urbanSTL

TheWayoftheArch wrote:This must be the American heart assoc. building, eh? Great news!

Opus is considering a second high-rise for CWE

http://www.urbanstl.com/viewtopic.php?t=210

yep, i believe thats the spot and I believe opus closed the deal too

I may fool around with it in photoshop some day, but I am making no promises.

OK folks, the tower crane is up at the Park East Tower! Things should really start to move now. I noticed their sign now says "70% Sold". That's fantastic. Opus should feel pretty confident about moving forward at Lindell/Euclid.

Well I am not sure how to join in, except to say I am about to purchase one of the units in the building and I am very excited and nervous about the prospect of living there. Frankly, some of your posts scare me quite a bit. I am from New York and suppose I take highrises for granted. Things like killing other people's light is just par for the course (which is probably why I bought as high as I could, just in case someone tries to steal my light). That said I think it's pretty exciting for the CWE and St. Louis in general. Our real estate tax equivalents are going to be used to improve the neighborhood and anybody who can afford to live there is probably gainfully employed and will be spending plenty in the area. And as far as I can tell, there won't be a lot of tenants with children in the building so the area is going to get a lot of bang per sq/ft w/o having to give too much back in return. WHat's more I think St. Louis needs to embrace this kind of project to attract talent. I spent 8 years there before moving back to NY and it was always disturbing how many young people wanted to leave, for New York or Chicago or LA. Well it's just a thought. As for me I will be putting my money where my mouth is and investing in this glass tower, crossing my fingers and hoping for the best. Hopefully it will attract more young professionals to the area and help grow the city. I realize some people are going to be bothered but St. Louis needs a good kick in the ass because for everything it has to offer it's so poorly regarded outside of the Midwest. One final thought, the only thing that does trouble is what this building is going to look like in 20 years if things don't improve. If anybody knows Miami Beach (the 20 year predecessor to South Beach) you know what I'm talking about. Imagine the Chase at its very worst. Now imagine our glass behemoth without Windex.

^I envy you. Welcome to the forum. You need to host a pic taking party for us when the Park East opens.

^

Congrats and welcome!

Here are the latest pics I have. They were taken Tuesday, August 16.

I am jealous! I know you will enjoy it!

Thanks for the Park East pics - I am really looking forward to seeing this building take shape. That is a great Forest Park/CWE shot, too. I really loved living in that neighborhood.

Thanks for all the new pics.



I really like that Forest Park shot. I've never seen that angle before. And it looks like a real city, too! But I gotta nitpick - the photo's a bit dated. A whole bunch of buildings have been added to the hospital complex, the "Marshmellow Building" on West Pine was torn down years ago and replaced with a low-rise condo complex, and the Eagleton Courthouse now anchors the South end of Downtown. I know, I know, they can't update every postcard every year.



The Park East Tower will really make a big differance in that view. And don't forget to picture the SECOND Opus tower, over on Lindell.

Interesting tidbit, the Park East site was a brownfield...



Area developments clean up environmental hazards



Environmental clean-up efforts by a dry cleaner and a condominium development were approved by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, it said Friday.



The Park East Tower site in the Central West End cleaned up petroleum contaminants in the soil. The 1.5 acre site, at Euclid and Laclede Avenues, was formerly a service station, commercial office building, a retail site and paid parking facility. Opus Northwest LLC, the site's developer, had to remove and dispose of three underground tanks and 20 tons of petroleum-contaminated soil under the Brownfields/voluntary cleanup program. Opus Northwest is building a 26-story condominium tower.



The former American Cleaners site in St. Peters, now owned by Dierbergs Mid-River Realty, removed and disposed of soil contaminated with dry-cleaning fluids, and used sodium permanganate to break down chemicals found in shallow groundwater. The site is now a Barnes & Noble bookstore.



The department issued certificates of completion for both projects.

man, so Opus had to foot the bill for that? Doesn't the EPA have a program of some sort where they help clean brownfields, so as to make it less onerous for developers?

often federal or state groups such as the EPA or DNR help foot the bill for remediation through tax credits or other incentives. I would bet that's the case here.

SShoe wrote:Interesting tidbit, the Park East site was a brownfield...

MattSTL actually took some photos of the tanks being dug up and posted them <A HREF="http://www.urbanstl.com/viewtopic.php?p=3978">earlier in this thread</A>.

MattnSTL wrote:Here are some pics I took today at the site. Apparently there were some tanks buried in the corner of the site, becasue Superior Equipment was removing them. Kirkwood Excavation is the excavation contractor, and they had an excavator digging at the site. Looks like the ground is rocky underneath. Can't wait for this thing to get in full swing....

Xing, thanks for putting up that postcard. I have never seen a photo looking East from the park. And one day when they update it, maybe I'll use it to show people where I live. I will definitely have to have you guys over for cocktails to share the view, but my move-in date isn't expected until Jan 2007, and I may not have any money left over for furniture so I might ask somebody to bring some folding chairs. Every day I check out this website for news, thanks to everybody for posting. I certainly appreciate it. Any news on the second tower?

dashalove wrote:Any news on the second tower?

Yes, on 08/23 it was reported that they are moving forward with plans for a second tower at 26 stories and maybe two other projects. The second tower will be at the northeast corner of Euclid and Lindell Boulevard.



Read updates and discuss that development at:

http://www.urbanstl.com/viewtopic.php?t=210

New pics from 9-27. The tower is now up to 3 floors. Getting there.























Fun with mirrors.

I just love how close it is to the street. It's going to be imposing.

Imposing yes, just don't call it a "behemoth".