Many auto-centric problems in Downtown predate COVID-19. You just may not be aware of them unless you have lived Downtown and have been engaged since 1999 or earlier.
There have been plans & studies going back over a decade showing Downtown lacks bike/pedestrian connectivity that would also work to slow cars. Bike/ped infrastructure & connectivity would reduce traffic violations w/o the help of more police manpower. But, police manpower and enforcement are still necessary - and we do not get enough of that in Downtown. The new Captain is doing the best job I’ve seen in 20 years, but he is climbing a Mount Everest of problems, and he’s helpless to change infrastructure.
The City, Downtown CID and any other group has failed to act on these aforementioned infrastructure studies. Before the Great Recession, Pyramid Co. even floated a plan funded by a MODESA (aka “super TIF” where state sales taxes are also used) to fund needed infrastructure improvements. Recently, it’s been known that federal 80:20 match funding for these improvements have largely been focused in the Jefferson corridor for NGA, leaving Downtown w/ a lack of funding to implement bike/ped connectivity (and road diets), new Downtown infrastructure, etc.
There have been one-off projects, with little proper planning, like LightMySTL, which gave us somewhat garish Biondi lights that are really still auto-centric as they use the old cobra head lamp posts way up high. The Tucker cycle track is coming. But there has been zero well-funded effort to both plan (or implement an existing plan) and build infrastructure that would cater to bike/ped infrastructure and a less auto-centric Downtown environment.
There are various problems related to an auto-centric, White Flight-designed Downtown that we’re dealing with. Here are just a few examples:
*Downtown has 4 aldermen;
*City gov, specifically the aldermen, fail to recognize Downtown produces $90M/yr in tax revenue but only gets $30M back - and, that revenue has not grown at an inflationary rate, which should alarm everyone. Had it, it would not be $90M, it would be over $170M per year. The Golden Goose is dying as we have seen w/ office rents, vacancies ... and Downtown’s inability to compete w/ peer cities in other economic verticals;
*Downtown has zero form-based code. We actually prioritize the development of parking lots because of this, and because our taxation setup benefits a surface parking lot operation over a multi-fam development. Our “progressive” aldermen also prioritize surface parking lot development over multi-fam by their rhetoric that new construction multi-fam tax abatement & TIF are somehow detrimental to public schools when they are largely studio & 1-bed infill projects that build density and eventually dramatically increase the tax base versus the surface lot that was there. The “wealthy developer” argument simply is ignorant—banks do not lend to people that have nothing to lose;
*some roadways are literally wider than Highway 40 in some places;
*many one-way streets—some very wide. Both of these characteristics increase vehicle speed;
*lack of bump-outs, parklets, truly protected bike lanes and other road-diet measures, which also increase pedestrian connectivity;
*when you exit 44 by the Dome heading south, it’s quite literally a raceway. This has resulted in drag racing south on Broadway and multiple fatalities at Broadway & Washington AVE. The Stifel bull & bear were nearly smashed recently, but their bollards did their job. The City’s response to this race track problem was to move an expensive piece of traffic/power equipment away from the intersection because it kept being hit & destroyed by drag racers;
*Market Street, specifically near Kiener, has been the site of burnouts, donuts etc. Vehicles even entered the new plaza and did donuts on the pavers and in the landscaping;
*4th ST, with its precarious one-way and access to auto-centric meet-up-spots (White Castle, unattended or poorly built-out parking facilities, gas station, etc.) was the scene of a drag meet where a 100+ people met, stopped in the middle of 4th ST, and individually burned north down 4th ST, into Downtown, filming the event and posting on social for all to see;
