^ I missed the bit in the BJ about the mass timber...that's a very cool bit of info. Though it does sound like it's just the office component that will be built in that way.
Still though, even if, and even seems now that I look back at it, that it will just be the office building, it is still something new for St. Louis and the State.sc4mayor wrote: ↑Nov 30, 2020^ I missed the bit in the BJ about the mass timber...that's a very cool bit of info. Though it does sound like it's just the office component that will be built in that way.
On another note, the latest plans are quite a bit better than the previous Phase 2 plans. One building seems to remain in the same design style, but the office building along Vandeventer went away and the garage was stretched out and got 90 more spaces with apartments on top and retail at the bottom.
Site Plan...
Site Plan...
If you look closely at the newest renderings today, there is a green wall on the office portion. Unfortunately, I'm one of the probably few that hates the idea of ivy or greenery blocking a parking garage. It insults the plants.sc4mayor wrote: ↑Dec 01, 2020They should bring back that green wall for the garage...
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So this is what the Busch Stadium Garages would look like with residential on top....
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And retail on the first floormoorlander wrote:So this is what the Busch Stadium Garages would look like with residential on top....
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Somewhat clearer renderings posted by City Foundry on Facebook.
From IKEA Sidewalk...
On Foundry Way...
Side view (how it would appear from the highway)...
From IKEA Sidewalk...
On Foundry Way...
Side view (how it would appear from the highway)...
Thanks Chris.
While this is not as nice looking as the office tower proposal, I agree that this is a marked improvement over the previous Phase 2 proposal.
While this is not as nice looking as the office tower proposal, I agree that this is a marked improvement over the previous Phase 2 proposal.
Is it just me or has the garage already lost one floor in those newer renderings?
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Earlier:
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^ yes! everybody, keep complaining on the internet! it's working!!!! 
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This thing is pretty sizable. I wonder how many cranes this phase will add to the skyline alone? I don't hate it: comparing it to the other proposal we got today at 41 Lindell, this looks like a work of art. I hope that we will see the return of the previous tower on the south lot.
My guess would only be one crane. The site's size is over exaggerated by the renderings. So one crane in the middle of the site will be plenty adequate.Elek.borrelli wrote: ↑Dec 01, 2020This thing is pretty sizable. I wonder how many cranes this phase will add to the skyline alone? I don't hate it: comparing it to the other proposal we got today at 41 Lindell, this looks like a work of art. I hope that we will see the return of the previous tower on the south lot.
And as I said before in the 41Lindell thread, that's very early on and design will most likely change. I don't even think that has even started the neighborhood feedback/approval process yet. There will be changes there.
So, I did this on the KCRag for 5th and Main and thought I could apply it here. It's something I use internally when grading projects, which is why my opinions on some projects are different on here than many other users (example: Iron Hill). I know that this is strange to do, but that's how I do things.
Simply put, I look at the pros and cons. Subtract the cons from the pros and whatever the score is, is the grade the project receives. Anything over 3 is a "pass". Anything between 1-3 is a "reluctant pass". Anything at or below zero is a "fail". With that said, here is my grade for City Foundry Phase 2...
Pros...
Grade: +8
Simply put, I look at the pros and cons. Subtract the cons from the pros and whatever the score is, is the grade the project receives. Anything over 3 is a "pass". Anything between 1-3 is a "reluctant pass". Anything at or below zero is a "fail". With that said, here is my grade for City Foundry Phase 2...
Pros...
- Height: 14-stories will make a clear impact, not just from the highway, but from any other locations in the City with views of Midtown.
- Apartments: The inclusion of 282 apartments in this phase means that City Foundry can have a more steady crowd coming in. Couple that with the Standard Apartments, Midtown 300, City Lofts, and the dorms of SLU, it boosts the City Foundry's businesses.
- Office Space: So far, City Foundry has proven to be a success with office space with 94% occupancy in Phase 1. The addition of 60,000sf of office is a bonus since that means more workers on site, and potentially new works to the City.
- Retail Space: While we don't know the retail tenants of Phase 1, the inclusion of 20,000sf of additional retail in Phase 2, at least to me, is a sign that Phase 1 retail space leasing went well.
- Ground level activation: Tying into the retail space, having activation on the Vandeventer and Foundry Way sides is a great bonus since it helps draw pedestrians into the development.
