urbanSTL

Seattle is only one of five cities in the United States with a trackless electric trolley bus http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trolleybus system. King County Metro operates 159 trolley buses on 14 routes that ply over 70 miles of trolley wire, and travel 2,906,297 miles annually. http://metro.kingcounty.gov/up/projects ... ation.html Last year, Metro found http://seattletransitblog.com/2011/04/1 ... -analysis/ that operating new electric trolleys offered a superior financial scenario to new diesel buses. This is even before considering how much better a trolley performs on Seattle's steep hills, or how much less pollution it creates, being supplied by hydroelectric power. If you want to know a little more about how the system works, see some of the photos http://www.flickr.com/photos/thelebers/ ... 854000638/ posted by a King County bus operator known as VeloBusDriver. http://velobusdriver.com/ Some of these photo sets explain the controls of an ETB, http://www.flickr.com/photos/thelebers/ ... 51/detail/ the innards of an ETB— http://www.flickr.com/photos/thelebers/ ... 008252681/ so much cleaner than a diesel but so much more dangerous to poke around in—and aspects of how the trolley wire itself works, http://www.flickr.com/photos/thelebers/ ... 88/detail/ including the "special work" necessary for tasks such switching routes traversing a drawbridge.

All this enthusiasm for Wash U. is really perplexing. Besides the fact that their retail study is a clueless and inept joke, they have done little to benefit the Loop thus far. Why are black folks suspicious of them? Maybe because they forced out a wonderful neighborhood institution - the barbershop at Skinker and Delmar - and killed off what had been a lively gathering place for black men. (Not to mention the wig store next door.)

They replaced Angelica, a major employer in the north loop with...what exactly? A couple offices, a big lawn, and a bunch of trees. (Oh, yeah, and a pretentious stone sign.)

They built themselves a day care center on the complete opposite end of "North Campus" from the Metrolink station, so just about no one will be tempted to take public transportation or walk anywhere near the Loop.

They've been holding on to various Loop properties and doing nothing for some time.A local gourmet grocer with a stellar track record and a huge following wanted to develop the Dobbs Tire site, and they strung him along for over a year. He had a well-thought out plan with money behind him. But no. He's now opened in Richmond Heights, and Wash U. goes pointlessly chasing after Trader Joe's. Great.

Anyone who thinks Wash U. is "open" to the urban environment and interested in creative solutions should take a close look at the fortress/monstrosity they built at the corner of Forest Park and Skinker. Yes, sir, very welcoming to the community!

I realize there are many things Wash U. HAS done for the city, but I worry that the starry-eyed attitude displayed here is going to let them off the hook even when they're being very stupid.

Did WashU refuse to lease space in the corner building to the barbershop after the rehab? Did it relocate to the Rosedale building? I noticed the one there recently moved further east, 5888 I think.

Something similar is happening with their building at Skinker and McPherson. The realtor and library relocated while it's being rehabbed. I hope they'll be welcomed back.

I don't know the relative staffing levels but offices for Quadrangle Housing, Accounting and Treasury Services, Parking and Transportation Services, Army ROTC, and Network Technology Services sounds like it employs a fair number. Also at North Campus is room to work on larger projects for which there isn't a big enough space at the Danforth Campus. Compare that to the almost nothing that is happening at South Campus (former CBC high school).

Good point about the daycare. They could have put it on Rosedale near the station or at Skinker.

I like the new building (Green Hall) at FPP and Skinker. I think it's more inviting than the parking lot.

I thought the rub with the Dobbs site was that the potential lessee wanted it "white-boxed" and WU didn't want to pay for it. People in Skinky-D were very excited about that project. Asked about it at one of the neighborhood meetings, Alderwoman Krewson said the finances looked very tough to implement the proposed idea.

The main point of the study was to determine how much retail the area could support in order to aid selling its spaces and others along the Loop. I think there will be plenty of opportunity to scrutinize how new development is carried out. No reason WU should get carte blanche just as SLU and other institutions take a lot of heat here.

