quincunx wrote:Article in Times of Skinker-D. Looks like the developer is focusing on the Metro lot and hopes to expand northward to include the strip mall. It also says that the decision about the stimulus money would be out by Feb 15. How does one find out about it? BTW the FTA website has a picture of Metrolink on it.
^Probably referring to the TIGER grant the City submitted on behalf of the Loop Trolley. Actually, the deadline is Feb. 17 so there's a few more days. I'd be surprised, though if the Delmar trolley is awarded a project. $57 billion in applications were received for $1.5 billion in funding.
This probably isn't related to the Delmar Loop trolley although I find it interesting that McCormick Baron submitted a grant request through the DOT. I'd expect them to go after HUD money.
quincunx wrote:So this is a part of the Loop Trolley application? Luckily the developer is still interested even if the grant isn't picked.
As a neighborhood resident, I am happy that the developer did not receive grant funding. The last thing this neighborhood needs is more housing. DeBaliviere Place saturated the market with cheap condos and was unable to sell them for 100K; they are now rentals. The housing supply exceeds the available demand, driving down housing values for the entire neighborhood.
As far as retail development goes, Velocity couldn't survive in a prime location. Their space was not well suited for meetings - the DPA held a meeting there and the acoustics were horrible. Papa Johns does great business and I would hate to see them leave. The rest of that strip mall is an eyesore, as is Talayna's, in terms of both appearance and the quality of the establishment. But without increased retail demand I don't see what would support new, "improved" businesses.
Actually, I think a CVS would do very well in that area. Or a Walgreens. Just not another chicken wing place, please! I'm sick of picking up chicken bones outside my house.
Does anybody know what the 'Transit Access Center' does? They seem like a large holder of space in the strip center, and I've always wondered what a place with a name like that was in the auto-oriented Debaliviere Strip Mall.
quincunx wrote:So this is a part of the Loop Trolley application? Luckily the developer is still interested even if the grant isn't picked.
As a neighborhood resident, I am happy that the developer did not receive grant funding. The last thing this neighborhood needs is more housing. DeBaliviere Place saturated the market with cheap condos and was unable to sell them for 100K; they are now rentals. The housing supply exceeds the available demand, driving down housing values for the entire neighborhood.
As far as retail development goes, Velocity couldn't survive in a prime location. Their space was not well suited for meetings - the DPA held a meeting there and the acoustics were horrible. Papa Johns does great business and I would hate to see them leave. The rest of that strip mall is an eyesore, as is Talayna's, in terms of both appearance and the quality of the establishment. But without increased retail demand I don't see what would support new, "improved" businesses.
Actually, I think a CVS would do very well in that area. Or a Walgreens. Just not another chicken wing place, please! I'm sick of picking up chicken bones outside my house.
I saw your earlier post about the battle to save DeBaliviere.
I am astounded that the website includes no discussion of attracting businesses to Pershing. Increased foot traffic along this stretch would make the neighborhood safer. As for the TOD, I don't see that retail would work without some marketing of the whole district, either. But that is the responsibility of the neighborhood.
Look at the Morgan Ford Strip, Midtown Alley, the Grove, etc. Dedicated residents in those neighborhoods have, despite crime problems and half the population density of DeBaliviere Place, cleaned up those business districts and attracted new commerce and life. Most people would have called them crazy to even try a few years ago.
Positioning Pershing as a thriving business district will improve safety/security in the neighborhood. I would also push to open the streets to through traffic as well as implement placemaking strategies. Right now, I'd be nervous to walk down any street for the full length of the neighborhood other than Pershing, which is the only one that goes through the whole way. It's much safer to have traffic going through; pedestrians will feel as if there's more activity and that the neighborhood is not semi-private.
stldotage wrote:
I am astounded that the website includes no discussion of attracting businesses to Pershing. Increased foot traffic along this stretch would make the neighborhood safer. As for the TOD, I don't see that retail would work without some marketing of the whole district, either. But that is the responsibility of the neighborhood.
Look at the Morgan Ford Strip, Midtown Alley, the Grove, etc. Dedicated residents in those neighborhoods have, despite crime problems and half the population density of DeBaliviere Place, cleaned up those business districts and attracted new commerce and life. Most people would have called them crazy to even try a few years ago.
Positioning Pershing as a thriving business district will improve safety/security in the neighborhood. I would also push to open the streets to through traffic as well as implement placemaking strategies. Right now, I'd be nervous to walk down any street for the full length of the neighborhood other than Pershing, which is the only one that goes through the whole way. It's much safer to have traffic going through; pedestrians will feel as if there's more activity and that the neighborhood is not semi-private.
