space in the building.It has 28 floors, but they are taller than any other building would have, so we'll go with about 40. So if Centene goes for 500 plus room to expand (take it up to 750 as a good number), we would be roughly looking at around a 30 story building just for themselves. that would put us at anywhere from 300-500 feet tall, depending on the level plans, architectural components, width of the building, and overall design. Of course, they could also make a skinny 800 foot tall building, but I'm going with what most is most often built. 30-ish stories.

And that's assuming there won't be any space there for other tenants to lease!

I hope they build downtown as a big old F-U to certain parties and property owners in Clayton.

a 30 story building in BPV?



I would think 2 15 story buildings would be more likely.



This could be HUGE, they are attracting REAL office tenants.

I hope if we are lucky enough to get Centene Corp. to build in BPV that they will re-render the previous design of the office tower. In the CG rendering the towers look so plain it hurts to think that (if they are built) they will be the structures that will be practically front and center on our skyline. I shouldn't be asking for anything at this point, and I am overly excited about Centene's interest, but come on, if they build it, I hope they build it with some style to impress.

If you go back and read what Centenne said they were looking for in an office environment, then Ballpark Village fits perfectly. They want a vibrant, mixed-use development, with shopping, dining, etc.



BTW, I believe their current square footage needs are a bit less than what they were planning on building in Clayton. That building would have allowed room for future growth. Of course, BV should have plenty of room for their future space needs too.



Get 'er done!

To whomever stated that they didn't think a 30 would be included, but instead 2 15's, the original plans call for a 28 story tower and 2 more 26 story towers. So That would not be at all out of the question. Check out emporis, they have the floor heights there for proposed bpv towers. If a client as big as Centene officially signs on, I would not be suprised to have another much taller building in downtown. A company like centene could easily anchor a 500-800 foot building without much of a problem at all, and that is without any other tennants in the building. The Eagleton is a very massive building (footprint), and I do think these buildings would be slimmer, as most buildings are not made as wide as the courthouse. This is just my opinion of course. If Centene leases space in the 500,000 up s/f range, I would not hesitate to think that the plans might be re-worked to include a large, skyline affecting skyscraper. They would be foolish not to.

The Business Journal is reporting that A-B is considering being a tenant in the Ballpark Village development. They wouldn't confirm or deny the report, but the Business Journal stated they may open a small museum with the Clydesdales at Ballpark Village and offer free shuttle service to the Brewery in Soulard.



Sounds like a great idea to me. The Business Journal also stated that Cordish still plans to break ground this year.

I would hope they'd have some kind of bar as well.

^That's what I was thinking. This seems like a great idea. Getting an A-B bar/attraction in there would be great.



And is there a link to this article? I'd like to read it.

I happen to be an independent contractor for a branch of AB. In my opinion, their offices are so spread out between downtown, Clayton, Sunset Hills, etc... They should just take one of the towers, crank it up to 40 or 50 floors and Walah! One of the largest corporations here would located right in the heart of the city under one roof.... Seems logical to me...

Magnatron wrote:I happen to be an independent contractor for a branch of AB. In my opinion, their offices are so spread out between downtown, Clayton, Sunset Hills, etc... They should just take one of the towers, crank it up to 40 or 50 floors and Walah! One of the largest corporations here would located right in the heart of the city under one roof.... Seems logical to me...

Indeed. This news, along with Centene, makes me a little more patient to see BPV come together. If it takes more time to make a better project then great. By the way, can we name this thread "Ballpark Village and Tower(S)?

40 or 50 floors? I hope I'm not sounding greedy here but I think AB could use more space than that for their entire operations in the stl area. If they actually considered this option, we might see something in the 1000 foot range. This obviously is way off topic, however. If Centene is considering bpv as a top option, wouldn't they have to commit fairly soon? If they committed at the start of phase 1, could it possibly contain Centene's tower as well? That way they would deliver the new facility to Centene faster, and they would be spared the inconvenience of building a tower while the rest of the area is up and running, and only have to build 2 (hopefully) when the village is operational instead of 3.

To whomever stated that they didn't think a 30 would be included, but instead 2 15's, the original plans call for a 28 story tower and 2 more 26 story towers. So That would not be at all out of the question.

That would be me.



If so then lets set a standard, with the average being 25-30 stories..

and in that case I want them all to be this high and dense..



The BPV footprint isnt as big as it seems, hopefully when the plan gets filled, office tenants will look to build in other areas of the city.



Spread the wealth, there are other upcoming areas that would love for a few of these tenants to build a 30+ story building (TBD, Choteau Pond).

I can't think of anything better for downtown than if Centene and AB put their offices in Ballpark Village, that would just be....I don't have a word to describe it.



But, I personally would rather have them each have their own tower.

citywatcher wrote:

To whomever stated that they didn't think a 30 would be included, but instead 2 15's, the original plans call for a 28 story tower and 2 more 26 story towers. So That would not be at all out of the question.

That would be me.



If so then lets set a standard, with the average being 25-30 stories..

and in that case I want them all to be this high and dense..



The BPV footprint isnt as big as it seems, hopefully when the plan gets filled, office tenants will look to build in other areas of the city.



Spread the wealth, there are other upcoming areas that would love for a few of these tenants to build a 30+ story building (TBD, Choteau Pond).

The way you talk, it sounds as though height and density are the only criteria to consider when deciding to build downtown. If the situation warrants it (because there's enough population/workforce/economics, etc. then yes, they'll build high and dense. But height and density for the sake of height and density alone makes no sense.



Also, the people that buy condos at Ballpark Village aren't necessarily the ones that would purchase in another part of downtown, so spreading the wealth may not be an option.

Allright I'm too lazy to pull the partial quote so I'm taling about the last part of dsf's quote. People that wouldn't normally want to live downtown but would buy a condo in BPV is deffinitely not a bad thing at all. The main reasons why these people wouldn't want to live downtown (perception about crime, and their own wealth (not yet associated with our downtown like bigger cities)) are precisely why we need these type of people to move downtown. By their own action of moving downtown, they would effectively begin to change the dynamic of downtown stl. And what happens when BPV is sold out from these type of people (and others), and their friends want to experience city life as well? More new buildings. 1 new building built 4 blocks away from BPV would effectively link those 2 areas due to the foot-traffic between both, and another building 3 blocks away from that would link as well....so on and so forth. I apologize for the utter lack of simplicity in this post. But I hope everyone understands what I'm trying to say.

This is just my opinion, but I don't think building taller than the arch is a must. I know some think, like newstl2020, that this a huge thing for the city. I just don't see it as that big a deal. The density of downtown and building on lots, I do see that as a big deal if we really want our downtown to be something.

Person 1: I want a reeeally tall buidling to show off our skyline and leave an impression on people who see the city.



Person 2: I'd rather have 2 sort of tall buildings to rid of parking lots and add to density.



Me: Both of these things are good in their own way. Similarly, both are better than what we have now. Since none of us make the call on what will be demanded by the market, I think we can all agree that both of these would be good things to happen to St. Louis. Aren't we all glad that's settled now?

I was just thinking of a way to respond.



Thanks SoulardD



YES gives us both, we can be greedy..

SoulardD wrote:Person 1:



Me: Both of these things are good in their own way. Similarly, both are better than what we have now. Since none of us make the call on what will be demanded by the market, I think we can all agree that both of these would be good things to happen to St. Louis. Aren't we all glad that's settled now?

Yes.