This project interests me because this was "my" mall for most of my life. Overall, I think I like the redevelopment plans.
I'm impressed that the Macy's building will be reused. Most people here realize it was Famous-Barr prior to Macy's Inc's buyout of May Company in 2006. However, Famous-Barr became the second tenant of the building in 1969, and the original tenant was Vandervoort's, which operated there from 1957 until the late 1960s. So at least one major component of the mall's history will be preserved and upgraded. The Macy's building presents a great opportunity for mixed-use in my opinion, as two of the three levels have their own entrances because of the way the store was laid out, which was quite common in mall construction during the 1960s and 1970s.
I wish Dillard's could have been reused as well, but I have to believe plans for its demolition will move forward simply because the parking garage underneath it has been deteriorating for years. The part of the mall that originally featured Stix, Baer & Fuller, was built in 1967. Dillard's closed in 2007, but there were problems with the garage long before the store closed.
Another plus will be the movie theater, which I'm sure will have the latest technology and amenities, unlike the one behind the former Dillard's that closed recently.
I've already heard negative comments about Toby Keith's Bar and Grill, and frankly, I couldn't care less either way. As the only location in the area, it will bring people that wouldn't otherwise shop there. And while I'm not exactly a fan of his music, the hoosification of St. Louis started long before Toby Keith made his mark on the country music scene. I'm more offended by the fact that KMOV continues to air a local show featuring terrible modern country music paired with line dancing that went out of vogue everywhere else almost 20 years ago. So I won't rush to TK's, but its presence doesn't bother me either.
I do hope that at least some of the inline spaces will feature retail establishments. The renderings and site plans refer to restaurants, and there will be a grocer in the old Macy's, but the community needs a place to shop, not just to fatten up.
I realize it would be difficult if not completely impossible to attract an anchor like Dillard's or Macy's again to this site. But at least one additional junior anchor would be nice. I also wish Barnes & Noble would return to the area. There's no bookstore for miles around it, and B&N only went out of business in Crestwood due to a lease issue. Store management had plans to expand the toys and games section before the lease stalemate led to the store's closure.
An important thing to remember is that the area east of the former Dillard's is not part of the redevelopment plan. There may be a second phase of development, and perhaps with that we will see additional retail and perhaps office space. I thought I saw housing mentioned as a possible component of the second phase, so maybe there's still a chance for denser development on the east side of the Crestwood Plaza site.
While many of us would like to see denser development throughout, there must be a market for it first. The Richmond Heights area is the most desirable area for retailers, yet beyond The Boulevard, of which only one phase was built, where's the high-density development south of Clayton? The Promenade, Brentwood Pointe, and Brentwood Square are low-density, and if Menard's and/or IKEA get built, there will be more big boxes surrounded by acres of asphalt. I'd also like to see denser development at Crestwood Plaza, but this still represents a start and a step in the right direction.
And don't get me started on TIFs. Many of those that complain about Crestwood using TIFs live in other area communities that have had their fair share of TIF abuse. I think renovating a completely abandoned mall using TIF makes more sense than doing the same for a small but thriving mall in a prosperous community (West County Center, which arguably hastened Crestwood Plaza's demise), or blowing up a bluff (Gravois Bluffs, which didn't help Crestwood retail either), or building on a floodplain like Chesterfield Commons. Don't hate the player, hate the game. And until the game gets changed, which will probably never happen in our Balkanized suburbs, I think Crestwood should do whatever it takes to move this development forward.
(Sorry for the length. Like I said, this was "my" mall so I hope the redevelopment works.)
