It’s not mischievous but SLDC has been involved for a long time as directed by the mayor. This just formalizes that involvement. Mayor and GSL have a very good and open relationship.
The City will make an offer on the RE, and then seek eminent domain if they can't reach a deal.
https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/new ... 2024-07-23
https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/new ... 2024-07-23
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Older buildings like this are easier residential conversions, that plus the potenial for massive interior courtyard and is adjacent to a large parking structure that until recently had a skywalk. Would think residential would be the obvious choice for someone willing to take a big swing.
STL PR - St. Louis wants to take control of downtown's dilapidated Railway Exchange Building
https://www.stlpr.org/economy-business/ ... ent-domain
https://www.stlpr.org/economy-business/ ... ent-domain
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The July 2024 St. Louis NPR article states that St. Louis Development Corporation is securing the Railway Exchange Building. I have recently seen security vehicles around the building. An occupied security vehicle was parked on one side. A different security vehicle also drives around this area.
If this full city block is patrolled 24/7 it can only help tamp down the juvenile behavioral issues in the core of DT. Hoping the security personnel are in direct communication with SLPD.resurrectus wrote: ↑Jul 30, 2024The July 2024 St. Louis NPR article states that St. Louis Development Corporation is securing the Railway Exchange Building. I have recently seen security vehicles around the building. An occupied security vehicle was parked on one side. A different security vehicle also drives around this area.
IMG_3085.jpegIMG_3086.jpeg
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Just stayed at the Embassy Suites the next block over this past weekend. The amount of peel-outs and drag racing occurring on Washington both Friday and Saturday evenings was extremely annoying. Something as simple as speed bumps (or a less ugly equivalent) would take care of a lot of these issues.STLinCHI wrote: ↑Jul 30, 2024If this full city block is patrolled 24/7 it can only help tamp down the juvenile behavioral issues in the core of DT. Hoping the security personnel are in direct communication with SLPD.resurrectus wrote: ↑Jul 30, 2024The July 2024 St. Louis NPR article states that St. Louis Development Corporation is securing the Railway Exchange Building. I have recently seen security vehicles around the building. An occupied security vehicle was parked on one side. A different security vehicle also drives around this area.
IMG_3085.jpegIMG_3086.jpeg
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not sure if most of those are repeaters but CCTV or red light cameras to build a data base of offenders would also make a lot of sense for wash ave.Bart Harley Jarvis wrote: ↑Jul 31, 2024Just stayed at the Embassy Suites the next block over this past weekend. The amount of peel-outs and drag racing occurring on Washington both Friday and Saturday evenings was extremely annoying. Something as simple as speed bumps (or a less ugly equivalent) would take care of a lot of these issues.STLinCHI wrote: ↑Jul 30, 2024If this full city block is patrolled 24/7 it can only help tamp down the juvenile behavioral issues in the core of DT. Hoping the security personnel are in direct communication with SLPD.resurrectus wrote: ↑Jul 30, 2024The July 2024 St. Louis NPR article states that St. Louis Development Corporation is securing the Railway Exchange Building. I have recently seen security vehicles around the building. An occupied security vehicle was parked on one side. A different security vehicle also drives around this area.
IMG_3085.jpegIMG_3086.jpeg
If you went the speed bump rout they could be the temporary type that curb the behavior. if you break the culture then maybe you can take them out in a few years.
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Building a database of offenders only works if there's follow-up. Traffic impediments would (pun both unintended and intended) curb the behavior before it occurs.STLEnginerd wrote: ↑Jul 31, 2024not sure if most of those are repeaters but CCTV or red light cameras to build a data base of offenders would also make a lot of sense for wash ave.Bart Harley Jarvis wrote: ↑Jul 31, 2024Just stayed at the Embassy Suites the next block over this past weekend. The amount of peel-outs and drag racing occurring on Washington both Friday and Saturday evenings was extremely annoying. Something as simple as speed bumps (or a less ugly equivalent) would take care of a lot of these issues.STLinCHI wrote: ↑Jul 30, 2024If this full city block is patrolled 24/7 it can only help tamp down the juvenile behavioral issues in the core of DT. Hoping the security personnel are in direct communication with SLPD.
If you went the speed bump rout they could be the temporary type that curb the behavior. if you break the culture then maybe you can take them out in a few years.