I don't know the details of the last deal Wash. U. had to put an organic grocer/farmers market in the old Dobbs building, or why it fell through, but perhaps if Local Harvest's expansions into Kirkwood and Downtown are successful they could be a viable tenant for that building.

Tavolo V is open.

http://www.tavolov.com/

Thanks for the link & article. There's also a good shot of the new S-D Library Branch in there. Looks good.

huh... so i was browsing on skyscraperpage and found this rendering for a proposed walmart development in DC


http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=199041

which happens to look exactly like the development proposed for the corner of skinker and delmar. if you look closely, i think you can even make out part of the "w" behind the strategically placed tree. i'm assuming this sort of thing is common in the world of generic modern architectural renderings. or maybe not. i don't know.

mill204 wrote:

That's a great question. Is it common to cut and paste a building that works for your general idea, and cover up its original identity? Notice the streetcar is covering the other "Walmart" sign. I'm not a professional, but I think they just liked the building and thought it would look nice at Skinker and Delmar.

^I'm ok with it! I love the massing of the building, and if they build anything close to it there is a huge upgrade to be had.

The rendering from the loop study is place holder, there currently is no design for the site. they picked a building of size and mass that is similar to what they would like to build. its what makes sense at this stage of the project.

Alex Ihnen wrote:Nice. The real issue is that the building doesn't fit the Loop at all - though it would look nice next to the Cupples buildings, or elsewhere is Midtown/Downtown.

Alex, I was thinking the same thing when I really looked at the building. I think this would be a huge hit if Walmart could convert a Cupples building. Easy access to highways, and a familiar retail environment for visitors and baseball fans.

We might be seeing three new businesses soon in the area. Don't take this to the bank as they are just at the beginning.

A burger joint called Chubbie's at 6227 Delmar. Freshly ground chuck burgers. 1/4 lb $3.50 1/2 lb $4.95 among other similar fare. Intend to keep your meal under $10. Plan to sell beer. No table service. 20-30 people inside a few tables on the sidewalk.

A pizza place at 6010 Kingsbury brought to you by the proprietor of Meshuggah. Seating for 70-80. Not sure what type of pizza yet. Plan to get beer and wine license. M-S 11-10 Su 4-10. Wants to be the neighborhood cozy eatery away from the hub-bub on Delmar. A bit close to Pi?

Renee's Bar & Grill at 6621 Vernon Ave would like to move to 5860 Delmar (yes a business moving into the city). Wants 1 am liquor license. Says her clientèle are 30+ Insists she has no tolerance for riff-raff. Has anyone patronized the current location?

Sounds good to me.

There seems to be an accelerating trend of new apartment construction in St. Louis, some of which is in somewhat unexpected areas. The new construction techniques have been criticized following the fire that destroyed 3949 Lindell, but this doesn't seem to have slowed new projects announcements or breaking ground.

Cortona @ The Highlands


The tentatively announced reconstruction of 3949 Lindell


The Aventura in The Grove


New Dogtown Apartment Building


The Gotham on Delmar


An earlier project on Clayton Road


While the design excellence of these projects is debatable, it's great to see them adding density and new housing options. Considering some of these are going up in less desirable/lower priced neighborhoods than The Loop (ie Dogtown, The Highlands, The Grove) I wonder why such a proposal hasn't been floated for the long-empty site at 6115 Delmar. The site is comparable in size to the Dogtown property, offers much better retail exposure, would offer higher marketability in the Loop, near Wash U, and next to Metrolink, and could probably be built to at least 7 stories considering the zoning for the Moonrise Hotel. With the ground floor entirely retail it could still fit 60 to 80 apartments in 7 stories, with plenty of space in back for resident parking, and space in the new lot across the street for retail parking (along with the huge 362 space free Delmar Metrolink lot 1 block away).

Don't forget about the CWE development on Euclid and West Pine.

Maybe as construction gets going on Delmar and they see good occupancy, others will follow with more projects. I think the STL side of the loop has plenty of room for projects/improvements.

People are gushing about Fork and Stix. I haven't been there myself yet.