urbanSTL

innov8ion wrote:

dweebe wrote:Anyone else thinking of dorking out and heading to the press conference?

I went because I'm sick with the flu at home anyway. No shaking of hands for me! It was a nice press conference. Much better than the last one I randomly saw while obtaining a replacement driver's license.

bonwich wrote:Ahh, but I didn't. Innov8ion did, as he'll attest. Note that his original post has now been edited twice since he posted it.

Yes, good ol' Joe was quick to the punch. I edited it shortly after initially posting it, but Joe got me!

So what did they have to say, Dave? Anything more than what the Business Journal stated?



Hope you're feeling better soon! I'm in Baton Rouge and feel like I'm coming down with something, too, but the temp is 70 here, so at least I've got that going for me!

Central wrote

The CG deli doesn't carry Volpi salami (except in the way over-priced shrink wrapped packets). The Schnuck's deli does.

CS contradicts himself I love it

bonwich wrote:Our story has been updated. I'm not sure this little tidbit was in the early version:



Although Schnucks announced plans for the store, the project is contingent upon the Board of Aldermen's passage of legislation allowing for reimbursement on a portion of the project cost over time.

Just heard on Fox 2 that Schnucks wants 1.7 million in tax incentives over a number of years, Schnucks will pitch in 7.5 million



Why does that not surprise me...



sticking it to the City for 1.7 million



I would still rather see City Grocers getting these benefits..



BTW I dont think Dooley's asked for any money, they made their plans themselves..



Did Joe ask for money to build Flamingo???



Schnucks is a glorified panhandler

'Hey buddy (mayor Slay) got 1.7 million you can GIVE me...



oh and by the way, if you say NO you can forget about this store



This is just too funny that it is sad

Downtown STL Fan wrote:So what did they have to say, Dave? Anything more than what the Business Journal stated?



Hope you're feeling better soon! I'm in Baton Rouge and feel like I'm coming down with something, too, but the temp is 70 here, so at least I've got that going for me!

Man, I got back from Prague at 1am Monday morning and started feeling flu symptoms later that afternoon. It's craziness, I tell you. Fever, chills and working from home since Tuesday. I hope to be better by Friday or at least Monday. I guess this virus lasts approximately a week. Hope you don't get sick and try to enjoy Baton Rouge!



The article pretty much summed it up. Schnuck's is making a sizeable investment and will be receiving incentives that haven't quite been finalized yet. I believe the state actually owns the building.



How much bigger is this Schnuck's going to be compared to City Grocer's? I enjoy City Grocer's but am looking forward to the expanded selection, services, and more competitive pricing that Schnuck's will bring.



Obviously some were saddened by the loss of the Century Building but I believe that today's announcement helps soften the blow and in my opinion is an optimal solution in balance. More than anything, this is a shot in the arm for downtown's image. No longer can the county folk ask us city denizens where we shop for groceries. Note, no flaming please regarding the Century as it's all been said before multiple times.

As for the 4 p.m. thang, I didn't see the original news-conference announcement, but I'm told it was embargoed until 4 p.m., which means outlets that got it weren't supposed to use it until the news conference. But somebody posted it first thing this morning, and everybody else in the media then figured the embargo was obviated. (No direct confirmation of this, just what I heard.)

I think City Grocers would be a great fit in the retail space at The Ely!!! It would serve a good portion of daytime workers and a lot more residents. I do not thon a location S of market would be as good due to the lack of residents.

Here is the Post Dispatch Link:



http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/busine ... enDocument



Interesting that they are opening a new Schnucks (20,000 sq ft) that is about the size of the original Schnucks they are replacing in Des Peres (27,000 sq ft) because it was too small. They said they had to have 70,000 sq ft. in Des Peres. Hmmmmm.



http://westcountyjournal.stltoday.com/a ... rs.ii1.txt



"We would never build a store like Des Peres today," he [Schnuck] said.



And the users of the new Schnucks in Des Peres will fund the development with a new 1% tax in a special taxing district that includes only the Schnucks development boundaries.