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fair but my assumption is its just a handful of ne'er-do-wells that if you catch and hold accountable it solves the problem.Bart Harley Jarvis wrote: ↑Jul 31, 2024Building a database of offenders only works if there's follow-up. Traffic impediments would (pun both unintended and intended) curb the behavior before it occurs.STLEnginerd wrote: ↑Jul 31, 2024not sure if most of those are repeaters but CCTV or red light cameras to build a data base of offenders would also make a lot of sense for wash ave.Bart Harley Jarvis wrote: ↑Jul 31, 2024Just stayed at the Embassy Suites the next block over this past weekend. The amount of peel-outs and drag racing occurring on Washington both Friday and Saturday evenings was extremely annoying. Something as simple as speed bumps (or a less ugly equivalent) would take care of a lot of these issues.
If you went the speed bump rout they could be the temporary type that curb the behavior. if you break the culture then maybe you can take them out in a few years.
not against physical impediments if temporary. They make plastic ones that bolt down
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I like the idea of permanent engineering solutions. There's really no need for anything downtown to carry traffic at speeds any higher than maybe 25mph max. Set them up to make driving any faster remarkably unpleasant or even downright dangerous for the driver.
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The City wanting to take this over is an interesting move. I wouldn’t be surprised if this speeds up the process of getting a developer to redevelop the building. My concern is that if no interested developer comes forward with a viable plan, it’ll just sit and rot away to the point where it becomes St. Louis’s version of Hudson’s. I’m sure the City has a list of developers that they can call up and see if they’re interested in this property once they buy it. It also wouldn’t surprise me if the current owner is making it hard for others to buy it.
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It's a total gut job, but it was probably always going to be that. As far as I'm aware the building is still structurally sound. Shouldn't be much harder than it would have been like 10 years ago now that it's out of legal limbo
Steve Stogel is out.
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/bus ... 1e292.html
https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/bus ... 1e292.html
ST. LOUIS — Developer Steve Stogel has relinquished his option to buy the vacant Railway Exchange building downtown...
...Stogel said last week that he didn’t have a deal. And his negotiation rights with the building owner’s main creditor have expired.
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Shame, hope the eminent domain works out. Feels like a 50/50 shot whether or not this building burns down this winter
Seems like he could still pursue the building if the city goes through with eminent domain. I read it more as he was unable to reach a deal to buy it right now, but it may be a different situation if the city owned it. Could be wrong though.
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Nobody wants Stogel anywhere near this thing, this is a positive step
^ Yeah. I think this is another spin by local media. The headline made it seem like a setback, story made it seem like a barrier removed. Two completely different stories.
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I raised my eyebrow when he popped up as involved. He hasnt done much since he built the Culinaria garage.
Probably would've held it hostage.
Probably would've held it hostage.
Stl PR - St. Louis sues to seize Railway Exchange Building through eminent domain
https://www.stlpr.org/news-briefs/2024- ... ent-domain
https://www.stlpr.org/news-briefs/2024- ... ent-domain
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Bob Clark’s Concrete Strategies is one of the contractors fighting the city’s eminent domain price of the RX. This adds some interesting context to Concrete Strategies’ (Clark’s) vocal exit from the City earlier this year. And given Bob’s known penchant for pettiness, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if this was a factor in his temper tantrum.
The City began publicly exploring eminent domain for RX in Oct 2023.
Not sure of best place to post this so put it in the Goodfelllow crossing thread as well.
The City began publicly exploring eminent domain for RX in Oct 2023.
Not sure of best place to post this so put it in the Goodfelllow crossing thread as well.
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The full Biz Journal article on the eminent domain proceedings is pretty interesting, especially I thought wrt to the decrepit garage....
https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/new ... aring.html
City submitted an appraisal of $5.3M for all the properties while other parties submitted appraisals at around $13M. City basically says the garage is worthless and will have to be demolished at considerable cost (Spritas said between $3.5-4.7M) while Concrete Strategies says the garage is worth about $4M after it did stabilization work. (Regardless if it has any value in court proceedings, imo the garage gotta go.)
Anyway, it appears likely that the City will take title to the properties very soon but the actual amount it will have to pay will take more time to play out if parties appeal the eminent domain commission's valuation. And it looks like City plans to demo the garage ASAP and issue an RFP for redevelopment. 2025 should be pretty interesting times for the RR/X.
https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/new ... aring.html
City submitted an appraisal of $5.3M for all the properties while other parties submitted appraisals at around $13M. City basically says the garage is worthless and will have to be demolished at considerable cost (Spritas said between $3.5-4.7M) while Concrete Strategies says the garage is worth about $4M after it did stabilization work. (Regardless if it has any value in court proceedings, imo the garage gotta go.)
Anyway, it appears likely that the City will take title to the properties very soon but the actual amount it will have to pay will take more time to play out if parties appeal the eminent domain commission's valuation. And it looks like City plans to demo the garage ASAP and issue an RFP for redevelopment. 2025 should be pretty interesting times for the RR/X.