Upscale shopping center firm eyes Lake Saint Louis

By Jessica Bock

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

07/28/2006

LAKE SAINT LOUIS

The company behind upscale malls such as Plaza Frontenac is proposing a shopping center further west near Highway 40 in Lake Saint Louis.

Davis Street Land Co., a developer based in Evanston, Ill., has submitted a site plan to city officials for a so-called lifestyle shopping center, an emerging trend in retail that boasts quick access and specialty shops.

A marketing spokeswoman for the company said Thursday that she could not comment on potential tenants for the center, saying they were in the preliminary planning stage with the city.

"Should that proceed as we hope, our plan is to develop a lifestyle shopping center," said Konda Dees, the company spokeswoman.

There are only between 100 and 140 lifestyle shopping centers in the nation, said Eugene Fram, a research professor of marketing at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York.

But most of the malls built now are along the lines of lifestyle shopping centers: wide aisles, resting areas with expensive furniture, valet parking and concierge services, he said.

Parking is set up so most of the store entrances are off the parking lot, and shoppers can walk outside from store to store.

"It's aimed at people who live time-compressed lifestyles," Fram said. "You don't have to walk 20 minutes to get into an enclosed mall and another 20 to find the store you want."

The first phase of the project would be a 220,000-square-foot center on 55 acres near the intersection of Lake Saint Louis Boulevard and Technology Drive. The proposed center in Lake Saint Louis would have about half the space as Plaza Frontenac.

Besides Plaza Frontenac at Clayton Road and Lindbergh Boulevard, Davis Street Land Co.'s past retail development projects include Renaissance Place in Highland Park, Ill., and The Gardens on El Paseo in Palm Desert, Calif. The other centers have housed retailers such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Tiffany and Louis Vuitton.

Lake Saint Louis may have the market for such shops. In 2000, the median household income in Lake Saint Louis was $68,830, compared with a state median of $37,934 and a metro area median of $44,437.

The city's planning and zoning commission will discuss the proposal at their meeting next Thursday.

"I think it's going to be very well received," City Administrator Paul Markworth said. "This type of tenant mix is not available in western St. Charles County."

J. Stephen Bolhafner of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.

"I think it's going to be very well received," City Administrator Paul Markworth said. "This type of tenant mix is not available in western St. Charles County."

I would say there is a good reason for this. Living in Lake St. Louis is such a car-dependant lifestyle, if you choose to live their - you know that you have to drive a good distance to get stuff. If St. Charles County is going to get this (which in an urban forum would be a question unto itself), it should be further east - where it is surrounded by the 320,000 people of St. Charles County, not at the edge of civilization.

Frontenac Plaza was built at the edge of civilization in the 1960s since Ladue, Frontenac, and Huntleigh built up first in the 1950s with one-story long ranch houses on many acres similar to Wildwood today. It had a negative effect on the Central West End.

Just to the south of Frontenac plaza is the community of Kirkwood that was very well established in the 1960s. Also by the 60s the sprawl along West County had already gone out to past Lindberg... I agree it was more out than it is today, but it was far from being in a cow pasture.



Lake St. Louis isn't a cow pasture at all, but I am saying that times are different now than in the early 60s. People are a lot more car dependant in Lake St. Louis now than they were in Ladue in 1965. I think putting this project out in St. Charles would not-help the region (not hurt it but defiantly not help it) similar to the expansion of West county just took business from chesterfield etc and the Mills just made kaput the need for a huge Northwest Plaza.

And such development in Lake St. Louis will now compete with areas like Frontenac, Chesterfield, somewhat in Clayton, yet be hardly felt at all in the CWE. These days, exurbia is competing with middle suburbs, not central cities.

It all depends on the stores that come in.... if you get stores there that are only in St. Louis in the new lifestyle center AND Frontenac, it will affect it a lot. If it is just another Gap and such, it will affect Mid Rivers much more than any STLcounty Malls....

JMedwick wrote:Call me crazy, but I really don't think that the Lake St. Louis development is going to do much to Plaza Frontenac.

I doubt that Frontenac will feel any impact. The tossing around of the "Plaza Frontenac" name amuses me; the Post's article implies a "Plaza Frotenac West" sort of vibe, but the company's quotes don't necessarily say that.

I would imagine Chesterfield and MidRivers Malls will be impacted, depending on the mix of stores in the new center.

I agree with the earlier poster, though, that this kind of development seems to hurt other suburbs more than the central core of the city....

Upscale shopping center for Lake Saint Louis advances

By Jessica Bock

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

08/03/2006

LAKE SAINT LOUIS

Planning and zoning commissioners on Thursday night approved plans from the company behind upscale malls such as Plaza Frontenac for a shopping center near Highway 40 in Lake Saint Louis.

The Lake Saint Louis shopping center, named The Meadows, would be on 55 acres near Lake Saint Louis Boulevard and Technology Drive, northeast of the highway. The center would start at 220,000 square feet, with a possible expansion to about 500,000 square feet.

Davis Street Land Co., a developer based in Evanston, Ill., submitted a site plan to city officials for a so-called lifestyle shopping center, an emerging trend in retail that boasts quick access and specialty shops.

Plans for the center include four main buildings centered around a plaza, with a large clock tower as the focal point. Several restaurants and patio seating also are included in the plans, architect Larry Mitchell said.

"It would be a pedestrian-friendly streetscape," he told commissioners. "The intent is to park in front of their store and access it easily."

Some residents spoke to commissioners at a public hearing Thursday night about traffic concerns on Technology Drive when the center is built.

Improvements to Technology Drive will accommodate added traffic, which likely would be 500 to 600 vehicles headed southeast during peak hours of the day, said Julie Nolfo, an engineer who studied traffic in the area for the developer. Two travel lanes in each direction with turn lanes will be included in the improvements.