"At the same meeting, the Board of Aldermen approved a bill authorizing a review for the proposed creation of the Des Peres Corners Transportation District. A 1 percent sales tax could be imposed on sales made within the proposed district to fund the project."



Any new taxes created to pay for the downtown Schnucks?

I think many of the new businesses downtown have asked for and received incentives, so Schnuck's asking for them certainly isn't unexpected. As for Dooley's, my understanding is that they asked for incentives and were denied them by the City. Apparently all is not equal when it comes to opening a business downtown if you're an existing business owner downtown. Too bad, as I'd really hate to see Dooley's go, but hopefully they'll find something that works for them without incentives.

Downtown STL Fan wrote:I'm just sorry to hear the new Schnuck's won't be moving in until late this year as now I probably owe Innov8ion a six-pack if the sky bridge gets torn down over Washington anytime before the new Schnuck's opens! Of course, that's anyone's guess, too!

Ha, I missed this! Based upon what I understand to be true, the six-pack is virtually assured to be mine. I'm just trying to think about a specific request...

I missed a mention of a pharmacy in the Schnucks. Greeting cards, candy, and office supply-type items are other gaps.



I'm highly skeptical that Schnucks can do anything except redisplay their generic approach for downtown. There will probably remain a huge opportunity for a boutique grocer (ala Dean and DeLuca) in downtown. Pickup and delivery of catered foods is another huge gap in downtown. I don't know how many times I need to bring food into the office and can't do it on the fly from downtown.



If either City Grocers or Schnucks were smart, they'd do a survey of office workers to determine needs and then market aggressively to them.



I think making the residents the baseline may be confused or backwards. Office workers are the baseline or core customer group and residents the niche. It calls for a different business model than what Schnucks or CG practices.

"Brother, can you spare.............. seventeen million dimes?" Look, I know that this is how it is done, but seriously, when did businesses stop having to pay for things, like new retail spaces, that stand to make them profits? Is this really a "greater good" issue? Will the presence of the Schnucks draw enough new residents downtown, or collect enough in sales tax to generate sufficient city revenue to make this worthwhile? (asking)

TGE-ATW wrote:"Brother, can you spare.............. seventeen million dimes?" Look, I know that this is how it is done, but seriously, when did businesses stop having to pay for things, like new retail spaces, that stand to make them profits? Is this really a "greater good" issue? Will the presence of the Schnucks draw enough new residents downtown, or collect enough in sales tax to generate sufficient city revenue to make this worthwhile? (asking)

Well, St. Louis gave me a tax abatement for moving into a rehabbed historic home. Isn't this really the same thing, but for businesses?

^^ 1.7mill not 17 mil



Schnucks downtown store latest in upscale developments

Schnuck Markets Inc.'s effort to go upscale and customize stores for specific neighborhoods is reaching a new high with plans for a downtown St. Louis store that will give urban dwellers everything from a pharmacy to an appetizer tasting area.



The store, slated to open late this year or early next year, will occupy the ground floor of the Ninth Street Garage at Olive Street and feature an overhead mezzanine with an extensive wine department and eating space.



Specifics about the store, which will create about 60 jobs, come at a time when downtown is reeling from the news that Macy's is shutting its Midwest headquarters a few blocks away in a move that will eliminate some 850 jobs.



The Wednesday announcement hit City Grocers hard. An owner of the gourmet market, now the only grocery store downtown, says the competition may force it to exit the business



At 20,800 square feet, the proposed downtown Schnucks store is smaller than a typical 63,000-square-foot grocery. But it will be a full-service store with special amenities aimed at nearby loft residents, many of whom are affluent and daytime office workers.



According to the Downtown St. Louis Partnership, 28.7 percent of downtown residents earn between $100,000 and $200,000, based on a 2007 survey collected from 700 of the 5,000 residents in the downtown core.



Mayor Francis Slay said he expected the store to be a draw to those considering whether to move downtown.



"This is really an exciting day in St. Louis," Slay said at a news conference. "This is a huge milestone in the effort to revitalize downtown."





Read More Here

Moorlander wrote:^^ 1.7mill not 17 mil

17 million dimes = 1.7 million dollars

ya I caught that, just didn't want folks to be confused.

