^My thoughts from the beggining. Would have made Centene downtown a reality in all probability. Would have could have should have. Now all we can do is hope that the cardinals realize they have a ballclub to operate and not a development company.
Agreed!Moorlander wrote:EFFF having one giant project as "Downtowns saving grace".... Let's forget BPV, divide the land into parcels, and sell them off to the highest bidder!
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Moorlander wrote:Maybe the BPV delay is a good thing!
Kansas City, Mo.
The souring economy is likely to add fuel to the debate over how far Kansas City should go to woo development. The city said Cordish Cos. of Baltimore has met its contractual obligations with the city to deliver its Kansas City Power & Light District, a retail and entertainment project credited by some with helping revitalize the downtown.
Cordish said it has delivered roughly 600,000 square feet of retail, which is now about 70% occupied. But lower-than-projected retail sales per square foot and later-than-expected openings in nonrestaurant retail mean sales-tax revenue from the project will fall short of what is needed to cover the debt service on the city bonds issued to help pay for the district's development, according to Troy Schulte, the city's budget officer. The city expects to have to cover a $4 million budget gap on the project's debt service for the year ending April 30.
David Cordish, chairman of Cordish, acknowledges that fashion-type retailers have been hit harder than entertainment retail but maintains the project has met its contractual obligations, is a success and that more retail is still on tap, including a grocery store set to officially open in January.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1230675 ... s&ru=yahoo
EFFF having one giant project as "Downtowns saving grace".... Let's forget BPV, divide the land into parcels, and sell them off to the highest bidder!
Kudos to Mayor Slay for not guaranteeing the BPV Bonds like KC did for the Power & Light District.
So what does Post Dispatch know? They put that nice picture in yesterday's Metro section. They should do that every month. It might convince the powers to provide some reliable information on the status of this project.
Agree on the city made the right decision concerning the bonds (big difference between this project and the mistake of St. Louis Marketplace on Manchester). However, it would be interesting to note the inner politics. Did Greene force Slay say no to guaranteeing payment on the bonds?
Agree on the city made the right decision concerning the bonds (big difference between this project and the mistake of St. Louis Marketplace on Manchester). However, it would be interesting to note the inner politics. Did Greene force Slay say no to guaranteeing payment on the bonds?
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Moorlander wrote:EFFF having one giant project as "Downtowns saving grace".... Let's forget BPV, divide the land into parcels, and sell them off to the highest bidder!
I've been convinced this is the best course of action since the Centene deal went bust. Eminent domain doesn't always have to be a bad thing.
newstl2020 wrote:Now all we can do is hope that the cardinals realize they have a ballclub to operate and not a development company.
IMHO they also have some room for improvement with the way they run the ballclub. Wasn't Busch Stadium III supposed to ensure the Cardinals would remain competitive? I don't see where they're trying all that hard. Cheapskates.
Matguy70, I should have been more specific. I was referring to the picture of the green grass where old Busch Stadium was (and new location of Ballpark Village) that the Post Dispatch had printed in the Metro section. I believe it was the Monday section. I'm still a fan of being able to put the paper under your arm after reading it even though I spend just as much time on their website. It was a bad attempt at sarcasm. I don't think Post Dispatch has any better idea then any of us and was trying to kill some space.
ThreeOneFour wrote:
IMHO they also have some room for improvement with the way they run the ballclub. Wasn't Busch Stadium III supposed to ensure the Cardinals would remain competitive? I don't see where they're trying all that hard. Cheapskates.
Apparently the championship in 2006 was suppose to satisfy us for another 24 years.
News on BPV......apparently the Cards bought the Bowling Hall of Fame, but I could have sworn that they moved to Texas, Oklahoma, or somewhere in the southwest. They also are giving Cordish a 10 year extension on tax breaks to get this project moving. Lets see what happens guys.
http://www.bnd.com/breaking_news/story/609779.html
http://www.bnd.com/breaking_news/story/609779.html
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goat314 wrote:News on BPV......apparently the Cards bought the Bowling Hall of Fame, but I could have sworn that they moved to Texas, Oklahoma, or somewhere in the southwest. They also are giving Cordish a 10 year extension on tax breaks to get this project moving. Lets see what happens guys.
http://www.bnd.com/breaking_news/story/609779.html
Yes, it moved, making it available for the Cardinals to buy the building...
