urbanSTL

I just put a post on the New Old North Blog with pics from the start of construction today.



Today has been the busiest day ever for the blog. People are taking notice of the great things happening in Old North.

This is so exciting - it really makes me feel good about the future of the city. I wish that every neighborhood had the equivalent of an ONSL Restoration Group. Maybe we can clone Sean Thomas and send him to work on Hyde Park.

This is SWEET! There are surely many challenges to come, but the biggest one is out of the way - good work getting things rolling!

^Same dreaming we do here in the office. There are some barriers in the way, but it really would be great if we can get to that point some day.



I love that view as well. I can't wait until the trees on the mall are cut down and the view is completely opened up.

That is a cool shot. The Arch is always more striking from a distance, I think.

MattnSTL wrote:Just posted another update to the New Old North Blog. Includes some pics from inside some of the buildings. I took the pics over the last two days. Things are really moving along.

Thanks so much for the updates. Those of us who don't make it up to ONSL on a regular basis appreciate it! I look forward to seeing more in the future.

The north view of the skyline is one of my favorite. For some reason, to me, everything just looks more massive. Maybe because, I'm not use to it, I don't know. But its a battle for number one between the north view and the view from GCS Ballpark(why doesn't the stadium face the skyline?).

I can only guess that it is because every game would then have all of the fans squinting into the sun to see the field. It has been the only explanation I've been able to come up with.

That makes sense.

My favorite view of the skyline is from the north as well. The St. Louis skyline is built east to west, therefore the north and south views are best to see the mass that is there, all the way out to Clayton. I find the north side to have more unobstructed views since it looks down on the skyline. And to tie this back in, 14th Street has a great view right down on the Arch.

Thanks so much for the updates. Being out of town, I can't make my regular excursions to these parts of the city to check the progress. The video was especially nice and upbeat given recent happenings in St. Louis.

^When you are back in St. Louis sometime we should meet up at Crown Candy. The change from the last time we were up there to work on that website for tech apps is incredible.



Like I said in the post, I'll be posting video of the construction as well, whenever I can get it edited. Construction work is now readily visible to Crown Candy patrons as well. Many people from out in suburbia are going to start to realize what is going on.

I'd like that, but unfortunately won't be back for an extended period until December. Yikes! That's scary to say. I miss St. Louis so much already. But, I digress.



The most exciting part about leaving St. Louis will be returning to see the progress. Old North will probably win the most improved award, I'm sure.

Funny you say that. One project already has. Landmarks "Most Enhanced" Celebration for North Market Apts.



I'll get to your PM in a bit.

who is the RHCDA? What do they do? Is this a "low income"/mixed income housing group? I don't want another Laclede Town in this area. I want this area to actually succeed.

RHCDA = Regional housing and Community Development Alliance. www.rhcda.com. They put together the incredibly complex financing package. They are becoming almost a one stop shop to be able to do developments like this with financing gurus, project managers, and even their own historic preservation specialist.



Rosemann did the architecture and planning work. E.M. Harris is doing the construction. ONSLRG did much of the private land assembly, and also organized the community involvement.



RHCDA has been involved in many projects around the St. Louis area, involving affordable and market rate housing. Crown Village will be a mix. I'm drawing a blank on how many units will be affordable, but it is a healthy mix. The affordable housing is being built because the project qualified for tax credits, and tax credits are needed to cover the huge gaps in financing. The tax credits generally have a five year requirement for affordable housing, so there will likely be condo conversions in the future.



This won't be another Laclede Town for many reasons.

There is one specific spot on the 1200 block of North Market where the spacing was really messed up. Could have very easily fit another house. The rest have been OK. The vertical orientation is great, but like you said, something seems just a little off about the proportions. The setback is actually just about right. I'd like to see some new plans drawn up to add to the 3 existing options. Of course, even though I work at Old north, I still don't get to make those decisions.

Also:

I'll be taking some more film today to make more real videos.