Tysalpha wrote:

TGE-ATW wrote:"Brother, can you spare.............. seventeen million dimes?" Look, I know that this is how it is done, but seriously, when did businesses stop having to pay for things, like new retail spaces, that stand to make them profits? Is this really a "greater good" issue? Will the presence of the Schnucks draw enough new residents downtown, or collect enough in sales tax to generate sufficient city revenue to make this worthwhile? (asking)

Well, St. Louis gave me a tax abatement for moving into a rehabbed historic home. Isn't this really the same thing, but for businesses?

Did St. Louis pay to build your house, sell it to you (or someone else) at a loss, and then pay you to move into it?

The project is contingent on the Board of Aldermen approving legislation to provide $1.75 million in tax increment financing.



Scott Schnuck, the supermarket's chairman and chief executive, said during the news conference that it was an incentive "to get us to come here."



He said the timing is right for a downtown grocery store. "There is a huge void for grocery shopping."

So, how big would the grocery shopping void need to be "to get (them) to come here" without incentives???





Random thoughts:



I wonder how big of a TIF Schnuck's would require to de-ghettoize their South Grand store?



I think City Grocers will be fine in some capacity. All of the traffic generated by the new Schnuck's will help tremendously. I think they should go after the upscale prepared speciality food, with an upscale deli and wine and cheese selection. This depends on how upscale these sections are at the new Schnuck's, of course, but it is Schnuck's we are talking about, not exactly Whole Foods.



The increase in traffic should really help the retail scene in the blocks directly adjacent. I wouldn't be surprised to see Walgreen's come back to the area.

bonwich wrote:

Tysalpha wrote:

TGE-ATW wrote:"Brother, can you spare.............. seventeen million dimes?" Look, I know that this is how it is done, but seriously, when did businesses stop having to pay for things, like new retail spaces, that stand to make them profits? Is this really a "greater good" issue? Will the presence of the Schnucks draw enough new residents downtown, or collect enough in sales tax to generate sufficient city revenue to make this worthwhile? (asking)

Well, St. Louis gave me a tax abatement for moving into a rehabbed historic home. Isn't this really the same thing, but for businesses?

Did St. Louis pay to build your house, sell it to you (or someone else) at a loss, and then pay you to move into it?

Of course not. And I don't know if $1.7M is equitable, but it seemed relevant to point out that not only businesses receive assistance for moving into St. Louis.

Sorry, the analogy was bad. I should have asked if St. Louis seized your house, tore it down, paid to have your new garage built in its place, sold that garage for less than they paid to build it, and then subsidized you to move into the loft space above that garage. Better?

I think I posted this a year ago or something, but this store is slated to be much like the store at Lindbergh/Clayton in Frontenac. In fact, it will be in the same division as the Richmond, Ladue, etc. Schnucks. I think Frontenac would be bigger than 9th street Schnucks; I don't know if anyone has tried to actually grocery shop at Frontenac Schnucks, but the selection is limited.



Anyone who can bring me a pharmacy to downtown again has my love.

I'm late weighing in on this, but I'm really glad to see Schnucks' plans for the Ninth Street Garage going forward. I was only a bit impatient just because I was anxious to see a tenant move into that vast space and see the effect it would have on the surrounding area.



Even though Schnucks staffers were well-guarded with their intentions, I felt confident that we'd get to this point sooner than later. And I think we'll get a quality shopping experience in return.



Downtown will also benefit since Schnucks will almost certainly be open on weekends. Aside from those living and working in downtown, now convention goers and tourists looking for a quick bite to eat or convenience items (regardless of what day it is) won't have to leave downtown.

ThreeOneFour wrote:
Downtown will also benefit since Schnucks will almost certainly be open on weekends. Aside from those living and working in downtown, now convention goers and tourists looking for a quick bite to eat or convenience items (regardless of what day it is) won't have to leave downtown.

It will be nice to be able to actually buy a magazine downtown again. Seemed odd, but I had the worse time trying to find magazines in the CBD.

What's with the possible opening date? Does it really take that long to open up a 20,000 sq ft grocery store?

[County Resident]But where will they park?[/county resident]