urbanSTL

^Tysons has a plan, but they haven't done it yet.

We drove through recently, and I kept thinking -- this reminds me of something. Then I realized what it was. One of those towns in the Twighlight Zone. Everyone was smiling unnaturally. Everyone was happy all the time. There were Normal Rockwell scenes everywhere -- like they were staged. It was a Hollywood horror setting.



I went into one of new beloved stores and asked if anyone had ever left. They said, why would anyone ever want to leave. The place is perfect. I asked, yeah but can you point to a person who has tried to leave? They pointed to a middle aged man sitting in a chair nearby staring into the air. They said he used to be a trouble maker and tried to leave once, but didn't. Something happened, and now he is a lot quieter. I walked up to him, and noticed a big scar on his head where his hair was shaved. Looked like some kind of brain operation. He smiled quietly but couldn't make eye contact.



Anyway, in today's paper I read that they were having a small entertainment gathering. I was hoping a motorcycle club, or PTs dancers, but no -- it was a juggling convention. I had to burst out laughing when I read that to my wife. It was too perfect. What kind of entertainment would Norman Rockwell draw up -- Jugglers. Again, too perfect. Too Happy. Too Spooky. I've seen this movie. The town looks just like this before the people take off their skins and reveal that they are all alien reptiles from the planet Rockwell.

I went into one of new beloved stores and asked if anyone had ever left. They said, why would anyone ever want to leave. The place is perfect. I asked, yeah but can you point to a person who has tried to leave? They pointed to a middle aged man sitting in a chair nearby staring into the air. They said he used to be a trouble maker and tried to leave once, but didn't. Something happened, an now he is a lot quieter. I walked up to him, and noticed a big scar on his head where his hair was shaved. Looked like some kind of brain operation. He smiled quietly but couldn't make eye contact.

Too funny...



I like to call it Pleasantville.

Stepford.

shannon wrote: Too funny...



I like to call it Pleasantville.

That's funny, I just watched Pleasantville yesterday. You almost do expect everything to change to black and white when you drive in there.



Honey, I'm home!...Honey?

I gotta get out there and check this place out soon. I'm a city-boy, but I have to admit, I'm intrigued.

Framer, I wish you would take a ride out there. I tend to agree with you on most things and would like your opinion. To give them the benefit of the doubt, wait a few weeks so the trees and flower boxes will be in bloom.

Roger that, Expat!

Interesting discussion.



As a future New Town resident, I thought I'd chime in.



I decided to buy at New Town 1) so I wouldn't have to commute, 2) because I love urbanism, and 3) so I wouldn't have to commute. If I could pick anywhere in the region to live, it would be St. Louis city. Probably in a loft or in a cool old house. But doing so would require a killer commute out to my job in St. Charles County so I scraped that. New Town is much closer to work and has that right urban form which helps make city life so great (only one trait of many needed, I know). I've been very impressed with the work so far. Give it a few years and I think that _fake_ feel will really start to fade. Look at Seaside. If you've been there recently, you'll notice that it feels like a historic city. Yet at one time it was the stage for the Truman Show. It's hard to find any new construction that doesn't feel a little odd. But buildings age and mature. There is no vinyl at New Town so all the paint will wear with time. I think that's a good thing.



Concerning a bus link or metro link with New Town:

There's been some gossip about putting a streetcar in between old town and new town. I was at the North 94 revitalization meeting at the city today and it seems that most people there are for it. If that were to happen, it would create an AWESOME link between New Town, Old Town, and a future Metro link station. Hell, it may even tempt "the powers that be" into actually making the station happen. Imagine north 94 and the Frenchtown district being redeveloped as a TOD. That would be one hot spot.



Surely they will have a bus stop at New Town. I will be lobbying for it if they don't. But the ideal solution (of course) is a street car.

Does anyone else think that Whittaker's website for New Town is pretty crappy? The news is the only thing that they ever seem to update. Not very informative if you ask me.

tjacorn wrote: Give it a few years and I think that _fake_ feel will really start to fade. Look at Seaside. If you've been there recently, you'll notice that it feels like a historic city. Yet at one time it was the stage for the Truman Show. It's hard to find any new construction that doesn't feel a little odd. But buildings age and mature. There is no vinyl at New Town so all the paint will wear with time. I think that's a good thing.

