urbanSTL

Grover wrote:

goat314 wrote:I think Blairmont is going to be a New Urbanist Community and will packaged as such.

To be honest, I think a New Urbanism community here would be 100% fantastic. North St. Louis is the setting that new urbanism was made for. NU has gotten a bad name and a lot of criticism from me and a whole load of others because like New Town St. Charles they are built miles from any established infrastructure and amenities. This would clearly not be the case for North St. Louis.

Agreed, Grover.

Grover wrote:

goat314 wrote:I think Blairmont is going to be a New Urbanist Community and will packaged as such.

To be honest, I think a New Urbanism community here would be 100% fantastic. North St. Louis is the setting that new urbanism was made for. NU has gotten a bad name and a lot of criticism from me and a whole load of others because like New Town St. Charles they are built miles from any established infrastructure and amenities. This would clearly not be the case for North St. Louis.

But then wouldn't it just be urbanism and not "new" urbanism?

Grover wrote:^ Of course "New Urbanism" has really been branded so it's an imperfect label. There's already an active discussion as to what to call a return to urbanism in our older urban centers. "New Old Urbanism"? Just co-opt "New Urbanism"? "Re-Urbanism"? "City Urbanism"?

Just as long as this new development has "Wine Bar" like New Town does, I'll be a happy camper.

^ Perhaps Marsala Market will open a franchise in North St. Louis.







By the way, is New Town where they shot "It's a Wonderful Life"?

more detail from KMOX: http://www.kmox.com/Paul-McKee----What- ... s-/4389692



no light rail mentioned?

Paul McKee has everything covered from the possiblity of a Chinese Air cargo hub supporting Northpark to a fully developed New Mississippi River Bridge crossing giving better access along I-70 without the holdup of Poplar Street Bridge. These two items are huge to the region if both will happen (MRB still needs funding for more lanes as well as a new and better I-70 on the Illinois side as envisioned in the original plan).



I'm wondering if McKee has got the deal of a century going or a development dud of more significance then John Stephens, Pyramid Properties, could have ever dreamed of. It was worth noting that China has a lot of cash on hand. They are probably tired of giving it to the US Treasury. Why not give it Paul.

goat314 wrote:more detail from KMOX: http://www.kmox.com/Paul-McKee----What- ... s-/4389692



no light rail mentioned?

Light rail is part of the plan, but the details were not revealed Monday. More to come.



By the way, there is no shame in calling urbanism "urbanism."

I remember that they showed a loop fixed-rail system that would run through the redevelopment area and connect with two metrolink stations downtown (Kiel and Union Station maybe?). The graphic they showed was a street-level train/trolley running down the middle of the street - possibly Parnell/Jefferson. I think that's all they said.

**Eminent domain an option to get land for business parks.

Scary. Even if this project works, I have a hard time overlooking McKee's destruction of historic homes across North STL the last few years, and it sounds like more destruction to come. Why couldn't he have incorporated these homes he destroyed into his residential plans?

Anyone that supports this plan should have their head examined.



Look at the destruction McKee caused. There is no excuse for that and this will never redress that permanent damage, nor reach the potential of what could have been if he rehabbed instead of brick rustled.

^ Exactly... We must not stand for this. Just say no to reinvestment in North St. Louis!

DeBaliviere wrote:Certain media outlets need to stop considering American Idol to be "news."

I'm a little sick of the media's Twitter infatuation as well. Yes, I can see the many ways in which it can be useful. But enough already!

innov8ion wrote:^ Exactly... We must not stand for this. Just say no to reinvestment in North St. Louis!

Well I don't think they are saying no to reinvestment, just no to the type of reinvestment that they personally don't like. Basically all of the people who are whining would like to be general managers and big time stakeholders in this process, but lack the financial and political means to do so.

While I to have a big bleeding humanitarian heart, I realize that you have to always separate emotions from feasibility. All of the urban planners/community organizers/businessmen/college students/educated people etc. that daily browse these forums because of our love for the built environment must realize that in the process of negotiation and collective decision-making, the little man (us, we) will never be able to get anything we want pointing the finger at the big guy (Paul McKee, corporations, govt) and throwing temper tantrums. While Paul McKee hasn't been necessarily been playing fair, it doesn't serve us well to get mad and start name calling because the ball is in his court and he has created a situation in which he can do whatever the hell he feels like.

The best we can do now is just go into this planning process with and open mind looking towards the future.

In my humbled opinion this process can end two ways:

A) We all keep getting mad, pointing the finger, cursing his name, insulting the man from a distance, while calling him a criminal from our laptops. Then we end up with a project that is something of McKee's sole manifestation and most likely disappointing outcome.

B) We can engage McKee like civil and concerned citizens. create and get involved in some type of public planning process. Be willing to compromise and have input. Come out with a project that has a lot of potential and truly transformative capabilities.

innov8ion wrote:^ Exactly... We must not stand for this. Just say no to reinvestment in North St. Louis!

And it's hard to criticize, seeing as how we don't really know what McKee is planning on doing.

DeBaliviere wrote:And it's hard to criticize, seeing as how we don't really know what McKee is planning on doing.

That's where I stand on this- I can't get too worked up one way or another. It's hard to get too excited, but it's also hard not to be excited.



I am encouraged to see someone willing to make such a large scale investment in north St. Louis, but I am concerned about the condition of the properties McKee owns as well as their fate relative to the overall Blairmont plan. Time will tell, but I'm reserving my judgment until more of the plan is revealed.

May 21st will be fair game for criticism all around.



I'm curious of the timing. Does he really think that Obama administration is going to make urban redevelopment a priority through big subsidies, block grants, etc? Does he have any new insights on possible China deals (he has has his hand in Northpark)? Does he think their will be a rebound in downtwon employment and thus a base of prospective buyers? Does he think the new Mississippi Bridge will change some dynamics (note that his properties include commercial development along I-70). This development still depends on a huge influx of people into the area who are willing buy a home or or at least stop & shop.



Finally, State Senate made a compromise on the jobs and development bill. Forwarded to the house where they either kill or approve it. However, I haven't seen any mention of the extra $10 million tax credits he was pursuing.

Dredger wrote:May 21st will be fair game for criticism all around.



I'm curious of the timing. Does he really think that Obama administration is going to make urban redevelopment a priority through big subsidies, block grants, etc? Does he have any new insights on possible China deals (he has has his hand in Northpark)? Does he think their will be a rebound in downtwon employment and thus a base of prospective buyers? Does he think the new Mississippi Bridge will change some dynamics (note that his properties include commercial development along I-70). This development still depends on a huge influx of people into the area who are willing buy a home or or at least stop & shop.



Finally, State Senate made a compromise on the jobs and development bill. Forwarded to the house where they either kill or approve it. However, I haven't seen any mention of the extra $10 million tax credits he was pursuing.

I've thought the same thing. I assume he does know stuff we don't know. I don't think he is dumb enough to make investments this big on poor speculation.