Developer plans a retail development in place of the iconic building. Not sure how I feel about this. I would like to see renderings on what is being proposed before the demo.


A Midtown St. Louis landmark may soon be coming down.
Developer Rick Yackey plans to demolish the distinctive flying-saucer-shaped Del Taco at N. Grand and Forest Park Parkway, near St. Louis University, and replace it with new retail buildings, a city development official said Tuesday.

http://www.stltoday.com/business/column ... f6878.html

Seems to me there are plenty of empty lots or surface parking very close to that site.

i might be picking nits, but "more pedestrian-oriented" than Del Taco isn't saying much. i hope we don't see a sidewalk-facing parking lot in front of this retail development. as much as i hate all the concrete around Del Taco, it will be sad to see the building go... especially if the replacement is as generic as i suspect it will be.

so the only other Del Taco in STL is at Skinker and Clayton, right?

Damn!

I had heard they were looking on putting a CVS there.

So will this development be suburban or urban? Hmm...

kustramo wrote:I had heard they were looking on putting a CVS there.

What, did Walgreens pull out?

hey, that would be a good location for an "IKEA Express"

Roger Wyoming wrote:hey, that would be a good location for an "IKEA Express"

If they'd just leave the building as it is, it would be a perfect "satellite" location for almost anything, no?

Alex Ihnen wrote:Yep. It should be saved. Some things inherently un-urban are still worth preserving.

I don't see why it should be saved. Just because it looks weird? I'm no expert but it doesn't look that ripe for adaptive reuse IMHO.

I'd much rather see the Church;s Chicken at Delmar and Skinker blighted in a questionable manner as it sticks out like a sore thumb. The flying saucer is an icon like the big Amoco sign at Clayton and Skinker. Neither are particularly urban, but don't ruin an otherwise mostly intact urban streetscape like the Church's and worth keeping I think. I like the suacer. It makes me think of a 1950s drive-in diner. A Sonic would be better for it than the Del Taco.

Alex Ihnen wrote:I don't care about consensus, and no one's going to want to save it simply because it looks "weird". One person's "weird" is another's history, story, landmark, sense of place. Not to mention that the process being used to pursue demo is questionable. Whatever one thinks, this site isn't "blighted".

"Blight" is a grey area so it's nearly impossible to say there is no blight. From what I understand, the spot will be missed mainly by drunk SLU alumni. The variety of retail in the plan seems to provide much more utility to area residents than is there currently. Seems like a good plan to me.

It just got some KSDK love.

^KSDK huh? Did they refer to the Del Taco as located "downtown"?

There's also a Facebook page for saving it--up to 2400 "likes" already

It's an interesting building. Even if it isn't all that "urban"

Damn, this really sucks!

P-D writeup from Tim Logan: Earth to Del Taco: Don't leave us

Is it just me, or is this:

Alderman Marlene Davis, whose ward includes the site, said she generally agreed with the plan, though she hadn't been briefed on its specifics since a broader plan for neighboring Council Towers was approved in 2008. The area needs more shopping opportunities, she said, and, barring unusual circumstances, people have the right to tear down buildings that they own.

"I support the development plan that (Yackey) showed me, which includes new retail," she said. "I'm not part of the decision-making process of what you may keep or change.

About the last thing you want to hear from a city alderman? Am I off-base here?

-RBB

I am going to be quite honest in what I think about this. I say they level the thing.

* People are quick to criticize the retail that would be built there, which has been dubbed pedestrian-friendly. Let's be honest, anything put on that site would be more pedestrian friendly than it is now, after all it was formerly a gas station. Also, the site is right along Grand, Forest Park Parkway, and Highway 40. And with Del Taco being there, the site is even more dangerous for pedestrians and drivers.

* It's Del Taco for God sakes. I mean it is not like they are tearing down Ted Drewes or Gus's Pretzels.

* Finally, it is time to return to reality. We can't save everything. I am not for tearing everything down, but let's be real about what is actually historic and what isn't. Gas stations are not historic. I am sick of urbanites thinking we need to save everything. Well guess what, if we try to save everything we are never going to be able to improve our society. How do you think New York and Chicago became great cities? It wasn't by trying to save everything they had.

I can't wait to see this building come down, anything will be an improvement than what is there now.

It's important to preserve but we can't let it get in the way of progress.