I was making fun of the place in an earlier post, but in some ways I'm jealous. I live close to Kirkwood, but not quite close enough to walk to the custard station, or the farmers market, or Mike Duffy's like many of the Kirkwood residents do. I have to drive. In fact, there are no shops within walking distance of our subdivision in near West County. But there is some undeveloped land nearby, and I've suggested to my councilman that they allow it to have some small controlled commercial shops, like ice cream, or a bread company, or something. But I don't think they get it, and are too worried that it might get out of control and lower property values. I don't think they see the flip side -- possible higher property values. Come back later and post about your experience after you move in.

mcarril wrote:Does anyone else think that Whittaker's website for New Town is pretty crappy? The news is the only thing that they ever seem to update. Not very informative if you ask me.

New Town now has their own little paper journal. It had a more information in it than what is on the website. It is free at the sales office, I am guessing that maybe they put it into everybody's mailbox out there, or it is at the Prancing Pony. I would hope that some of the information that is in it would end up on the website, like the status of construction. For instance, they are estimating that the first live-work units will be operational by mid-to-late summer (the dry cleaners is one of those I think). And the New Town pool (behind the general store) should be open by late summer.

I was just wondering what rules St. Charles waived to allow New Town. I thought I read where Whitaker had to negotiate with St. Charles to get around some things normally required of a regular subdivision.



For instance, the roads are rather wide in my subdivision. I heard it was so a firetruck could get through -- possibly tied to culdesacs. Since there are no culdesacs in New Town, maybe that allowed all roads to be narrow and still accomodate a firetruck.

Gary Kreie wrote:I was just wondering what rules St. Charles waived to allow New Town. I thought I read where Whitaker had to negotiate with St. Charles to get around some things normally required of a regular subdivision.



For instance, the roads are rather wide in my subdivision. I heard it was so a firetruck could get through -- possibly tied to culdesacs. Since there are no culdesacs in New Town, maybe that allowed all roads to be narrow and still accomodate a firetruck.

I know that he had to prove to the Fire Dept that they could get their fire trucks down the street and into the alleys. I'm not sure what kind of test they ran, but I'm guessing they had to simulate the width of the roads and alleys. I remember at the time (2004) that the Fire Dept expressed concern prior to the test and after the test they had said they would like being able to get on 2 sides of the house. All I can say for certain, is that the alleys are probably only just wide enough to accomodate a fire truck, and not much wider.

I have to say for a new devlopment in a floodplain in rural missouri, I'm impressed. I do wish to see entire abandoned blocks in the city be filled up with housing like that in New Town. I think time will help this development as well, more trees, etc. The pond area with fountains looked bizarre with those two concrete walls, which looked unfinished. Other than that pretty good experience. There's a lot more to come too. No offense but the types living in New Town are NOT the types that would consider the city, from the people I saw out there. Not to stereotype or anything, just my observations..

Someone mentioned that "it's in the floodplain." That's absolutely not true. Satellite pictures show that even the big flood didn't make it to NewTown's area. Also, my sister-in-law lived in the flood-plain and in St. Charles. We asked her before even buying here & she said that it didn't reach there.

The satellite pictures seem to show it reached the airport, but she said that that was just muddy ground and that it wasn't even that far.

Darrin,



Technically, it IS a floodplain. The flood a decade ago might not have reached it, but that land had formed that way over eons of that river flooding that area. That's why it is so flat with such great soil.

digitalcaffeine wrote:I know that he had to prove to the Fire Dept that they could get their fire trucks down the street and into the alleys. I'm not sure what kind of test they ran, but I'm guessing they had to simulate the width of the roads and alleys. I remember at the time (2004) that the Fire Dept expressed concern prior to the test and after the test they had said they would like being able to get on 2 sides of the house. All I can say for certain, is that the alleys are probably only just wide enough to accomodate a fire truck, and not much wider.

Chiming in here as well!

As current (apartment) residents of New Town, my husband and I have seen several fire trucks come in, lights and sirens on. One stopped at one of the smaller 'senior' homes, and it did fit in the alley, although a little snug.



The New Town Courier can be picked up at the Prancing Pony, or you can download it in PDF format on their web site:

http://www.newtownatstcharles.com/courier_Mar06.pdf



My husband and I are developing a web site for New Town residents to discuss interests and share pictures, etc: www.NewTownAtStCharles.net (notice dot-NET)... it is still in development and only has my personal gallery there, but it does have a few recent photos:

http://www.newtownatstcharles.net/index ... =1&sort=da

In the photos you'll see the market, the new mailroom, the church, etc.



Any (future) New Town resident is free to register on the site and upload your own photos if you care to.



About the floodplain - when purchasing our home (which is still in development, as you can see from the pictures), we were told that we didn't need flood insurance. I know that doesn't mean anything. We did meet a farmer who lives about 1 mile away, and who said that during the 93 flood, the water did not reach the land slated for New Town. Again, that doesn't mean anything, but at least give some sort of relief.

