urbanSTL

From Mayor Slay's



According to Barb Geisman, three new projects have made it through both the internal TIF review committee and the early phases of the formal TIF Commission approval process.



The first is a proposal by Opus Development to build a new 28-story mixed use condo/retail building on the site of the former American Heart Association offices. The development will return a tax-exempt property to the tax rolls and increase the residential density on the block.

The idea of having 28 stories could be revisited, but Opus is committed to a 25- to 30-story building, Krewson said.



?I am concerned by the height,? said John Berglund, a member of the Central West End Association?s Planning and Development Committee. It would be no problem closer to Kingshighway, but in this location it might crowd out the smaller-scale buildings of Euclid Avenue, he said.

The committee has not formally looked at any plans for the building yet, Berglund said. The group meets each month and the project was not on the agenda at its Sept. 10 meeting.



The committee has an advisory role only, and it attempts to influence the city?s Cultural Resources Board and the aldermen if it is unhappy with elements of a project, Berglund said.



?It makes our job much easier,? if a project has the backing of the neighborhood, he said. But ?everyone has their own tastes and desires? and Opus would not submit to ?design by committee,? he said.

Yeah Opus! I agree, a "design by committee" would certainly not please everyone as we see with the Bottle District.



Also, putting it on Kingshighway might be better (major street, across from Forest Park) but land assembly and cost may be more of a problem. Technically, Park East has already "crowded out" the smaller scale buildings on Euclid - if that is really a concern. IMO, if that was concern, they should have been more vocal about Park East. Don't take it out on this project. If that was really a concern, too late. A 28-story Lindell Condominiums is appropriate for that corner. This building is likely to face LINDELL (like all of the other residential high-rises) - not Euclid.



With Berglund's thinking, no taller structures would ever be built in the CWE. They would all have to be built on Kingshighway.



There are small scale buildings all over the neighborhood. I'm not suggesting building a tower next to a mansion or anything, but Kingshighway, Lindell, Delmar, and Forest Park Boulevard are the main arteries through the CWE and this building is being built on Lindell. This building would not look inappropriate on that corner no more than it would look inappropriate on the parking lot cattycorner to the proposed site. Lindell is a highrise corridor.



The CWE Association better not mess this up. Opus, as the article suggests, has a good national reputation and if the CWEA gives too much of a hassle, it could really make Opus have reservations about building in St. Louis (the city in particular) and other national developers could follow suit.

?Sometimes we are more influential with smaller projects than with bigger ones,? Berglund said.

This mentality is so small town, in my opinion. Is a 28-story building really a big project especially considering a 26-story tower is rising a block away? Seriously?



St. Louis doesn't have to build 54-story condo buildings like Chicago or Minneapolis-St. Paul, but 28-stories is meager compared to new towers going up in similar neighborhoods around the country.

I don't think the owners of duffs and the gallery and antique store there are going to complain about this. This is one guy trying to force his lack of vision on the neighborhood. I find these types of groups to be vocal minorities usually...then again its the vocal that people hear. We need to drown th

em out.

a friend of mine actually had this uncle in Wassau Wisconsin who lead a eco-citizens group to stop the city from sidewalk and gutter improvements and additions. He didn't especially want gutters...you know, cause the rain needs natural disbursement...and I like a flooded basement...Now that is die-hard anti-dvelopment.



Just down the street there is a ten-twelve story building right behind drunken fish at Maryland...park east the other way...highrises up lindell...



I am under the impression that with 98 mil invested, nearly twice that of PE this thing will have a broader profile, not quite so delicate. Height to width ratio won't be as high. 200 units, about the same height and 90% more investment...this should be a large building in all aspects.

Below are some pictures taken by JivecitySTL.



This picture shows the Chase Park Plaza building tower (on Kingshighway) looming over structures along Maryland and Euclid Aves.







Next is a picture of the high-rise density in the CWE. Behind the tallest building to the immediate left is where Opus' 28-story tower could rise.







Picture of high-rise corridor along Lindell.







Looking west. The tower would rise on the far background right.







Below is a cheesy overview I did of where the new towers are being built and proposed.







Looking at the photos, I don't see how either project could be considered out of place.



Again, thanks to JivecitySTL for the photos.

Thanks for that overview Arch, it helps putting everything into prospective.