- Mass Timber: Bringing the sustainable building material to St. Louis with the office building is great, in my opinion at least. The method is catching on but is not yet widespread. This makes the City Foundry the first development in the City and State to utilize Mass Timber. A "pioneering project" in a way.
- No new incentives: Phase 2 will not request incentives based on the BizJournal article. Instead, the TIF already established on the City Foundry will be used to cover Phase 2.
- Design: The apartment floors are clean and simple. The office building, based on what we can see in the renderings released, is a decent design too and matches the "industrial" feel of the development.
- Fulfills the vision originally presented when the Foundry was first proposed, which was a mixed-use (office, retail, dining, entertainment, and residential) development.
- The parking garage: It's not so much the size of the garage as much as it is the red color on the garage. I think they could nix the red parking screen for something else, or at least a more playful style. If you're going to use red for the parking garage screen, make it somewhat interesting to look at (like wavy or something like that).
- The Red accenting: I think it adds a pop of color to the Midtown skyline.
- The Yellow on the office building: Adds a pop of color to the Foundry when looking down Foundry Way.
Grade: +8
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I am excited for the possibilities of this retail corridor. Foundry Way could become the center of activity and shopping in the area and when it is complete it could reasonably extend from Vandeventer to Grand. It would just take the acquisition of the Fair St. Louis site and some cooperation from SLU to redevelop their auto oriented Reinert Hall complex. It may be a 10-15 year time scale but it can be done.
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Big fan of this overall, and I agree that the pros are greater than the cons. Height is great.
A couple other thoughts...
- Looks like a Third Phase, one that could get the office tower along the SW corner of the site, remains a viable option.
- If there has to be a big parking garage, I'm glad that it's most visible from Vandeventer, 64/40, and the Ikea parking lot rather than from inside the Foundry retail site. It's good to hub the parking away on the site periphery, as well as next to the highway & its noise. If more garages have to be built in the future, then they should be built on the SE corner of the site along 64/40, near Spring Street and next to the Fair STL warehouse. (Yeah, that garage definitely could be prettier...)
- I believe that self-driving cars will be a viable and popular option within the next 20 years. Is this garage being built to consider that potentiality and perhaps have a constructive re-use in its design should the needs for a large garage diminish soon?
- Creating a major parking hub along the highway side of the project decreases the long-term viability of the current garage on FPP and, once the Historic design requirements are met in 10 years, I see it being rebuilt as something else more complementary and urban in design.
- Crescent Electric has to be loving the increase in demand, and price, of their property. They'll likely get a great offer down the line from Lawrence Group for their site and make bank.
Garage idea: Plate the whole thing instead of having the red bar design. The long sides could adopt something similar to the Centene garage in Clayton and implement a design to mimic the Mississippi & Missouri Rivers. Perhaps they could also incorporate the STL Flag into it. That'd look great from 64/40. Meanwhile, the West side of the garage could have the Foundry STL logo. The branding benefits would definitely justify the costs.
This increases the draw and valuation of the entire area near the Foundry, and I'm sure we'll see lots of ancillary site growth. Specifically, once they are able to get some sort of pedestrian bridge between the highway lanes near Spring Street, I'm sure we'll see much more development at the Armory and its ancillary phases of development.
Macro Idea: The largest building around this part of Midtown remains the old Famous Barr warehouse, on the other side of 64/40 from the Foundry. By the Foundry making the entire area around it more valuable and ingrained into the community, I see that warehouse becoming a viable major office building. If we can keep seeing positive growth in the startup community, to the point where Cortex becomes limited in development site expansion opportunities, this warehouse could definitely host a very large incubator, research space, and general office space. It's got great bones and a whole lot of open space. Redeveloping it wouldn't necessarily be cheap, but it would absolutely become a crown jewel for the STL new business and entrepreneurship scene.
A couple other thoughts...
- Looks like a Third Phase, one that could get the office tower along the SW corner of the site, remains a viable option.
- If there has to be a big parking garage, I'm glad that it's most visible from Vandeventer, 64/40, and the Ikea parking lot rather than from inside the Foundry retail site. It's good to hub the parking away on the site periphery, as well as next to the highway & its noise. If more garages have to be built in the future, then they should be built on the SE corner of the site along 64/40, near Spring Street and next to the Fair STL warehouse. (Yeah, that garage definitely could be prettier...)