I think there are some key differences between Midtown Alley and the Grove, and the DeBaliviere Place/Skinker-DeBaliviere neighborhood.
I can't vouch for actual numbers for population density, but the DP/SD area has a rather large park to its south, whereas Midtown/Grove aren't as isolated. Midtown has a very high concentration of SLU people without anywhere to really go. DP/SD has WashU of course, but then there's the Loop. Anything that DP/SD does will necessarily compete with the Loop.
In my opinion the most successful business in the DP/SD area is the great Atlas restaurant. And there is nothing like it in the Loop, save for maybe Eclipse.
If it were possible to bury Forest Park Parkway at DeBaliviere and put some street-level retail/restaurants/etc along DeBaliviere north to Waterman, I think that would help pull people from Forest Park. Until then foot traffic will be exceptionally limited.
I agree - that area needs far more pedestrian traffic. More people working in the area would be of tremendous benefit.
hebeter wrote:is there anything going on with the old Velocity Cafe site?
Up above the paper on the windows I noticed some construction going on
Apparently a new coffee shop called Sip N Savor has opened there, but having just gotten back into town from a vacation I haven't had the opportunity to check it out. Here's a post about it on the DeBaliviere Place website.
Kaldi's coffee and a few menu items now, in smaller part of the store is open along Debaliviere, the majority of the store is separated with a partition but is not yet open. Limited hours right now: 7 AM to 11 AM.
Haven't heard anything. Glad to hear the strip mall may be on its way out! The higher the better, but even something like N. Sarah development with an extra story (3) would fit very well.
From past news reports: 43.2 Million dollar development including 147 condos and apts, ground floor retail
Nothing on McCormack Baron Salazar website - nothing in the Skinker-DeBaliviere Times - no permits on Geo St. Louis...
[edit] Demo is of hardware store north of the strip mall. It's owned by Crossroads School. Demo permit is from last month. My guess - it's going to be a parking lot.
Alex Ihnen wrote:Nothing on McCormack Baron Salazar website - nothing in the Skinker-DeBaliviere Times - no permits on Geo St. Louis...
[edit] Demo is of hardware store north of the strip mall. It's owned by Crossroads School. Demo permit is from last month. My guess - it's going to be a parking lot.
It was founded there in 1974, and it has somewhat awkwardly grown, improved, been a good neighbor of Skinker-Debaliviere, and a good citizen of the City ever since. Now it's growing across DeBaliviere to expand its parking, which it appears to have almost none of according to Google Maps. With the Loop continuing to build out its core (Wash. U. mixed-use, Blick Building), expand Eastward (Original Cast Lighting Building & The Gotham), and constructing the Loop Trolley, and with Metro making a new push for TOD, it may be time to reconsider the utility and suitability of Crossroads College Prep and the Metrobus Garage along the Delmar/DeBaliviere corridor. I want to focus on Crossroads here.
The City has a great deal of academic buildings for sale, but I don't think any of them have the size/land/location that Crossroads would require. The industrial areas in the southeastern CWE and eastern Grove could fit a high school campus, so could the huge empty space between Harris-Stowe, Sigma-Aldrich, Wells Fargo, and Olive, but then the school would have to start a campus completely from scratch, which is probably cost prohibitive.
Even though I'd hate for the City to lose a good institutional resident, I think a move to the old CBC Campus (aka Wash U southern campus) would be a boon for everyone. It would open up part of DeBaliviere for the type of retail/mixed-use investment the Trolley is intended to spur, it's only 3 miles from Crossroads' current location, and it would give them the parking and athletic (soccer & tennis) facilities that they lack and can't fit on or near the Debaliviere campus.
What do you all think of such a move? Any other proposals for what could help transition Debaliviere from a strip mall/parking lot strewn street to a vibrant TOD mixed-use neighborhood anchor? It seems like it's only a couple of sidewalk storefront buildings away from having some critical mass as a retail district. There's so much going for it between the Loop Trolley, Metrolink, & Forest Park.
Another possibility is that I'm completely mistaken and Crossroads is an important anchor of DeBaliviere and does much more good than bad.
I think it's a good thing to have a high school in the neighborhood particularly one that's dense and transit-oriented. A good community has facilities of many types, right? What is the next nearest high school to the neighborhood?
I don't know, but at a surface glance, it would seem the Crossroads could benefit from a move and surface parking lots should not be allowed to be added along this stretch, especially with the streetcar going in.
^ Ha. I meant "should not be allowed" of course!!!! Past time for form-based code here.