urbanSTL

Maybe the Drury's will surprise all of us and step outside the box and present something that we weren't expecting from them. Adventura is just a monstrosity when it comes to design however you aren't going to get perfect anywhere and this will be a big learning lesson for St.Louis not to just have anything plopped down and to urge cohesive designing and be a bit stern about it. The home2suites isn't all that bad...Sadly seems like we aren't going to get state of the art in every project...

It's hard to tell from the rendering, but the materials planned for the Home2Suites are the cheapest crap you can use. Mostly EIFS and some corrugated metal. The design alone could have potential, but the finished product will probably look like it wasn't meant to last the winter.

Do we even know for a fact that both hotel towers would be a Drury branded hotel? In Chesterfield, Drury owns and operates the new Hyatt Place hotel that is right next to the Drury Plaza hotel. They also own a few other non Drury Hotels throughout their portfolio. I would bet that at least one of the two towers would be another hotel brand.

wabash wrote:It's hard to tell from the rendering, but the materials planned for the Home2Suites are the cheapest crap you can use. Mostly EIFS and some corrugated metal. The design alone could have potential, but the finished product will probably look like it wasn't meant to last the winter.

The last word I have heard from the FPSE Development Committee of Park Central is that the facade along Chouteau, Taylor, and I-64 is required to be brick, stone, or cement board, with no EIFS, as a condition of the tax abatement.

Driving down Kingshighway @ Oakland today, I notice the giant billboard size 'K2' development sign gone. Is this a precursor of Drury Inn tearing down those boarded up buildings. Does anyone have an idea on how soon Drury Inn will start developing this site? I would think it would be sooner than later.

Called a source in the MoDOT right of way dept and asked about the MoDOT land in front of those property's (the land along the highway) he said nobody from drury has called about it yet...wouldn't that land have to be in play ?

Anything on this lately? The brick theft on one of the houses along Kingshighway is not a good look.

I'd rather see a hotel (Drury or otherwise) within or adjacent to the Cortex District than this location.

^ I wonder if Drury by not acting right away might find itself losing out to a CORTEX proposal in near future. I believe CORTEX has some desireable locations, whether it be on Boyle near where the new metrolink station is going to be built or the new property on Vande that they bought from Pace. CORTEX certainly has the opportunity to have a hotel developed with freeway visibility, easy access and as well as within easy walking distance of Ikea, metrolink & various offices/institutions for various hotel patrons.

Here are a few reasons why this Drury Inn project has not started.
-Like joe Roddy said, these projects move at a glacial slow pace.
-Uncertainty with downtown projects, Laclede's Landing, BPV, new stadium. A lot of money is tied up.
-Future development with the CID/ Stl Health Career's bldg site. An outer road can provide a 2nd entrance.
-Hoping to buy that last bldg @Kingshwy and Arco, use to be a chinese restaurant. From Google maps, that bldg is in the way.

I'm curious about some other dormant sites sprinkled in the western part of FPSE.
-The Gasometer bldg tucked between the Adventura apts. I thought the owner said when the dust settles, he will start work.
-The triangle Science Center corner @Kingshwy and Manchester. Does anybody know what the winning idea of the contest they had a month ago on that corner was?
-The vacant lot across from Urban Chestnut. My vote is the future public parking garage for the western edge of the Grove.

swebb wrote:-The triangle Science Center corner @Kingshwy and Manchester. Does anybody know what the winning idea of the contest they had a month ago on that corner was?

The University of Kansas team won the contest. Haven't heard anything since.

^ What do think the chance is that CORTEX and Drury have been talking directly? CORTEX now has the Vande property across from IKEA they bought off Pace as well as the Southwest corner of Boyle & Clayton which would be kitty corner to the new metrolink station and have good freeway access to boot. Would certainly explain why the Twin Towers - Medical Center gone quiet for a while

^ Something like SPG's Aloft or Marriott's AC would appeal to Millennials while also allowing rewards earning/redemption as part of a larger portfolio of hotels for business travelers.

It looks like Hilton is also joining this bandwagon as of today too: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ ... story.html:

Chicago Tribune wrote:Dubbed Tru by Hilton, the brand will take on familiar roadside names like Comfort Inn by Choice Hotels and Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott with a focus on technology and modern design and will compete in the $90 to $100 a night price range, Hilton says.

Guests will be able to check in with their cellphones or tablets, watch 150 cable channels on 55-inch TVs in every room, and help themselves to more trendy breakfast choices like Greek yogurt and oatmeal.

Hilton has 102 hotels signed on to launch the brand and 30 more in the pipeline, including several in and around Chicago, spokeswoman Christine Miller said. The first hotels should be open by the end of the year.

Randy & RW, can definitely see your points which get me thinking about the locations and what CORTEX would desire. I think CORTEX could easily market both hotel types. A signature hotel tower with some reasonable conference/meeting spot on Boyle. Where as Vande property across from Ikea might be of interest to Drury Inn even though some mixed use density would also be great.

I also see downtown hotels making it known to business client that CORTEX is an easy short trip on metrolink when boyle station opens.

I'd love to see a Cortona type development in that southern lot between Boyle & Tower Grove (except built up to the sidewalk instead of surrounded by parking). Cortona is to scale here, so you could actually make it a little bigger with a nicer courtyard. It seems like a good spot to add residential since it would benefit from the closest possible proximity to The Grove within Cortex while also having close Metrolink access.



But for all of those reasons it'd also be a great spot for a hotel, and would benefit more from the immediate highway proximity/visibility.

I see Drury is trying to raze two buildings in the Preservation Review Board agenda. Is this project being revived?

At the last FPSE neighborhood association meeting either Alderman Roddy or Brooks Goedeker from Park Central said that the Drurys had no immediate plan for the site (they want to demo as the buildings are continuing to rot, especially the rear facades), and thus Roddy/Park Central were opposing the demo request.

So either demolition or demolition by neglect?

For the time being, yes. They basically have no firm plans that they have presented yet. They are still considering doing the hotel, but also considering redeveloping the properties, and considering waiting a bit more before deciding, and considering doing some more considering, and considering not considering...

Basically until someone else comes in with a competing proposal and some money, everything is in a holding pattern. I think the most realistic thing is redeveloping the buildings and renting them out, but allegedly at least some of them are terrible inside, and there are more attractive rehab jobs still waiting to be done throughout the neighborhood. The hotel proposal would be cool, but figuring out a reasonable access plan to the site has always been the big obstacle. I have also heard that some of the Drurys are not enthusiastic about the project, so it's not much a priority for the company. Who knows, though, things can change fast if everyone decides to commit.