urbanSTL

beer city wrote:Finally some movement - Renderings in the story - looks good, I don't see TIF as a problem on a difficult dense redevelopment like this one

http://www.kmov.com/story/33133629/cont ... m-galleria

looks like residential units is a moving target as per the kmov story. Too bad phase III with the residential tower anchoring the development as originally envisioned

Hamilton says they are aware of the district’s concern and add that the residential component of the new development was still being discussed but could include between 50-160 apartments. But she says without tax incentives, the project would not happen.

Look for Restoration Hardware to move out of the Galleria and open one of their multistory flagship "Gallery" stores in Phase II.

Also, the owner of the Galleria is General Growth Properties which is based out of Chicago. It's possible that the purchaser of the Boulevard from Pace Properties might be GGP as the article mentions the purchaser is a developer out of Chicago.

^ It would be interesting to know if their was a relationship or not. Alex has name of new owner in his write up I believe. But appears a generic LLC that to me suggests another backer or business practice that keeps a development or assets separate or group of shareholders, so on.

I think having Galleria and Boulevards with vested owner ship might be good over the long term. Going forward the value will be adding mixed use such as more residential, some office and maybe another hotel for the owener to the immediate area and make up the loss of surface parking with structured parking. But in the retail development world at least their is movement beyond another strip mall or big box store. Just wish some of these developments would entertain a roof top pocket park, greenery on top of their garage for a change or even a decent solar array.

Now what to do with the sad shape of what is around University Tower. One time it looked promising for some dense, mixed use, parking structure and another hotel. Instead you got a lowly bank branch built.

StlToday - Richmond Heights approves tax-supported expansion of shops near Galleria

When the council held a public hearing in February on the proposed TIF financing, all of the five speakers who gave comments — including the president of Clayton School District’s Board of Education, Susan Buse — opposed it, according to City Council minutes. Buse said those taxes could have benefited students.

http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/ ... 76d05.html

The Boulevard was sold. Sounds like proceeding with phase 2 is still the plan.

http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news ... j=76913441

Is anything ever going to happen to Phase 2?

chriss752 wrote: ↑

Mar 01, 2017

Is anything ever going to happen to Phase 2?

Can't answer but IMO it would be a lot better for RH to see ground broken on Boulevards Phase II & a Phase III reborn/hotel proposal for the Burger King before Richmond's crossing at Hanley Ave happens. But it looks like full speed ahead on a generic isolated Hanley Ave development with lousy pedestrian access to Brentwood metrolink station versus something that at least offers some density & better walkability to RH metrolink station.

As Moorelander pointed out above, the Boulevard development was recently sold. While the new owners have said they intend to proceed with Phase II, it will understandably delay things a bit.

^ Gut feeling is that it is still retail driven and has stalled without that one or two ideal anchor tenant like Dick's sporting goods instead of more rental/apartment units. Nor does it seem like they have pursued an alternate development route or jumped on the hotel band wagon. But then again, the second hotel at Brentwood and Clayton seems stalled at the moment also so changing gears might necessarily be a good idea either.

Second phase of The Boulevard gets more expensive

new render



In all, plans include roughly 100,000 square feet of Class A office, ground-level retail, a parking garage and as many 150 resiential units.

More than $15 million in tax increment financing (TIF) is being provided by the city of Richmond Heights to help fund the development.

Biales said the project is expected to be complete by late 2019.

“The timing is right,” he said. “With no new office development on the horizon beyond Centene’s development and vacancy below 5 percent in the Clayton area, we feel good about it.

Read more here:
https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/new ... nsive.html

Thanks Moorlander for posting on this project & Jeff arms. Did they give a construction start date? 2019 suggests things will start moving.

Was hoping that the Richmond development at Hanley with hotel would have stalled. Instead, wishing that a hotel development popped up as part of an announced Boulevard III phase with the new owners and or at least a separate hotel proposal next Boulevard I & II where I believe Burger King still stands.

I think a few people have noted that a lot more dense mixed use development could happen on both sides of Brentwood Ave which could be a lot more transit, pedestrian and bike friendly.

dredger wrote:Thanks Moorlander for posting on this project & Jeff arms. Did they give a construction start date? 2019 suggests things will start moving.