The city's staff recommended that planning and zoning commissioners approve the shopping center. The decision now is left to the board of aldermen.

Besides Plaza Frontenac at Clayton Road and Lindbergh Boulevard, Davis Street Land Co.'s past retail projects include Renaissance Place in Highland Park, Ill., and The Gardens on El Paseo in Palm Desert, Calif. The other centers have housed retailers such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Tiffany and Louis Vuitton. Davis Street Land Co. has declined to comment on possible retailers for The Meadows.

Any updates on this? When will they start construction?

01/08/2007

The Meadows

Construction will start on the "lifestyle" retail center in Lake Saint Louis in the spring. The first phase, scheduled to be completed in fall 2008, will total 300,000 square feet of stores and restaurants. Future phases will bring the total development to approximately 500,000 square feet. Chicago-based Davis Street Land Co., in a joint venture with Bruce Johnston, is the developer.

Source

I wonder if there will eventually be at least one major anchor here. Originally, May Department Stores had planned to build a freestanding Famous-Barr somewhere in the Winghaven area, but backed off of those plans (and plans for a similar store in Edwardsville, Ill.) when their financial condition worsened, some time before Federated entered the picture.

Anyway, my point is, Federated and Dillard's have closed or downsized weaker-performing stores in other parts of the St. Louis area. I would have to imagine that one or both of them would be interested in anchoring a development like this, since it is not a traditional mall, and since growth in St. Charles County is such that multiple Macy's or Dillard's locations would probably work.

Interesting layout; kind of a modified small-town courthouse-square look.

I actually like it (for a suburban area), especially the 45 degree parking.

junior anchors eh? Whats that mean, Crate & Barrel? I was hoping for something along the lines of Dillards and Von Maur as anchors. At less than 30,000 sq ft I doubt these two dept stores would fit in that category.

^ I thought I read or heard that a larger anchor would be part of a second phase. Although I would imagine that would be attractive to Macy's or Dillard's as I said previously, it would be great if a department store new to the area (esp. Von Maur) could be attracted to the development.

Stores announced for Lake Saint Louis 'lifestyle center'

By Jessica Bock

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

05/09/2007



LAKE SAINT LOUIS -- Retailers such as Talbots, Banana Republic and Chico's will open their first stores in St. Charles County at an upscale retail center planned in Lake Saint Louis, developers said this morning.



The Meadows at Lake Saint Louis, slated to open in fall 2008, is described as a lifestyle center designed with an open-air concept and easy street front parking and distinctive from traditional malls.



St. Louis restaurateur Bill Cardwell, of Cardwell's at the Plaza, also has plans to open a dining spot at The Meadows, said Bob Perlmutter, a partner of David Street Land Company. The developer and the city held an official ceremony unveiling the project this morning at the site near Highway 40 and Lake Saint Louis Boulevard.



"The Meadows will be key to our city's expansion of retail offerings," said Mayor Mike Potter, who donned a tuxedo for the event as crews worked on bulldozers behind him. The shopping choices offered by the center, some of which were previously unavailable to St. Charles County residents, make the entire region more attractive to residents and other businesses that may want to relocate to the area, he said.



David Street Land Company's other projects in the area are Plaza Frontenac at Clayton Road and Lindbergh Boulevard and The Shops at Clarkson Corner in Chesterfield.



Other retailers announced included Coldwater Creek, White House/Black Market, Victoria's Secret, Ann Taylor Loft, The Walking Company, Bath & Body Works and Optique, a high-end optical store.

^ Great. Other than Banana, that's a lot of stores for women -- and uppity ones at that. Should do a good job of capturing the "stay-at-home-moms" in southern St. Charles County, who right now probably drive in to Chesterfield valley as much as they drive up to Mid Rivers.



314:

As for Dillards or Macy's -- I don't know that either would be willing to split their customers. Remember that even though both only have one store in StC, Chesterfield is also close, and both have rather large stores at Chesterfield. In addition, Dillards hasn't been investing any money into their St. Louis stores since the mid-1990s. In fact, the Mid Rivers location has looked pretty sorry the last few times I was there.

Tysalpha wrote:^ Great. Other than Banana, that's a lot of stores for women -- and uppity ones at that. Should do a good job of capturing the "stay-at-home-moms" in southern St. Charles County, who right now probably drive in to Chesterfield valley as much as they drive up to Mid Rivers.

Hmm, I'd say the mix is geared towards older SAHM or maybe baby-boomer grandmothers. Upscale for sure, but a different demographic than I was expecting, I guess. I don't know many 20- and 30-somethings who'd be caught dead in Talbot's, Coldwater Creek or Chico's.

^ I did search for the a-little-throw-up-in-my-throat emoticon when I read this, but these people aren't going to shop downtown or even in Clayton so if they want a lifestyle center that will be popular for 10 years whatever.

Tysalpha wrote: As for Dillards or Macy's -- I don't know that either would be willing to split their customers. Remember that even though both only have one store in StC, Chesterfield is also close, and both have rather large stores at Chesterfield. In addition, Dillards hasn't been investing any money into their St. Louis stores since the mid-1990s. In fact, the Mid Rivers location has looked pretty sorry the last few times I was there.

You may be right about Dillard's and Macy's already having a strong foothold in the market given the proximity of Chesterfield Mall.



You're also right about the gloomy condition of most area Dillard's locations. Man, do those stores need an update or what? The St. Clair Square location in Fairview Heights is newly remodeled and expanded, and it's now my Dillard's of choice when I'm in the mood to shop there. Actually, it makes the other Dillard's locations in the area look even more pathetic than they did before.