City Foundry

CarexCurator · PostMar 04, 2016#612016-03-04T16:41+00:00

My confusion about the trestle is how it is supposed to come back down on the other side. How does it leap the MetroLink tracks and land on Clayton Avenue?

Is it safe to assume there will never be a park at the Laclede Cab Company site on vandeventer as previously imagined?

roger wyoming II · PostMar 04, 2016#622016-03-04T17:08+00:00

^ I'm not sure I completely follow but after crossing Vandeventer the trail will run parrallel to the Metrolink tracks all the way to the new station; I assume they'll have treatments at the Sarah and Boyle intersections

chaifetz10 · PostMar 04, 2016#632016-03-04T17:19+00:00

That rendering looks to be a little out of date with the current vision anyways. Last I remember the trail was talked about possibly even going through SLU, not Mill Creek Valley.

My guess is that there are certain corridors that would be a great fit: Along the metro link tracks through CORTEX, SLU's West Pine corridor down the heart of campus and in front of Chaifetz, and the trestle across Vandy. How are they going to link it all together specifically? I'm sure there are a dozen options that have yet to be finalized.

CarexCurator · PostMar 04, 2016#642016-03-04T17:23+00:00

I assumed GRG had plans for a protected bike path all the from Vandeventer to Forest Park along Clayton. I mean, there's surely room along the tracks for a dedicated path and connecting the MetroLink to the center of SLU's campus at Spring up to what might be called West Pine is certainly a good thing, so I have no complaints.

It just shows a gradual erosion of the original Chouteau Greenway plan, which was problematic anyway.

user28 · PostMar 04, 2016#652016-03-04T17:24+00:00

Its happening! Height instead of suburban office buildings! Next were gonna hear about towers downtown right??

jcity · PostMar 04, 2016#662016-03-04T17:31+00:00

A park? How about more buildings?

Randy · PostMar 04, 2016#672016-03-04T17:41+00:00

^ To me a new park would be a new tax liability and not a tax generator unless it can generate nearby development. I don't think it makes any sense in such close proximity to Forest Park. I would favor trying to continue developing Vandeventer south of I-64 to eventually tie in with Manchester/the Grove.

Cortex needs this scale of development around the new Boyle/Sarah Metrolink station, but so far they have only committed to low rise buildings and parking lots.

Hopefully the City will get going on the Grand/Forest Park Ave. reconfiguration given the development moving eastward into Midtown.

framer · PostMar 04, 2016#682016-03-04T17:57+00:00

quincunx wrote:And where is all that parking in the rendering?

Looks like the entire base of the high-rise on Vandeventer is a large garage.

CarexCurator · PostMar 04, 2016#692016-03-04T18:02+00:00

Even though the posted trail map shows a trail between the CORTEX and Grand stations and a continuation of the Chouteau Greenway towards downtown, this trestle could be used to justify moving the central bikeway out of Mill Creek and into the central corridor.

Working with SLU and Harris-Stowe, a dedicated protected path could move down Laclede and onto a protected edge of Market straight into the Gateway Mall "hallway," and easily from there to the arch grounds. Then GRG could pay for what the failed Gateway Mall Conservancy couldn't.

It'd be much more effective than waiting around for an active railyard to disappear, and it would tie way more stuff together. Only Lafayette Square loses by the trail shifting north closer to the CBD.

chaifetz10 · PostMar 04, 2016#702016-03-04T18:04+00:00

And shifting it out of Mill Creek and into areas of density would be better anyways. Still grinds my gears that Metro wasn't run closer to SLU, HSSU, Wells Fargo, CWE, etc. I get that Mill Creek was 'easier' but it's not the most beneficial.

quincunx · PostMar 04, 2016#712016-03-04T18:04+00:00

Here's the Chouteau Greenway thread

http://urbanstl.com/forum/viewtopic.php ... ay#p247816

CarexCurator · PostMar 04, 2016#722016-03-04T18:08+00:00

^It's trestle related.

It begs the question of what the hell happens at the east and west ends of this thing once it is opened up.

