urbanSTL

The buildings could be a mere 5 stories and with just a handful of them, completely replace all lots there. With required ground-level retail and true urban form, they would form a perfect street wall. If one of the buildings were offices, labs, or classrooms, it would give people even more reason to live down there. Also, some of the current buildings need work.

dredger wrote:^ Not only do I think marina would be cost prohibitive it will also have no demand whatsoever. Sorry, but there is reasons why most of the boating activity on the Mississippi is above Alton and the dam. Not too mention, the reasons why people go to the Lake of the Ozarks. As some one noted before, the river channelization has resulted in very strong, fast current on a river that rises up and down which is not friendly to small boats and can be very hazardous for those who don't know what they are doing.

I agree theres a reason and the more i thought about the barge traffic doesn't justify for that kind of activity downtown.. Both Laclede and Chouteau's landing share the same problem as they are shut off from the rest of downtown.. I think coffee shops bike accessibility anything mix used from mid rise to high-rise residential definitely more jobs better transit options such as a bus channeling people there if they are weary of crossing the roads or walking under the uninviting underpass or even enlivening the underpass with beautiful lighting displays....

While both Chouteau and Laclede's Landing are shut off or sliced and diced, I do feel Laclede's can support mixed use and residential right now in which you can still as a pedestrian and or on a bike is very much accessible to Wash Ave/Downtown/Arch Grounds and vibrancy. Yes, you have to go under a freeway bridge but sill not impeneratable. I think Laclede is literally one announcement from taking off, just one commitment that says it isn't so bad. Hopefully it will be Drury sooner than later.

In the same breadth, just removing the raised section of I-70 downtown would be a huge transformation. That is the frustrating part is that this is such a no brainer and why City and Civic ladership and federal leadership for that matter is not telling everyone else to go pound sand because adding a couple minutes to travel time is not going to ruin the region's economy. The county is already doing a good job of that itself

I can definitely the envision the whole north riverfront re built. But, I also see it several decades out and the idea of a new open air stadium north of Laclede's doesn't bother me a bit, stadiums do come and go in time, and think it could be a short term catalyst to get Laclede's Landing as well as Bottleworks built out. To me, putting the stadium at the bottleworks site is a non-starter and just expands the convention space super block

I havent been at the Landing since i was 22, so 6 years ago is it still mostly 21-23 age crowd?

^More like 18-23. So im wondering this after hearing people throwing out plans for the landing. Shouldn't the focus be on completing the areas that have or had momentum to them? Like filling in all the gaps on wash ave and cbd. Then we would have a solid core of residents. There are still lots of empty store fronts on wash and CBD. After 14th wash ave is basically nothing at street level.(To about 21st) So these areas must still need more residents to fill up the retail. If we add a few 100 residents on the landing whats the point. Were just spreading the people out. It wont give downtown that "vibrant" feel. Focust on current residential areas Then once those are built up then lets move on to another section. Not half complete one then half complete the others

On East St. Louis, there is the fact that the sewers are in total disrepair and that the ground is soaked by chemicals from the Monsanto plant, Pfizer factory, incinerator etc.. Even if someone started to develop ESTL, it would take years to clean up the soil and water and rebuild the sewers and other infrastructure to the point that someone other than the poor souls stuck there would be willing to live there.

When will the Downtown Partnership absorb the Landing's association?

I'm curious how the association can sustain itself, Does the festival create enough revenues? Does the Casino write a nice check? What will be Drury's contribution and input now that they will develop the garage and have land banked on the landing.

dweebe wrote:How bad are things if this is happening?

It doesn't seem as bad as it sounds. They needed a new director and they hired someone who quickly realized they weren't the right person for the job. That was definitely a misstep hiring someone who clearly wasn't adequately prepared or qualified for the position, but three directors in four months makes it sound like people are running for the door, but I don't think that's the case.

dweebe wrote:How bad are things if this is happening?

Yeah, definitely not too bad. And really not that uncommon when replacing long-serving EDs. Much better to correct a hiring misstep early than muddle through and hope for the best, right?

I can speak generally to this, as I interned and then worked for the Laclede's Landing Merchants Association for two years. And have now worked as ED for another Chamber of Commerce for the past three years. Like most CoCs, LLMA receives membership dues from the businesses within its boundaries, plus some funding from a neighborhood Community Improvement District (basically, a taxing district) and occasional neighborhood/cultural improvement grants.

Out of deference/respect to the past and current staff/Board for LLMA (actually, now called the Laclede's Landing Neighborhood Association), I wouldn't dare go into any financials concerning the Big Muddy Blues Festival -- safe to say, though, that St. Louisans' propensity for "free events" is a burden which all local CoCs unfortunately continue to bear (if it were me, I'd have that event fenced off with "Suggested Donation" corrals at every possible entrance...).

I'm sure the leadership/memberhsip of LLMA (sorry, LLNA) is acutely aware of what the Landing needs and what it doesn't to improve/prosper. The cobblestone project was a start and City+Arch+River might help (though I still have serious concerns about the North Archgrounds/Washington Ave. plan). Next step needs to be quality infill (read: NOT a replacement garage), new business and new visitors.

I don't know anything about this particular situation, but the headline/statistic is SUPER misleading.

It makes you think a couple of hires quickly went south and bailed, when that's not he case at all. ONE hire didn't last.

A more accurate stat would be 3 directors in 6+ years, 2 in the last 4 months. The director that re-signed in March was there for 6 years according to her linked in profile. Then they hired a new one, that one didn't work out, and now they're onto another.

It's one misstep not two or three like the statistic would have you believe.

^ Exactly. When you've had the same ED for as long as LLMA had, it's not that uncommon to course-correct soon after hiring a replacement...especially when you're not hiring/promoting from within.

The headline is somewhat misleading/loaded. If Holleman was working the political beat in 1841 when Tyler took office, his headline would've probably been "United States gets 3rd President in less than two months".

I saw the the Sligo Steel being torn down done any one know what is up there? Also are they planning to redo the river front on the landing because one lane of Leonor K. blvd is block off?
Also the eads bridge metro-link work shifted to the other side now.

Also are they planning to redo the river front on the landing because one lane of Leonor K. blvd is block off?

The Riverfront project as part of CAR will continue all the way to Biddle St which is the street on the north side of the Sligo building. So that entire stretch of riverfront road will be redone.

roger wyoming II wrote:^ good riddance! hello Rams stadium?

Work might be beginning on the north portion of the Central Riverfront Trail but I don't think it will begin in earnest until the south leg is completed.... I believe it is expected to be completed by next October.

more likely another parking lot for the casino. i don't think there's enough room there to build the new stadium without tearing down more stuff north of Sligo.