Just the estimated simpleton date of 2019.

Good lord, do people really need a sky bridge to cross a street barely two lanes wide?

framer wrote: ↑

Jul 19, 2017

Good lord, do people really need a sky bridge to cross a street barely two lanes wide?

Yep,

Selling point in the marketing world for an employee with an attached garage. Get up, get your coffee, walk into the garage, get into the car, push the garage opener button, drive to work, park in the garage and take sky bridge across to your office without having a drop of rain, piece of sleet or touching the snow. Just need the machine that dresses you while your making your way to the coffee pot.

I'm two out of four homes with an attached garage so far in life. So I'm taking my unscientific example as 50% chance that someone will take the pointless sky bridge as a big plus

Why drive all the way to Euclid when you can just shop at WestEnd Style on The Boulevard? It's City fashion with Richmond Heights convenience! At the corner of 64 & 170.

wabash wrote: ↑

Jul 20, 2017

Why drive all the way to Euclid when you can just shop at WestEnd Style on The Boulevard? It's City fashion with Richmond Heights convenience! At the corner of 64 & 170.

I actually think this type of development helps St. Louis overall. Personally, I don't think an individual that would live in Richmond Heights would want to live in St. Louis City (even the Central West End, much less Downtown). Making the inner ring suburbs denser actually helps the city more in my opinion by expanding the overall urban core of the region. People that live in this development are probably the kind of people to frequent the Euclid and Maryland, but prefer the comparatively laid back atmosphere of the inner ring suburbs. I commend the mid-county suburbs for embracing new urbanism, even if it is generic and spoon fed.

goat314 wrote: ↑

Jul 20, 2017

wabash wrote: ↑

Jul 20, 2017

Why drive all the way to Euclid when you can just shop at WestEnd Style on The Boulevard? It's City fashion with Richmond Heights convenience! At the corner of 64 & 170.

I actually think this type of development helps St. Louis overall. Personally, I don't think an individual that would live in Richmond Heights would want to live in St. Louis City (even the Central West End, much less Downtown). Making the inner ring suburbs denser actually helps the city more in my opinion by expanding the overall urban core of the region. People that live in this development are probably the kind of people to frequent the Euclid and Maryland, but prefer the comparatively laid back atmosphere of the inner ring suburbs. I commend the mid-county suburbs for embracing new urbanism, even if it is generic and spoon fed.

Also built right next to a Metro stop, it serves urban and suburban populations - the space is going to appeal to national retailers who like developments that fit their prototype and "cluster" desires who probably not consider urban locations - honestly this town is big enough to support urbanization of the suburbs

^ & ^^

Agree, Boulevards I and now II with its mix of office, residential, & retails if breaks ground as it appears will happen is the lone bright spot that actually compliments metrolink in the inner suburbs. Hopefully a decent proposal will come out of the Burger King parcel to the south of phase II that was part of the original Boulevards development. Believe the original phase III had a residential tower rendered.

On a different note but nearby, a disappointment has to be what was once a more dense infill and structured parking proposal around University tower that never went anywhere before or after the recession. Believe the developer still want trying to get the second hotel at corner of Clayton and Brentwood Ave built but having the corner across from Boulevards becoming a stand alone bank branch if not mistaken with more surface parking is a great example of number of examples in the inner suburbs of what not to build near a metrolink station.

http://www.stltoday.com/business/column ... 816c4.html

STL Today article

More citified 'Main Streets' coming to a suburb near you
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/penns ... 70717.html

P-D is reporting 75 apartment.

St Louis CNR article has site plan as well. Pretty much an extension of the phase I which I don't believe is a surprise to anyone on this blog

Doesn't mention number of apartments added but wondering if that is a moving target depending on size and number of studios, 1, 2-bedrooms.

http://stlouiscnr.com/homepage-primary/ ... -st-louis/

In my opinion, the new design is what Ballpark Village Phase 1 could’ve been. I like the design a lot, the City could use lots of things like this to fill in vacant space. Hopefully Phase 3 includes taller buildings of this similar design.

First Bank anyone?










source:http://condorpartners.net/portfolio/the-boulevard/

Gonna be great having a 5-story building facing Brentwood. Heck, they even gave it windows!