urbanSTL

Graphics are up on GreenStreet's site!










Website: http://www.greenstreetstl.com/developments.cfm?id=6

Even if the first (well known) tenant is a downer, given GreenStreet's resume (i.e. Sheet Metal Worker's Building down the street), having the site appropriately re-habed with tenants, attracting people to the site, and creating a community center is far better than what we have been stuck with for some time now.

The old saying improvement is better than no improvement goes almost without saying.

And last, if nothing else, this is all about the community improving, growing, re-habing existing big box stores for a new/better use and attracting people to the City - its a slam dunk in my book.

I don't care if Frank Gehry is designing the new shopping center. With Savalot and Cricket you have crap. That's like a fastball right down the middle for ghetto. Home run!

leeharveyawesome wrote:I don't care if Frank Gehry is designing the new shopping center. With Savalot and Cricket you have crap. That's like a fastball right down the middle for ghetto. Home run!

Just to be sure - you're advocating that no progress is better than any progress at all?? Just wanted to clarify...

Wow, I think people are certainly being overly negative about Save-a-Lot - there's one on the Hill, one in Florissant, and one in Affton...none of those particularly scream "ghetto" to me! If I lived in the Gate District, I'd be pretty pleased that there's going to be a place I can easily walk to to get fresh produce and most of the grocery items I need. This is still a socioeconomically diverse area, as it should be, and providing everyone with access to affordable healthy food is a huge leap forward. Let's give it a chance, shall we?

geoffksu wrote:

leeharveyawesome wrote:I don't care if Frank Gehry is designing the new shopping center. With Savalot and Cricket you have crap. That's like a fastball right down the middle for ghetto. Home run!

Just to be sure - you're advocating that no progress is better than any progress at all?? Just wanted to clarify...

Oh come on, this is the exact same crap that's in the strip mall at Kingshighway and Chippewa and look how nice that is.

This is embarrassing. Wouldn't you rather have had a TJs, Bux, Pinkberry, and an Ulta?

Sometimes I think people believe our fair city is on par with Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, etc...

We're not. We're a city struggling to stage a turnaround. If we had tangible job growth and/or a more educated populace like Minneapolis/St. Paul, the Dierbergs and Whole Foods of the world would be scrambling to fill that Foodland site.

But that's not the case, yet...

I gotta give Save A Lot credit, their jingle is snappy as hell:



Here are some Save A Lot FAQs:

Look, I'm sorry to call something "ghetto" but, hey, all the kids are doing it. My point is that this bunch of retailers is CLEARLY targeting a certain market. That is undeniable. This isn't lifting everyone UP. Yes, there is a diverse socioeconomic bunch of people around these parts and this only targets one part of the spectrum. You can swipe an EBT anywhere so why not aim higher and let EVERYONE have a place to shop? To the folks in Lafayette Square it's STILL a food desert. Maybe something else just wasn't an option who knows. So clearly, this is aiming for the low hanging fruit and that's what the new center will be all about. Unless this is a mold breaking all-time greatest Savalot ever to exist I'd say the long-term prospects are not good.

Dierbergs are jerks. I'm not shopping there anymore. Not one store in the city? Not cool.

there's a Dierberg's 400 feet from city limit at Mackenzie Pointe...and it's a damn good store...

Sidebar: the new flagship Dierbergs on Manchester (Des Peres?) is progressing nicely. Going to be one helluva nice store. Rather oddly, the building is situated right up against the side walk on Manchester but faces the parking lot.

sirshanksalot wrote:

Sometimes I think people believe our fair city is on par with Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, etc...

We're not. We're a city struggling to stage a turnaround. If we had tangible job growth and/or a more educated populace like Minneapolis/St. Paul, the Dierbergs and Whole Foods of the world would be scrambling to fill that Foodland site.

But that's not the case, yet...

So higher end grocery stores not moving to the Foodland site is a microcosm of STL struggles on a national scale? That's a bit of an over simplification.

sirshankalot wrote:Sometimes I think people believe our fair city is on par with Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, etc...

We're not. We're a city struggling to stage a turnaround. If we had tangible job growth and/or a more educated populace like Minneapolis/St. Paul, the Dierbergs and Whole Foods of the world would be scrambling to fill that Foodland site.

But that's not the case, yet...

Didn't the most recent census reveal that downtown StL had the highest percentage growth of residents with college degrees in the country? Something like 3500% growth?

I realize we are starting from a low number, but this to me shows a significant changing of demographics, and would be something I would be expecting all types of retailers to be looking at pretty closely. As the entire city is tremendously underserved by high end retailers and grocers, that to me would dictate the city as a pretty decent growth opportunity. I know one number does not equal sustained performance, but I would certainly be keeping a close eye to try to ascertain whether or not this is continuing in between now and the next census.

At what point does first mover advantage start to come into play here?

(Sorry it that went too generic and OT for the thread.)

I think this is a positive step. I would have liked something nicer than a save-a-lot but I will take this over an empty lot. Is the city helping with financing? When do they expect it to open?


A bit off topic: When did the Schnucks on Lindell open? That place is always busy, and I would assume a money maker, but it is in awful condition.

flipz wrote:I think this is a positive step. I would have liked something nicer than a save-a-lot but I will take this over an empty lot. Is the city helping with financing? When do they expect it to open?


A bit off topic: When did the Schnucks on Lindell open? That place is always busy, and I would assume a money maker, but it is in awful condition.

It used to be a National. I believe it opened in the mid-80s.

What, it's not going to be a Local Harvest? Forget it!

flipz wrote:I think this is a positive step. I would have liked something nicer than a save-a-lot but I will take this over an empty lot. Is the city helping with financing? When do they expect it to open?


A bit off topic: When did the Schnucks on Lindell open? That place is always busy, and I would assume a money maker, but it is in awful condition.

I imagine the city will award this project New Market Tax Credits.

I just read through the 20+ comments about Save A Lot on the Fox Park listserve. I have not seen one positive comment. I can't believe the amount of people who say they will continue to drive to the county for Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Dierbergs, etc. They are right to be outraged at the announcement of Save A Lot, but why were residents (who normally would not read this forum) kept in the dark about this until last night?

flipz wrote:I think this is a positive step. I would have liked something nicer than a save-a-lot but I will take this over an empty lot. Is the city helping with financing? When do they expect it to open?


A bit off topic: When did the Schnucks on Lindell open? That place is always busy, and I would assume a money maker, but it is in awful condition.

+1

I live in Soulard & would have preferred something nicer but I'll take it.

I'll try out the Savalot but if it's annoying and/or they have a bunch of garbage on the shelves then I'll just go somewhere else.

To me, this is spreading the ghetto not spreading the progress. As far as the renderings, the shopping center will look much better vacant and abandoned in five years than it does now though.