1,290
Veteran MemberVeteran Member
1,290

PostMay 11, 2023#251

TheWayoftheArch_V2.0 wrote:
May 10, 2023
Whoa, had no idea Artmart "closed".  Bought out and rebranding happening?  Is that the gist of it? 
Drive past it regularly. It still has the Artmart sign, with large signage saying "Now carrying Blick" or something to that effect on the side of the building visible when going north on Hanley. 

13K
Life MemberLife Member
13K

PostJul 24, 2023#252

Let's hope the new owners are more open to development on the parking lots to the north.

Stl BJ - Delmar Loop buildings sold; apartment rehabs planned

Stone said Max Sassouni, of Clock Tower Company, leads the group that bought him out of the corporate entities that own 6631 Delmar Blvd., whose commercial space is anchored by a Starbucks Coffee shop, and 608 Kingsland Ave., which formerly housed the Cicero's restaurant that closed in 2017 and dates to 1925.

Sassouni said demolition of residential floors, with 36 apartments, has started at 608 Kingsland, though he's still in planning stages and doesn't know how many units the building will have upon completion.

Sassouni added that "many operators have reached out to revive the old Cicero's space."

"Once the residential construction is underway, we'll start the process of finding a neighborhood staple bar-restaurant to fill those shoes," he said.

6631 Delmar, which county records say dates to 1971, will continue to have 67 apartments, though they're being renovated on a "rolling basis,"
https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/new ... -sold.html

PostAug 16, 2023#253

Aug 16 Plan Commission agenda - The new owners want to convert 608 Kingsland (Ex Cicero's) from 36 efficiency apts to 48. They're in sets of 4 with a common kitchen and living room. So pretty much an upper-class dorm configuration. They're also looking to reduce the parking mins for existing mixed-use buildings and exempt them from lot area per unit minimums. There's no off street parking on site. There's the big U City subsidized parking immediately to the north of course.

608 Kingsland Floorplan Rendering.jpg (168.01KiB)


In their comprehensive plan, glad to see contemplation of lowering parking mins and other zoning reforms.
4. Create attractive, cohesive, compact, and diverse residential areas throughout the city.
a. Encourage residential infill and redevelopment to restore and/or create more vibrant, walkable neighborhoods. Infill development can play an important role in increasing the variety housing options and price points in University City, reduce underutilized or vacant land, and provide opportunities for economic growth. This can be achieved in part by identifying elements of the zoning code that may make it challenging for certain types of lots to be redeveloped. For example, changes could be made to streamline the permit process, reduce parking requirements that can make housing more expensive, and adopt clear design and form-based standards to reduce the uncertainty builders often face.

5. Remove barriers that limit vibrant commercial and mixed-use districts and support neighborhood-scale commercial uses.
a. Revise car-oriented standards, such as parking minimums, to encourage alternatives to car-based transportation, especially in higher density, mixed-use areas (e.g., Activity Centers). Parking minimums in zoning codes require developers to build a certain number of parking spaces based on the size and type of use in the development. Parking requirements can add significant costs to development and often prevent the reuse of existing buildings. The amount of space required to accommodate required parking discourages walkability by spreading buildings farther apart from each other, reduces the economic productivity of land in the City, and can contribute to increased stormwater runoff and the urban heat island effect. Reducing parking minimums and requiring shared parking lots where feasible, can encourage more compact, walkable areas, and allow for flexibility In development that can make projects viable that may not otherwise be. 
There's a lot more in the plan.

https://www.ucitymo.org/DocumentCenter/ ... ion?bidId=

1,092
Expert MemberExpert Member
1,092

PostAug 16, 2023#254

Interesting. I don't mind apartments with shared kitchens and common rooms but I do mind when said apartments are still priced at like $1,200-1,500. I hope that doesn't happen here. 

13K
Life MemberLife Member
13K

PostMar 20, 2024#255

6388 Delmar

RFT - Bill Christman's Gallery/Consignment Shop Aims to Make the Loop Weird Again

https://www.riverfronttimes.com/arts/bi ... n-42129165

3,762
Life MemberLife Member
3,762

PostMay 06, 2024#256

old thread... i'm sure there's a more recent one but couldn't find it.

in town for a show at the Pageant and noticed that every storefront across the street (east of Magic Mini Golf) is empty. really unfortunate for one of the city's primary retail corridors, and kind-of surprising given the giant new apartment building across the street. is this still pandemic effect or more recent?

also just noticed that Pi Pizza does not seem to be doing great. only one STL location left, and their DC location closed. didn't realize that had happened...

13K
Life MemberLife Member
13K

PostMay 06, 2024#257

Peruvian chicken is coming.

3,762
Life MemberLife Member
3,762

PostMay 06, 2024#258

^ thanks for moving to the appropriate thread. my search skills are crap.

peruvian chicken ☑️

2,037
Life MemberLife Member
2,037

PostMay 25, 2024#259

The biggest problem for the Loop is landlords having unrealistic expectations for rent. 

13K
Life MemberLife Member
13K

PostMay 25, 2024#260

Is Componere gone?