The Bowling Hall of Fame building, purchased by the Cardinals, will be part of the village.
Confused by the reporting as pertains to the reading of the new bill. Are the changes talked about actually the agreement in late summer/earl autumn after Cente Dropped out? I assumed it is and thus not really any new changes as the post Centene agreement works through the approval process again for every tax credit/tif under the sun.
Second, probably more disappointing if I understand the wording right. The article gives the impression that the Cardinals will keep the previous bowing hall of fame building in place and incorporate it as part to the overall plan. Talk about a good non use of prime urban real estate after going through all this mess to begin with. I really hope that is not true and will probably failed miserably if they try revive that corner as a bowling alley.
Second, probably more disappointing if I understand the wording right. The article gives the impression that the Cardinals will keep the previous bowing hall of fame building in place and incorporate it as part to the overall plan. Talk about a good non use of prime urban real estate after going through all this mess to begin with. I really hope that is not true and will probably failed miserably if they try revive that corner as a bowling alley.
Leaving that building makes no sense, even for the monkeys running this thing. How could they not square out the street grid so it makes a complete rectangular parcel at 8th and Walnut? They would rather leave the curved road through the NW corner? Wouldn't the developer rather have it that way as well?
The building will not be kept. That was just not worded well.
Besides making use of an interesting site, it's one of the worst buildings downtown from an architectural and urban design point of view.
...and so representative of the many atrocities that occured in this city during the middle-late 20th Century modern 'reforms'. I will revel in this building's destruction.
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john w. wrote:...and so representative of the many atrocities that occured in this city during the middle-late 20th Century modern 'reforms'. I will revel in this building's destruction.
Now, if we could just do something about the Sheraton Four Points on Fourth Street...
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^ It must be so ugly that it's not even listed on their website.
I may get shouted down a bit for this, but I have a great distaste for the Philip Johnson building one block to the north as well. Maybe there will be a wrecking ball accident that will require the removal of this building as well.
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john w. wrote:I may get shouted down a bit for this, but I have a great distaste for the Philip Johnson building one block to the north as well. Maybe there will be a wrecking ball accident that will require the removal of this building as well.
Ah, I'm a fan of the General American building. It's just tough to lease, since it basically will have to be taken by a single user.
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john w. wrote:I may get shouted down a bit for this, but I have a great distaste for the Philip Johnson building one block to the north as well. Maybe there will be a wrecking ball accident that will require the removal of this building as well.
Never a big fan...maybe if it was taller, it wouldn't look like such a waste of space.
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john w. wrote:I may get shouted down a bit for this, but I have a great distaste for the Philip Johnson building one block to the north as well. Maybe there will be a wrecking ball accident that will require the removal of this building as well.
I think it's fine. Certainly not in his top tier of projects, but I like it. The lobby could certainly have a better relationship to the street, but I find that the somewhat Corbusian nature of the building being lifted up offers a decent space at the entry. This covered space may be somewhat underutilized, but compared to the other "normal" buildings around it, it stands out due to its highly streamlined geometric nature.
However, I do wish the diagonal of the square floor plan had more meaning. I disagree with the placement of it and think it should be flipped to point towards the corner of Market and 8th, which would make the entry more powerful. Then again, he's a Master and I'm not.
I can't share your appreciation, and, unfortunately for me, I'm sure that modernist's primitive formal study will remain in the St. Louis grid for a long time to come. The brutality of the geometric composition reminds me of a lot of Pei's work.
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john w. wrote:I may get shouted down a bit for this, but I have a great distaste for the Philip Johnson building one block to the north as well. Maybe there will be a wrecking ball accident that will require the removal of this building as well.
The GA building? You sicko!