That and if the route moved, it wouldn't be the Chouteau Greenway anyway.

roger wyoming II · PostMar 04, 2016#732016-03-04T19:50+00:00

framer wrote:
quincunx wrote:And where is all that parking in the rendering?

Looks like the entire base of the high-rise on Vandeventer is a large garage.

Yes it does. Also, 2,600 spaces seems like a lot for the site at first but then when you realize 2,000 jobs + residential + retail that's not out of line.

(What does come to mind though is this comes to fruition along with even more stuff surrounding it especially redevelopment south in that light industrial area you might be able to justify a Metrolink station on the east side of Vandy.... it'd be about 1/2 mile from the Boyle and Grand stops each.)

flipz · PostMar 04, 2016#742016-03-04T21:42+00:00

ImprovSTL wrote:They will be using the Armory building with the new structures.

Not seeing it mentioned anywhere.

CarexCurator · PostMar 04, 2016#752016-03-04T22:05+00:00

I think these guys need another rendering to clarify their intentions. NextSTL says it is inspired by Ponce City Market in Atlanta.

It looks like the trestle is going between those buildings to a pedestrian space with overhead bridges or something.

Ponce City Market has a covered market between buildings like this:

If they're imagining something like Soulard Market between the Trestle and Spring, that's going to take an incredible investment. SLU students would probably spend a lot of money in a place like that to get away from the campus food monopoly.

dredger · PostMar 04, 2016#762016-03-04T23:39+00:00

Now all Lawrence and Cortex need to do announce some tenants.

I think the bike way plan being discussed. Put that together with a new at grade Grand & Forest Park Ave intersection as an expanded Midtown/Central Corridor infrastructure improvement project. As far as metrolink not serving CWE, I would consider the # of jobs and new developments from Mills, to Koman, to Opus within walkable distance to and surrounding Euclid and the future Boyle station to be huge.

roger wyoming II · PostMar 05, 2016#772016-03-05T00:12+00:00

From comments over at nextstl it looks like we have a pretty decent fix on parking...

- parking would be located under the plaza... you can see a couple ped crossings over the trestle line into the Foundry
- surface parking for the market area would be on the east side of the site
- that surface parking behind the Vandeventer offices most likely would be meant for that (and maybe the residential) instead of the market along with any structured parking in the tower.

downtown2007 · PostMar 05, 2016#782016-03-05T01:23+00:00

I'm unimpressed how this development relates to Vandeventer and Forest Park.

CarexCurator · PostMar 05, 2016#792016-03-05T03:16+00:00

Really? Nothing can be done about the corner, but otherwise there's a good street wall, the appearance of well maintained buildings, tall placemaking tower things, and weird urban stuff inside. Semi-covered open air market with bike trestle? That's an instant landmark even if the edge isn't super dense and up to the sidewalk. This is a win, and the adaptive reuse is a bonus.

However, it is weird that there appears to be no sidewalk on Forest Park Avenue.

addxb2 · PostMar 05, 2016#802016-03-05T03:38+00:00

I expect a 30%+ increase in rent at 'The Standard'. You'll be across the street from a regional destination, pay up.
The Standard's management and ownership:

moorlander · PostMar 05, 2016#812016-03-05T03:43+00:00

You're assuming The Standard won't blow over before then.

addxb2 · PostMar 05, 2016#822016-03-05T03:44+00:00

In what world will the vacant lot NW of this intersection stay empty beyond 2020.
Developers after this announcement:

dredger · PostMar 05, 2016#832016-03-05T04:16+00:00

Believe that corner is in CORTEX and therefore part of the TIF.

roger wyoming II · PostMar 05, 2016#842016-03-05T14:49+00:00

^ I know it is owned by Cortex and believe the TIF district does extend north of FPP to Laclede, but Cortex East is not in the TIF zone.

PostMar 05, 2016#852016-03-05T14:53+00:00

downtown2007 wrote:I'm unimpressed how this development relates to Vandeventer and Forest Park.

tough crowd! Any particular disappointments?

Ideally Crescent Electric will get bought out as well -- boy, are they ever sitting on a gold mine! -- which could help a lot both with the relationship to the streets but also add even more overall density. I also think the City is going to have to do something with calming FPP & probably Vandeventer.

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