New Walgreen's set to open in North City

arch city · PostFeb 18, 2005#12005-02-18T23:27+00:00

Walgreens?!?! What's the big deal you ask?

After years of prodding the firm to open another location in north city, they've finally done it. Alderwoman/Mayoral Candidate Irene Smith helped broker the deal. The Penrose neighborhood abuts the Walgreens.

The store will open next Friday bringing needed jobs to the city and North City in particular.

BTW, this is the intersection where Nelly has filmed a couple of music videos. His latest filming was for the song, "Na-nana-na".

MattnSTL · PostFeb 19, 2005#22005-02-19T00:09+00:00

Good deal. My only grip is that they put such a large parking lot in front of it. At Kingshighway and Chippewa, and Hampton and Chippewa, the other brand new locations in the city, only a small parking lot wraps around the front, with more parking behind. Grand and Gravois doesn't have a very large parking lot in front either.

arch city · PostFeb 23, 2005#32005-02-23T03:47+00:00

Yeah, you are right. I don't know why they pushed it back so far. The one on Page Avenue and Union Blvd. is closer to the street (Page Ave.), but has lots of parking in front too.

bencharif · PostFeb 24, 2005#42005-02-24T02:19+00:00

Question: Does Natural Bridge Avenue get less suburban as you head southeast ? Where is its most urban span? At which cross street, would you say, does the urban/suburban divide begin?

Many thanks for your thoughts.

brickandmortar · PostFeb 24, 2005#52005-02-24T03:30+00:00

bencharif wrote:Question: Does Natural Bridge Avenue get less suburban as you head southeast ? Where is its most urban span? At which cross street, would you say, does the urban/suburban divide begin?

Many thanks for your thoughts.

I've driven the whole length of it a few times and judging urban as 'dense' The suburban/urban divide is at Florissant Rd(not Florissant Ave) The most urban area is from just east of Grand to just west of Fairgrounds park and in Pine Lawn. The western stretch in the City is industrial.

smsplanstu · PostFeb 24, 2005#62005-02-24T20:29+00:00

Why add more parking near the road at the Kingshighway and Nat. Bridge location? Well, I used to keep a tab on crimes that occured on the northside and the most frequented spots were along Natural Bridge especially at Union. Thus, more parking upfront might be a buffer to storeowners from an easy hit and run. I'm surprised they didn't erect a decorative fence or entrance like they did here in Springfield, MO. My guess is crime or fear, but that's just a guess.

arch city · PostMar 18, 2005#72005-03-18T20:53+00:00

SMSPlanstu wrote:Why add more parking near the road at the Kingshighway and Nat. Bridge location? Well, I used to keep a tab on crimes that occured on the northside and the most frequented spots were along Natural Bridge especially at Union. Thus, more parking upfront might be a buffer to storeowners from an easy hit and run. My guess is crime or fear, but that's just a guess.

This store is on Natural Bridge and N. Kingshighway - not Union.

I don't necessarily see the correlation which you speak. Banks that have had hardest accesses have been hit. I doubt the location was designed to prevent an "easy hit and run". Either way, the best fortified institution can be hit up with clandestine planning. Criminals of all types have proven this over and over.

The design probably has more to do with lack of community input or apathy or both.

PostApr 25, 2005#82005-04-25T23:57+00:00

Took a couple of shots of the store from the ground level.

smsplanstu · PostApr 26, 2005#92005-04-26T02:19+00:00

Looks like a typical new Walgreens store. This design is better than past ones, but still suburban in nature.