*Washington AVE: Washington AVE has become a major thoroughfare on the cruising network, and sometimes these cruisers drag race or speed - see: death of female thrown from pick-up truck within last year. Washington AVE has become a popular cruising/drag street because it’s a cool street w/ great buildings and many, many venues. Young men pumped up on testosterone cruise the street gawking at women entering bars, walking on sidewalks, sitting on patios etc. So much so that many women no longer patronize Washington AVE because they receive unwanted cat-calls, can’t park at night near their destination due to a log-jammed street full of cruisers, etc. Washington AVE’s turn toward a late night economy has hurt its daytime vitality (many storefronts serving as bars sit dark during the day) and drawn in undesirable auto-oriented activities at night. Some of this could be fixed w/ Excise enforcement, but for two Excise Commissioners now, including the current one, there is no liquor license enforcement and clubs like Reign reign supreme, keeping residents up and drawing in many, many vehicles in a concentrated area and time frame w/ their promoters/promotions announcing huge party nights;
*buildings have been torn down for parking lots, for decades, which continues today. St. Louis CITY SC recently tore buildings down for parking on Olive. Starwood Group (Square’s landlord) just tore buildings down for parking on MLK. Terry McDonald tore a building down on 4th ST for parking. Etc. Parking facilities w/ zero retail or other use do not create a walkable environment and add to auto-oriented problems. Form-based code would prevent this;
*many poorly built parking facilities are being used for burnouts, donuts & partying. Sometimes this results in not only revving engines, smoking rubber & squealing tires, but also gun shots. See: chaos that ensued in the parking lots around One Cardinal Way, as filmed by residents in OCW and Pointe 400. It was partially due to these films that the City finally acted and dropped the Jersey barriers. NOTE: at one point in the last year SLMPD reported that Ballpark Village had been hit 17 times by gunfire. SLMPD also stated Lumiere Place’s giant video screen is regularly used for target practice by persons firing from vehicles;
*parking facilities do not meet a high standard. All parking facilities should be fully gated, well-lit (so many lumens per SQ FT), and surveilled w/ at least a private camera network, if not a SLMPD RTCC camera. Fully gating lots including barrier arms force people to pay and eliminates vehicle meet-ups and partying on lots;
*Downtown is not its own police district. Downtown is in the 4th District which stretches as far north as where the Mississippi River & Grand connect. This results in Downtown becoming completely uncovered when a major incident occurs outside of Downtown. Downtown should be its own police district with its own dedicated police assets;
*law enforcement does not enforce the law, and lacks support from politicians to do so. Where are the DUI checks in Downtown? Where is the SLMPD Traffic Division? Why are criminals able to ride MetroLink in to car-jack Downtowners and use the bridges as an escape route? Why is it now okay to buy a Dodge Charger w/ an insanely loud engine & muffler and race around Downtown? Why can you drive a cruiser Honda or other brand motorcycle throughout Downtown w/ your radio blaring?; ...
Washington AVE between Tucker & 14th ST has so many problems, all pre-dating COVID-19, that it is completely shuttered every weekend. And that has helped, but it’s obviously not ideal.
Recently, a consultant came up with a temporary plan that would remove the “ugly” Jersey barriers and replace them w/ “prettier” planters w/ swing-arm-gates. This temporary plan was intended to get Downtown through to a permanent, funded infrastructure plan (when will that ever occur??). The consultant’s temporary plan’s cost is a mere $90,000. Various organizations and individuals, including the City and Downtown CID, turned down funding the $90,000. The Downtown CID board actually approved a “pilot” version of the plan: one pair of planters/gates at one intersection. Because the plan is a system of planters/gates, funding just one pair is asinine. Note that the Downtown CID has an annual budget of about $3.5M.
Mayor Jones will receive $500M soon. Will she prioritize Downtown infrastructure? I’ve seen her, largely in pre-election debates, discuss other agendas, but nothing about the continued revitalization of Downtown. Her transition staff does not include one Downtown business person.
In fact, as alluded to earlier, the “progressive agenda” seems to target Downtown & Central Corridor development as bad in many cases. This is something that I will never, ever understand when considering specifically 1-bed & studio new construction that deletes surface parking, typically creates a better pedestrian interface, brings density, and has nothing to do w/ school children.
I’m sure I’ve forgotten some stuff.
Until at least a $90,000 plan is funded, the Jersey barriers should remain.
Until the Board of Aldermen & Downtown CID prioritize Downtown, we won’t get permanent infrastructure and bike/ped connectivity and a less auto-centric environment (two-way streets; parklets; bump outs; road diets; etc.).
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, yes it is, and no, you can't.
