urbanSTL

JakeKTU wrote:The views to the South include Soulard, South City, church steeples, the AB complex, maybe even the Mississippi and the horizon in general.

I love this view of the Southside. The land gradually rises as the City spreads south and west, so you get a nice, long-range vista.

I hope this one breaks the pattern of building suburban-style followed by other recent development in the city.



Does anyone know if the site plan encourages pedestrian traffic? The site if locked in by very busy streets -- which is fine if the street department works on signals and crosswalks.

Matt wrote:I hope this one breaks the pattern of building suburban-style followed by other recent development in the city.

That's my primary frustration with this city right now. Seemingly simple yet crucially important details like parking, sidewalks, and crosswalks aren't even afterthoughts, not when they're rarely given proper consideration in the first place.

Does anyone know if the site plan encourages pedestrian traffic? The site if locked in by very busy streets -- which is fine if the street department works on signals and crosswalks.

I dig The Georgian, but if I lived there I wouldn't want to cross Lafayette Avenue. The city has a knack for not properly synchronizing traffic signals. Combine that with the poor driving that most area residents possess (a concern here more than other parts of town since a considerable amount of traffic gets dumped here from Interstates 44 and 55) and this only increases the crucial need to ensure pedestrian safety for residents of The Georgian and other nearby developments that will use Georgian Square.

Is not Gilded Age involved in this development? If they are then I trust they will do their best to make sure Walgreens makes a positive addition to the area. They have too much riding on the immediate neighborhood with all the vacant land they own behind the Georgian.

Here's the old rendering of the site with grocery store, etc.



http://komanproperties.com/05162007/Geo ... Square.pdf

JMStokes wrote:Here's the old rendering of the site with grocery store, etc.



http://komanproperties.com/05162007/Geo ... Square.pdf

The Walgreens in the sketch looks quite pedestrian-friendly. It's up against the street with a tree-lined sidewalk and even a sculpture on the corner. Notice all the apparently-happy stick people:







However, the architectural rendering shows a Walgreens less pedestrian-accessible from the street:







I'm sure both are out of date, but I hope the final design is closer to the former than the latter.



-RBB

When this plan initially got going years ago, some people got really up in arms about it, but in the end, there didn't really seem to be enough public outcry to force a "good" design. I and many others were hoping that the development would, 1. leave the remaining homes to the east intact and 2. improve pedestrian connectivity between Lafayette Square and Soulard. I am not sure if public outcry ended up saving the homes or if Guilded Age just figured they had bit off more than they could chew already and just tabled that portion of the plan.As far as the design of the shopping center, In the end, there was a lot of grumbling but the public never rose up and firmly asked for a better design. Everyone was so excited about having retail nearby that they forgot about the long-term advantages that could be reaped by asking for retail that created a streetwall along Lafayette.

RBB wrote:

JMStokes wrote:Here's the old rendering of the site with grocery store, etc.



http://komanproperties.com/05162007/Geo ... Square.pdf

The Walgreens in the sketch looks quite pedestrian-friendly. It's up against the street with a tree-lined sidewalk and even a sculpture on the corner. Notice all the apparently-happy stick people:







However, the architectural rendering shows a Walgreens less pedestrian-accessible from the street:







I'm sure both are out of date, but I hope the final design is closer to the former than the latter.



-RBB

Went to a condo meeting last night and a rep from Koman gave a presentation on this project. The renderings he showed us closer to the 1st sketch minus the fountatin). This Walgreens is going to be a little different than the typical Walgreens. I tried to get digitial files of the renderings, but Walgreens does not allow that for some reason. Here are some key points:



-store pushed all the way to the edge of the sidewalk.

-entrance is right on the northeast corner of the building against the sidewalk

-Instead of the typical, one-story box, they added a faux 2nd story with windows at the top to blend in more with the surrounding area. So, from the outside, it will look like a 2 story building, but the inside will be the same as any Walgreens.

-They also added streetside window displays (I think like 3 or 4 along the front and side) to make it more friendly for the pedestrian. I really liked this touch, as long as they keep it clean and OK.

-Brick and 2nd story windows (I think) matches the Georgian across the street

-There is a one-lane drivethrough on the back

-There will be a tall sign (think McDonalds) with a digital marque to announce specials, but also neighborhood events, amber alerts, etc. Not sure what I feel about this... have a feeling this is going to be pretty gaudy.

Built to the sidewalk? That's fantastic. This sets a precedent for Walgreens in St. Louis, no?

I want to see a rendering, but this could work. I presume there will still be a parking lot on one side?



Now the digital marquee irks me. That is the one concession Walgreens normally makes in the city, but I guess if that is the one flaw in the plan, I can live with it.



This just proves that Walgreens and the others will do what is asked of them because they want to be there, and they know they will still be massively profitable.

MattnSTL wrote:I want to see a rendering, but this could work. I presume there will still be a parking lot on one side?



Now the digital marquee irks me. That is the one concession Walgreens normally makes in the city, but I guess if that is the one flaw in the plan, I can live with it.



This just proves that Walgreens and the others will do what is asked of them because they want to be there, and they know they will still be massively profitable.

The parking is similar to what you see in the first rendering, with a new entrance on Lafeyette the leads to the parking lot. I expected this, though.



Of all of the tenants of the original plan, Walgreens is the only one that stuck. They are still hopeful once the economy comes back that the grocery will be built, that is why they are not paving over that land for parking. They will be leaving areas open for Phase 2 and 3.

I was at this meeting also. I believe the marquee sign is to be placed on the northwest side of the building and is to have a low profile.



Lighting will be directed downward for the most part.



Facade will be a mix of brick and limestone.

Very nice - glad to hear Walgreens listened to their new neighbors!



-RBB

stlmark wrote:Built to the sidewalk? That's fantastic. This sets a precedent for Walgreens in St. Louis, no?

Only if you don't count Chesterfield as part of St. Louis. The Walgreens on Chesterfield Parkway pushes out to the sidewalk.

The Walgreen's on Gravois just west of Grand is right up to the sidewalk. Of course, it's surrounded by parking on the other three sides

the walgreens at Clayton and Big Bend is to the street on the Clayton side.

stlmark wrote:Built to the sidewalk? That's fantastic. This sets a precedent for Walgreens in St. Louis, no?

The Walgreens on Gravois just west of Grand is built to the sidewalk.

Moorlander wrote:the walgreens at Clayton and Big Bend is to the street on the Clayton side.

Up to the street, but not up to the corner. I've always found it funny that their buildings are built for a corner location but are almost never located on the actual corner.