I figured a focused thread just on 'Area A' would be nice. This is a pretty exciting place for a job center since it is mostly infill on badly planned MoDOT land. It completes the Gateway Mall and sets up a northward corridor. It should be a major boon to Union Station too.
Any ideas about that landmark tower?
Personally, I'd like to see Harris-Stowe be a partner in this. I think a few residence halls there, a performing arts program tied to Kiel, and maybe a new downtown student union would be really cool.
I always thought that extending Clark Street through and under the Union Shed along with relocating the Metrolink Station under the Union Station tunnel would be cool as well as provide a secondary access to the whole Scottrade/Busch/BPV area.
On a second note, someone did a nice rendering of a MLS soccer stadium incorporated into Phase A (too lazy to go find out it right now - want to claim to busy working, but everybody knows what I'm up to at the moment). However, I would much rather see a RAMS/MLS open air stadium on the North Riverfront. Density and more office/mixed use development around Union Station would be a bigger plus as well as more sustainable for the Union
The success of this project will tell of the future successes of the rest of NorthSide Redevelopment. If it proves to be economically viable and profitable, then it will lend credence to the entirety of the North City redevelopment area being built as per the plans.
And I’m ready as anything to see a very tall building west of Tucker. Sure, the Central Business District should house the preponderance of our tallest buildings, but I don’t want people to be self-limiting in how they see the skyline. Namely: that our building is visible right behind the Arch in pictures, and that those tall buildings not directly visible are forgettable. Even as tall as its buildings are, we don’t consider AG Edwards’ / Wachovia’s / Wells Fargo’s HQ buildings to be part of Downtown because they’re west enough that they’re not visible on the standard Arch-based postcard photo. With construction of a series of new office buildings at this location, including at least one credibly tall tower, it could go far to change perceptions of what Downtown can be.
Further, this area’s redevelopment will mean the complete reorganization of the 22nd Street interchange into a grid, with new entrances & exits to 64/40, new infrastructure into the area, and the elimination of all that stupidly wasted & undervalued space. We will definitely see increased density through the elimination of the most useless green space in all of Saint Louis.
Meanwhile, I’m not sure if Harris Stowe is looking to set up any operations or facilities in this area. Personally, I’m more in favor of their consolidating their current and future development in the Midtown area, sharing facilities with Saint Louis U and building up the open spaces next to their campus already. Increased cooperation between these neighbors builds upon both of their strengths symbiotically and furthers the causes of higher education in the City.
As for Union Station, any new nearby construction would only be good news. Only if you started spraying the insides of Union Station with pepper spray at lunch times would you find it emptier. I’m still a fan of any MLS stadium going up along Union Station, most ambitiously if it could be done under the shed. But think about it: if you have a soccer stadium next to Union Station, then Union Station could be at least partially rededicated to a soccer-centric entertainment area, like a smaller BPV.
If they put a Metrolink stop in along the southern post, it will eliminate that giant nothingness between the Grand and Union Station stops.
Have to agree on the current metrolink union station stop, relocating that station to the west, no matter the distance, would be a big plus. The only gripe I can see would be from Ameren UE folks, but even then its only an extra block to the East.
Dredger wrote:Have to agree on the current metrolink union station stop, relocating that station to the west, no matter the distance, would be a big plus. The only gripe I can see would be from Ameren UE folks, but even then its only an extra block to the East.
Given the turns that MetroLink currently makes just to get close to Union Station, I don't think it's possible to move it another block north.
Alex Ihnen wrote:Given the turns that MetroLink currently makes just to get close to Union Station, I don't think it's possible to move it another block north.
How about two blocks south? Turning to get into Union Station was an expensive decision and a bit of a waste of space. Rerouting it would allow Clark Ave to be rebuilt. Let Clark Avenue run right through Union Station from Ballpark Village to NorthSide Area A.
Dredger wrote:Have to agree on the current metrolink union station stop, relocating that station to the west, no matter the distance, would be a big plus.
Build the union station stop under the 18th street bridge and the civic center stop under the 14th street bridge. Or just consolidate them at the Amtrak station and build another under Jefferson or 22nd Street if it'll go that far south. It would have made more sense to do so initially, but somebody assumed people couldn't walk two blocks. It'd look like this,
No need to tear anything down in Union Station, just put a street right through it and put a building next to it under the canopy. It could be a museum, another hotel, an office building, or whatever. It'd be under the canopy, so it'd still be technically part of Union Station. Make it poke out the south end with a nice facade and new front entrance. The short bit of Spruce Street there between such an addition and the Amtrak Station could be filled in with a short walkable street that could also extend to the ballpark.
Take the train from KC or Chicago to St. Louis. Step out of the Amtrak Station onto Spruce Street. In one direction is Ballpark Village and the Arch. In the other direction is an exciting street, Union station, and NorthSide Area A.
That would be nice but the Amtrak station really gets in the way. Google's satellite pics are really getting out of date. My wish would be that Metrolink tracks ran west from US with stops near Jefferson and Clark and Forest Park Ave and Grand then rejoin the current alignment near Vandiventer with a stop at Sarah. Of course rebuilding the Grand station where it is enforces the commitment to the current route plus even in my route you'd have to leave tracks to the maintainable yard operational. Too bad this development area won't have a station closer to it.