12K
Life MemberLife Member
12K

PostJul 26, 2024#261

Not retail, but I wanted to mention that work has begun on the renovation of the City Hall Annex and Trinity Buildings (just north of City Hall). The U City courts and police dept. will finally be able to move out of their "temporary" trailers. 

"The City of University City is excited to announce the groundbreaking ceremony for the Annex/Trinity Renovation Project on August 1st at 10:00am. This significant event marks the beginning of a transformative initiative aimed at modernizing our police facilities to better serve the entire U City community. By embracing 21st-century policing practices and technologies, the renovation will enhance safety, improve service quality, and underscore our commitment to community-focused policing. Join us in celebrating this milestone as we take a crucial step towards a safer, more advanced future for University City."


916

PostAug 05, 2024#262

“Brew Bites” now open in the old Which Wich space.

13K
Life MemberLife Member
13K

PostDec 07, 2024#263

There's an axe throwing place at the werstern end now. And a sandwich place, which was pretty good. I hope the sidewalk closure for the new apt building to the east doesn't hurt business.
PXL_20241207_200411579.jpg (2.25MiB)

PostDec 27, 2024#264


3,957
Life MemberLife Member
3,957

PostDec 27, 2024#265

quincunx wrote:
Dec 27, 2024
Hasn't it been closed for a couple months?

916

PostJan 09, 2025#266

Delmar Loop lost In Da Loop, Peacock Diner and U City Grill at end of year. Also opened Brew Bites, Umami Seasons and Hatchet Haus. Three Kings was supposed to reopen but didn’t - anyone have info?

Delmar Maker District just gained Nixta and opened Alpha, Steve’s Hot Dogs and Fountain on Delmar. I think Esca is doing okay but have heard the others have been slow except on the event nights.

Regardless, a ho hum/neutral year on Delmar Loop in my opinion. Positive on east Delmar. If I lived in a Sims world, I would build the streetcar tracks into Forest Park, then west to Forsyth and WashU and back up to Delmar via Big Bend to connect with the existing track and make it a modern streetcar loop.

250 apartments have brokers ground. If WashU, can get any of its properties going around the station, that could be 500 more. Ultimately, that’s what Delmar needs, and it would cause more development to go east towards the CWE and down Debaliviere to meet the activity by Forest Park. The corridor is just spotty and we need WashU to step up soon to get the loop to be the great city-county connector.

5,704
Life MemberLife Member
5,704

PostJan 09, 2025#267

delmar2debaliviere2downtown wrote:
Jan 09, 2025
Regardless, a ho hum year on Delmar Loop in my opinion. Positive on east Delmar. If I lived in a Sims world, I would build the streetcar tracks into Forest Park, then west to Forsyth and WashU and back up to Delmar via Big Bend to connect with the existing track and make it a modern streetcar loop.

250 apartments have brokers ground. If WashU, can get any of its properties going around the station, that could be 500 more. Ultimately, that’s what Delmar needs, and it would cause more development to go east towards the CWE and down Debaliviere to meet the activity by Forest Park. The corridor is just spotty and we need WashU to step up soon to get the loop to be the great city-county connector.
Agreed, time to double down but with a better plan.   The loop trolley was nothing more than a tourist venture that failed to even get to the one of the #1 regional attractions of the zoo itself within forest park but sold & operated as poorly conceived transit.

However, I do think loop trolley laid the grounds for a modern low streetcar and loop is even a better idea.  You could also go the other way with it and be an all city affair.   Go east on Delmar Ave, south on Euclid and then back west via Forest Park (upset folks with FPP alignment and or go a little more south and around Barnes towers).    Would tie Delmar East corridor development residential corridor with one of city's biggest job centers, two metrolink stations, and a great park.  

1,794
Never Logs OffNever Logs Off
1,794

PostJan 09, 2025#268

I thought the loop trolley tracks were the incorrect gauge for a modern street car

2,260
Life MemberLife Member
2,260

PostJan 09, 2025#269

They're standard guage, the overhead wires also have enough voltage to run a modern streetcar too. It wouldn't be impossible to use the existing infrastructure to build a modern streetcar.

1,794
Never Logs OffNever Logs Off
1,794

PostJan 09, 2025#270

Excellent. A street car line that connected DT to Clayton via Delmar/Washington or Olive would be great.

2,813
Life MemberLife Member
2,813

PostJan 10, 2025#271

I concur... the Peacock was bad. Bad food and horrible service. Awesome look and could have been great. Not sure why they never fixed it!

2,623
Life MemberLife Member
2,623

PostJan 10, 2025#272

Hopefully another operator comes in and keeps the ascetic and brings in actual good food. I've only been there once and it was aggressively mediocre for the price + we didn't notice the B rating from the health dept until we were leaving

977
Super MemberSuper Member
977

PostJan 10, 2025#273

If that concept/location has even average food & service, I think it would be pretty successful. An enticing opportunity.

6,118
Life MemberLife Member
6,118

PostJan 15, 2025#274

They did have a nice sign, though.

3,957
Life MemberLife Member
3,957

PostApr 15, 2025#275

Anyone know what happened to three kings relocating a few storefronts down? I assume that’s dead? I think I saw a sign for something else on that spot now

Read more posts (35 remaining)