urbanSTL

Them other brothers can't deny...

I drove by Saturday and there are signs for a future pizza place in the end of the strip mall by the Starbucks.

This center is finally booming! Im really excited about this new opening! If occupancy continues at this incredible rate the center will be full in 15-16 years! Hoorrraaayyy!!!! However I suppose this news is much better than nothing.

I swung by Crown Optical in this development today. Unfortunately I went by at 3:30pm and they close at 2pm on Monday's. I'll give leeway to a family owned business that has erratic hours, but a chain as large as this should be consistent. You should be able to count on them being open during business hours during the week.

ntbpo wrote:This center is finally booming! Im really excited about this new opening! If occupancy continues at this incredible rate the center will be full in 15-16 years! Hoorrraaayyy!!!! However I suppose this news is much better than nothing.

The funny thing is they still haven't taken down the Fashion Guys sign although they've been closed for a long time I guess even the developers know the strip mall is a colossal failure.

If pizza wasn't exciting enough, Army recruiting is going to move in and also Fantastic Sam's is supposed to be moving from across the street. I wont even get into what people are hoping for these days there. I hate driving by there every day.

scb wrote:If pizza wasn't exciting enough, Army recruiting is going to move in and also Fantastic Sam's is supposed to be moving from across the street. I wont even get into what people are hoping for these days there. I hate driving by there every day.

So that means that the strip center next to the Shop N Save will be almost completely empty, right? Oh yeah, we'll still have Subway and the rent-to-own joint.

DeBaliviere wrote:

scb wrote:If pizza wasn't exciting enough, Army recruiting is going to move in and also Fantastic Sam's is supposed to be moving from across the street. I wont even get into what people are hoping for these days there. I hate driving by there every day.

So that means that the strip center next to the Shop N Save will be almost completely empty, right? Oh yeah, we'll still have Subway and the rent-to-own joint.

Don't forget St. Louis Chop Suey! Ate there on Sunday night, pretty good stuff. But you are right, that strip center is pretty dismal.

ntbpo wrote:This center is finally booming! Im really excited about this new opening! If occupancy continues at this incredible rate the center will be full in 15-16 years!

Sad but true! I'm no more pleased with the design of Loughborough Commons, but at least Desco hasn't had trouble attracting tenants.



I'm guessing it'll take at least 15 years or more to find a better and higher use for the nearly vacant strip center across the street, and something tells me it'll then be replaced by another strip center.



Anyone remember those nifty renderings the Southtown Coalition put out there a few years ago for the former Southtown Famous-Barr site? What I wouldn't give for something like that instead of the shameful joke that's there now.

^

Amen.



At this point, focus needs to be placed on redeveloping the shopping center next to the Shop N Save and Christy Plaza - the former is dead and the latter suffers from a very poor design. Talk about missed opportunities - if redeveloped properly, these two parcels could give the south side the retail stores that it currently lacks.

I would love to get my hands on the Shop N Save side. I think about a redevelopment for the strip center all the time. Right now would be perfect for it with the emptying out of stores.

I don't think redeveloping the site will necessarily help. It's not the greatest thing in the world, but I think the problem is something else. Obviously if all the business are closing, that means that the people are not utilizing the businesses. So why would more businesses open?

I don't think rebuilding the plaza would do anything, especially considering how many other places are in desperate need of redevelopment. As I stated before, I think a little city encouragement would help. Maybe more "no retail tax" days? Part of the problem, I believe, is just the fact that there is not that much need for "small-front" stores in that particular area.

I wasn't necessarily speaking of an all retail development.

A different National Guard group has moved in the the building and renovated it.

The Post Office on Ridgeway stinks badly. Couldn't they work a new facility into one of these under-used strip centers?

According to the Southside Journal Joe Bush's Pizza and Pub is opening soon as well as the Army Corps of Engineers. I tell ya I love doing my holiday shopping at the Army Corps of Engineer store. Some of their permits are to die for. I personally recommend the 404.



Link To Article

Well, the pizza place at least sounds like a nice addition to the area.

Nice article, I share the associations frustration with the % of vacancies in the center. However, I am glad to see that two more storefronts have been leased with the pizza place and the corps of engineers. With these two additions and the loss of fashion guys I think the center is + 1 over the last 3 years. Overall in my opinion this center is a failure. Help refresh my memory, when did the center open? 2003?

brickandmortar wrote:I tell ya I love doing my holiday shopping at the Army Corps of Engineer store. Some of their permits are to die for. I personally recommend the 404.

Thanks for the tip! I think I'm almost as excited as you are!



The pizza place will be a nice addition, but the Army COE announcement proves what a failure this development is. Meanwhile, the mostly vacant strip center across the street looks like more of a dump as time goes on.



It'll be hard to turn this lemon of a shopping center into lemonade, but I agree with Framer about the post office being a good fit for Southtown. The one on Ridgewood Avenue absolutely sucks. The lobby is about the size of my kitchen, and the average driveway in O'Fallon has more room for cars than the parking lot at this post office branch. But hey, there's plenty of room in Southtown! Also, it's not uncommon for suburban post offices to locate in strip centers (Shrewsbury and Oakville both have them in centers anchored by Dierbergs), so this would be a good move.

I know everyone has been eagerly awaiting updates on this awesome project. I saw on the Sansone website that Little Caesar's Pizza is going in. Nasty!Nasty!



Also, I noticed the Joe Bush Pizzeria hadn't opened as of last week.

what a horrible design for such an urban context.



i moved to st. louis city to escape strip malls.