- I believe that self-driving cars will be a viable and popular option within the next 20 years. Is this garage being built to consider that potentiality and perhaps have a constructive re-use in its design should the needs for a large garage diminish soon?
- Creating a major parking hub along the highway side of the project decreases the long-term viability of the current garage on FPP and, once the Historic design requirements are met in 10 years, I see it being rebuilt as something else more complementary and urban in design.
- Crescent Electric has to be loving the increase in demand, and price, of their property. They'll likely get a great offer down the line from Lawrence Group for their site and make bank.
Garage idea: Plate the whole thing instead of having the red bar design. The long sides could adopt something similar to the Centene garage in Clayton and implement a design to mimic the Mississippi & Missouri Rivers. Perhaps they could also incorporate the STL Flag into it. That'd look great from 64/40. Meanwhile, the West side of the garage could have the Foundry STL logo. The branding benefits would definitely justify the costs.
This increases the draw and valuation of the entire area near the Foundry, and I'm sure we'll see lots of ancillary site growth. Specifically, once they are able to get some sort of pedestrian bridge between the highway lanes near Spring Street, I'm sure we'll see much more development at the Armory and its ancillary phases of development.
Macro Idea: The largest building around this part of Midtown remains the old Famous Barr warehouse, on the other side of 64/40 from the Foundry. By the Foundry making the entire area around it more valuable and ingrained into the community, I see that warehouse becoming a viable major office building. If we can keep seeing positive growth in the startup community, to the point where Cortex becomes limited in development site expansion opportunities, this warehouse could definitely host a very large incubator, research space, and general office space. It's got great bones and a whole lot of open space. Redeveloping it wouldn't necessarily be cheap, but it would absolutely become a crown jewel for the STL new business and entrepreneurship scene.
It looks like between the two renderings the office portion lost one floor as well, from 6 stories to 5.sc4mayor wrote: ↑Dec 01, 2020Is it just me or has the garage already lost one floor in those newer renderings?
Earlier:
Recent:
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YESSSSSSSSSSgone corporate wrote: ↑Dec 01, 2020Garage idea: Plate the whole thing instead of having the red bar design. The long sides could adopt something similar to the Centene garage in Clayton and implement a design to mimic the Mississippi & Missouri Rivers. Perhaps they could also incorporate the STL Flag into it. That'd look great from 64/40.
Additional rendering from planning commission docs show updated garage.
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Supposedly the rendering posted on Facebook is a little bit older than the one posted on Twitter by Project Yards.
Here are the clear renderings of Phase 2. Full size can be downloaded from my Flickr, which is linked to these images.
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I mean, I know they have some crazy fans, but taking a selfie in front of the IKEA parking lot?
The second Wintrmarkt was today. This one seemed much more crowded than the one last week. Different round of pop up shops too.chriss752 wrote: ↑Nov 29, 2020Today was the first of two planned days for "Wintrmarkt at City Foundry". It was a success. There were, I think, 6 time slots and all were reserved by people. Featured were over 20 local retailers selling items. The next Wintermarkt is December 5th and that is fully reserved too. If coronavirus didn't happen, I could see this being packed with people because the Food Hall and other shops would be open in addition to these pop-up stores.
I checked out the Alamo Drafthouse just a bit more today. Inside, still a lot of work to do. It's just framing right now with no interior walls. No way this opens in the Spring unless they begin work on the interior build out soon.
Plants will eventually be planted in these spots. Probably closer to the Spring.
In this view, you can see where Phase 2 will go as well as another planting spot and thew garage entrance/exit. The "plaza" on the first floor of the movie theater is supposed to have tables and chairs on it for outdoor seating for restaurants or cafes that will open on that first floor. In my opinion, the West entrance to the City Foundry is the most colorful right now (thanks to the plants, greenish facade on one of the buildings, brick, and the red on the Alamo building.
Phase 2 will look massive from this angle and the added office building, apartments and retail space will make this area feel, at least based on the renderings, much more cozy. Throw in the old rail bridge trial, and that feel will surely become clear.
We tried to get a spot for the Wintermarket but it was sold out. Any idea if they'll do another one?
I haven't seen anything yet for a 3rd event. Plus, while I was there, I was watching random people walk in off the street and looking at what's up. So, they really didn't apparently enforce the ticket thing.kipfilet wrote: ↑Dec 07, 2020We tried to get a spot for the Wintermarket but it was sold out. Any idea if they'll do another one?