New Town is built on a 500 year floodplain, will it flood who knows? See the picture below.







The blue hatches is the extent of the flooding in 1993. It looks like part of New Town may have been under water, but by no means does it mean the area was under a lot of water. I'm sure the developers knew the possible problems ahead of time which is why they built the canals and retaining ponds.

My husband picked up a copy of St. Louis Magazine, because it had a lengthy article about New Town. In a sidebar it had some info on the floodplain thing:

St. Louis Magazine wrote:Questions have arisen about this development's location on a floodplain. "We've been looking at that from day one," says New Town architect Tim Busse. "Competitors are saying it was flooded, but it was dry in 1993, and that carries a lot of sway."



Oliver Gosejohan, the flood administrator for St. Charles who grants permits for such developments on the basis of Federal Emergency Management Association rules, could not verify that the entire New Town site was bone dry in 1993. He does say, however, that the houses being built now are not located on the 100-year floodplain.



"They are borrowing dirt, digging out canals and using that to raise the level of the buildings," Gosejohan says, "There was water in that general area in 1993 and in the parts they plan to build in other phases, but where they are building right now is 3 feet above the 100-year floodplain."



The "100-year flood" concept was created by FEMA, and it's based on a percentage of the odds. "It sounds like we're going to Las Vegas," says Gosejohan, "but the government goes back into history, looks at the largest rainfall and the surface-runoff area and bases offs on that."



Those living in a 100-year flood zone would be foolish to think that, just because it happened 12 years ago, they are safe for another 80 years, he adds: "It might hapen twice in one year; it might not happen fore more than a thousand."



At New Town, even that challenge was turned into the proverbial lemonade. "We were required to have 95 acres of lake and waterways for storm water detention," Busse says, "and DPZ suggested that we spread the water across the site and make it a focal point, creating a place connected by these wonderful waterways."

For those that don't know, DPZ are the town planners who (helped?) designed New Town, and they also did Seaside, FL, among many others, including a small development in the Gates District by Eads.

Doug wrote:New Town is horrible.



I visited there last night and there is absolutely no nightlife, in fact, I was harassed by the police, because a group of us were meeting a friend at his apartment, and he was late.



Upon entering this place, you are surrounded by cornfields, and "office" buildings, then like Star Trek 1, and alien entity englufs you, as you are emerged in completely prefabricated existence, with no character. This community can best be described as Pleasantville, where no one leaves and everything is black and white.



Sure they have sidewalks, but no one uses them past 10:00. Not my cup of tea. The police seemed to be enforcing this policy as well, possibly a defacto curfew.

Well, it's hard to have a nightlife when the only alcohol-serving restaurant closes at 8 or 9pm. New Town is still in its early stages, with few business. The article I mentioned above also stated that we will have a mexican restaurant, an italian restaurant, and a microbrewery. The Market just opened, and we do have a lot of things ligned up for the summer months.



We've seen lots of people up and about past 10pm, when we've gone walking, or have been driving home. Several groups of young kids walking their dogs, other singles or couples strolling, etc.



We have one sheriff that lives in New Town, and patrols the area at night. If you feel like you need to stay indoor because of a patrolling officer, then by all means, stay indoors. We did have a plasma TV stolen from one of the display homes... the officer is, most likely, doing what he's told and checking out any late-night group activities.



Anyway, I'm sorry that New Town isn't your cup of tea. Perahsp come back at the end of the summer, once landscaping has finished, and construction has started in some of the cornfields.



Why on earth are people going off on 'prefabricated' stuff.... how do you think other areas of the city were built? Don't expect immediate ambiance and old-town feel... this is NEW Town, and will feel New until it has blended in with the rest of the city.

DanaReale wrote:We did have a plasma TV stolen from one of the display homes...

GASP!! Crime in New Town!! And without Metrolink...Well, I guess it's time to scrap this project and move out further west.....

Once a few more restaurants open and more residents move in, I would expect it to have a better atmosphere. Let's remember what it is supposed to be...a pleasant residential community where people can walk or bike instead of driving. If you're going there expecting the place to be hopping at 10 or 11pm you're going to be out of luck, not to mention many places in the city don't live up to this standard of "night life".



From what I've read of Doug's posts he's especially hard on anything in St. Charles because he grew up there and didn't like it. I have a similar issue with Oakville where I grew up. So just take that post with a grain of salt, and I hope people do the same with me if I ever go off on Oakville.