urbanSTL

I really like that design. It will serve as a nice entry point into the main CWE nightlife district.

Wow! There's a lot of great images on that PDF! One thing I don't like about the new design, however, is the way they "box in" groups of floors along Euclid with a superfluous horizontal element (every 3 floors or so). That's such an ugly, suburban gimmick.

OMG!!!



Re: 1970's home construction on Lindell -

"Several houses had been constructed in this manner on Lindell Boulevard and on some of the private streets—the height of these new structures was significantly less than the grand height of the majestic older homes. To counter this kind of smaller-scale singlefamily development, a clause was inserted into the local ordinance that stipulated that all new construction had to be constructed “within 15% of the average height of existing residential buildings on the block.”



So . . . the 15% guideline wasn't to guard against tall buildings, but to guard against short buildings . . .



Discuss . . .

The planned tower at 4643 Lindell looks to be comparable to the height of other tall buildings, whether existing or new (4545), along this 45-4600 block of Lindell from Taylor to Euclid. The anti-shadows people will point to shorter buildings on the 4600 block of Maryland sharing the alley with this block (though technically this corner lot won't have alley access due to the bank on Lindell retaining its Euclid entrance). So then, what's a block, one side of a street between two cross streets, both sides of a street, or the land area within four streets?



Despite the tower not meeting the strict 15% rule of a block, City CRO staff clearly views things from greater context, both along different types of streets, whether an edge boulevard (like Lindell or Kingshighway) or an internal street (like Maryland), and comparing corner sites to mid-block sites:

Corner parcels in the district have historically been developed with structures that are considerably taller than the structures on the interiors of block-faces. In reviewing the design of the project proposed for 4643 Lindell Boulevard, staff notes that, although there are no 27-story buildings on the immediate block directly surrounding the proposed new construction, there is both the precedent of a 29 story building, the historic Park Plaza, one block to the North West, and that the historic development pattern of the District favored tall buildings on the corners of

the smaller scale internal blocks and particularly on the corners of blocks that face major thoroughfares like Lindell Boulevard.

yes but you forget the SHADOW. We all know that city code should be amended so that no building ever casts a shadow on Patti Tepper's house (is that her name?). She does, afterall, have geranium to worry about. They need light.

She should buy one of these... they work great!

I've been told that there is preliminary site work going on there now. However, I don't think anything's happening until the Park East Lofts are done. The Lindell Condos site has a sign up that says "Opus Construction Parking".

So, does the lawsuit that that retarded B.... filed really have a chance of preventing Opus' second tower? Who is on this board with her? Tell her to move her ass out to Chesterfield. How was the Park Plaza(30 stories tall) built in the 1920's adjacent to housing. This woman has no idea what the f she's talking about.



I think we should shoot her. -Mr. Bueller kidding.. kidding..

Grover wrote:I've been told that there is preliminary site work going on there now. However, I don't think anything's happening until the Park East Lofts are done. The Lindell Condos site has a sign up that says "Opus Construction Parking".

Well not exactly. Right now this project is tied up in the courts. The Citizens for Responsible [Conservative] Development are suing to stop this tower from being built at its proposed height. I personally think it will be allowed to go forth because this development has many more benefits for the neighborhood than drawbacks, and it isn't uncommon for large-scale projects to face lawsuits from the opposition.



And I think there has been some preliminary site work at the Heart Association building, although those work crews are not for Opus, they are for Alberici, which is the contractor for the 4545 Lindell project (looking good, btw). Hopefully we'll see some movement toward the Lindell tower before too long.

My understanding is that the Lindell project will be help up pending sale of the Park East loft units and the resales of the Park East Tower units. I think they are seriously looking at what demand might still be out there for more high rise condo units. Sales of the Chase Park PLaza units will also probably play a role in the decision to go ahead with this tower. I've also heard that the units will be less pricey than the Park East tower units. I'd love to see this project go forward though and I think it will be an encouraging sign if they do go forward as it would mean that demand is still strong for such apartments.

Doug wrote:Only in this glass ceiling town would soccer moms sue to prevent sky scrapers.

That's not really true. There are countless of cases very similar to this taking place in cities across the country, including several in New York City. I will try to find and post a fairly recent article about a controversial highrise proposed for NYC's Upper East Side that was actually defeated by residents who felt it was wrong to take down 3 historic walk-up buildings in their neighborhood to make way for a modern skyscraper.



The difference in this case, though, is that nothing historic is being lost in the development.



But to be fair, NIMBYs are everywhere, not just St. Louis.

Thanks for the update. It's good to hear this project is moving along.

Yes - definitely good to see. I'd heard that this project would break ground once the Park East Lofts are done - looks like it may be true. More density for the CWE. We're all a bit impatient about the towers/condos going up in the CWE, but it's really remarkable that so many large projects have been planned. If another tower or two are built in the next five years it will represent a building boom that hasn't been seen in some time. With BJC expanding, Shriner's moving back and Cortex developments, the CWE seems on the verge of something truly big!

^ Beautiful, I like i! More density and another shiny new tower. What could be better?

^^Things are looking good for the CWE, and about time!!

A very attractive building! (I like this design more than Park East)

My textbook on the World Economy and published in 2006 states that the year 2010 will be the year of highest disposable income spending for the Baby Boomer generation.



This leads me to the question: Will the next five years usher in an escalation of Baby Boomers and Young Professionals to central cities and the urban core at a rate not seen since before World War 1 in the immigration years?





If this theory is to be held true, then all areas within I-170 will change dramatically especially those with better transportation or centrality such as Clayton, CWE, Downtown. Expanding Metrolink can only improve this shift and the economy will transform as a result. Manhattan is rapidly changing and the Second Avenue Subway for them is being hailed by some as ushering in a new and higher grossing era of redevelopment for the majority of the East Side. Likewise the role of transit causes one to foresee dramatic redevelopment shifts not seen since many of the areas they touch first developed. Clayton is a great example with the surge in high-rise luxury housing in its downtown and an added surge if the Daniel Boone Line to Westport is built. Transit and shift to urban living are affecting American metropolitan regions to transform from past economies that favored them to inclusion into the world economy. I hope Missouri voters and legislators see this chance to get plugged into the world economy more so than our manufacturing past.



Granted there are many questions remaining about connecting the whole region and taxes for expanding into a larger or more encompassing transit system.

I have noticed the trend to move to more "urban" living places. The only people I know who live in the plaza in Clayton are on the front end of the baby boom generation, but my parents (who are on the tail end) did the oposite, and now reside in Wyoming. But I think the numbers will tend to go towards cities. I mean, not all old people can move to florida...

Very Nice.

This and the Skyhouse Tower Downtown in the same year will be nice.

So, I've heard conflicting reports. Are they REALLY going to break ground? Do they even OWN the ground yet?