urbanSTL

Looks like the Century Memorial Plaza is to blame for the stall on this one. Desco and DowntownNow! are responsible for another needless mess.



Squabble stalls park, condo projects near Old Post Office

By Martin Van Der Werf

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

05/04/2006



Patience is wearing thin downtown as the plans to develop a park and plaza just north of the Old Post Office clash with those for an adjoining high-rise condominium building.



The different interests -- Downtown Now, the Roberts Cos., and the Danforth and Gateway foundations -- are entangled in infighting over how the project should proceed.



"The deal has taken much longer than anyone anticipated," said Tom Reeves, executive director of Downtown Now, a nonprofit formed to spark redevelopment.



Downtown Now is dependent on the Danforth Foundation for $2 million in financing. The park plans have not been completed because the Gateway Foundation agreed to pay the architect, and, apparently, it has not.



Meanwhile, Steve Roberts is sitting on the sidelines, fuming. "We have been working on this (tower) for more than two years now," he said. "We have the financing package in place."



Roberts, who heads the development company with his brother Michael, wants to add the glass-enclosed condo tower to his adjoining Mayfair Hotel. To make it work, the brothers need underground parking beneath the park. But construction cannot begin until the plans for the park are complete.



Neither Christy Fox, the executive director of the Gateway Foundation, nor Gyo Obata, an architect and foundation board member, returned phone messages seeking comment. The Danforth Foundation "is excited about the prospects for the tower (but) we are most interested in the park," said executive director Peter Sortino. "We want to ensure that that happens. That's why the money was committed."



Story

Approximately how much of the lot will be used for a plaza? Whilst usually I would be critical of yet another open space without people to use it, the space is pretty crowded already with the attractive, but massive, blocks surrounding the Old Post Office. Then again, has anybody seen the great plaza on the corner of 7th and Locust, just down the road? I'm SURE they didn't knock down a historic building for it only to find it barely used, especially thanks to the constant security control that asks you to leave the premises if you stay longer than to tie your shoe. It's a great little space. (Sarcasm)



The downtown doesn't need anymore "parks" or "plazas" but, if small enough, it would be a nice space without appearing too desolate like everything else downtown.

Am I the only one that finds this comment particularly frustrating?

Neither Christy Fox, the executive director of the Gateway Foundation, nor Gyo Obata, an architect and foundation board member, returned phone messages seeking comment. The Danforth Foundation "is excited about the prospects for the tower (but) we are most interested in the park," said executive director Peter Sortino. "We want to ensure that that happens. That's why the money was committed."

Well, of course that's why the money was committed. But I think it's ridiculous- and incredibly disappointing- to see that these civic groups (1) can't get it together for a project of this magnitude, and (2) place a higher priority on another urban plaza in a downtown full of underutilized parkland than downtown's first all-new residential highrise in the last 40 years. What in the hell are they thinking?



I love Saint Louis, and I'm genuinely excited about (and amazed by) the relatively rapid pace of progress in downtown. However, this story smacks of old-school St. Louis thinking, the kind that led to broken promises, aborted projects, and missed opportunity for many years...

To make it work, the brothers need underground parking beneath the park.

I thought the Century Garage was supposed to serve the needs of the buildings surrounding the OPO.

Can someone give me one good reason the Danforth Foundation thinks there should be another 'park' downtown? -One that's good enough to cause a project like this to sit at a standstill?



As far as parking goes, I think St. Louis will set a record of most parking in an area that's only a couple of square miles if every project needs it's own parking garage, which is what people around here seem to think.

Isn't the Renaissance Grand parking garage across the street from the proposed Roberts tower as well as the new Garage Mahal? I know people would like to park where they live, but adding more parking in the OPO district makes the Century sacrifice all the more futile.



I'd like to see the City leaders push for the urban plaza to be delayed while the Roberts building gets built. IMO it wouldn't make sense to build them at the same time because Roberts tower needs a staging area for construction, not the urban plaza. Another thing, I bet the Roberts tower will generate a lot more tax revenue than an empty park!

Maybe objections to parking on this block are partly so it's never proven that a garage could have been alternatively been built here instead of the Century site. But obviously (and of course sadly), the Century is already lost. While the powerful about our world's largest small-town may get a "told you so" here or there for allowing parking on this block, let's not hold up a new residential high-rise just to keep some important peoples' reputations unscathed. Then again, are the lawsuits against downtown residents that fought to save the Century still pending? So maybe Sortino et al are trying to avoid a "mea culpa" of litigious consequences.

So the Foundation would rather see a park built than facilitate the construction of a brand freaking new condo tower? Danforth has been around the block. He's seen how many parks and plazas and parking garages we've built, and all for naught.



Perhaps I was a bit hasty when declaring the LA developer of the Chemical building "patronizing."

Or they could just scrap the whole plaza plan and develop the entire block. Crazy idea, I know.

^But where would all the people parking in the Garage Mahal mill around at because there is still nothing to do on this useless plaza. Oh yeah, no one is going to use it, period.

Top Four Downtown Now Projects



1) Ballpark Plaza

2) Bottleneck Plaza

3) Choutoe Plaza

4) Laclede's Plaza

Old St. Louis metality at its worst. A damn park>new construction? I'm sick of looking at the bums lay all over the existing parks, do we really need to see more of that?

This is the stupidest thing I have heard in a long time. It is all I can do not to use words that will get bleeped.



I am trying to think of something intelligent to say right now, but cannot. This makes me furious. OMG....if they scuttle this building over a plaza.....

Jeff wrote:
I actually like the idea of adding underground parking to the plaza. Why not get as many uses out of a single plot of land as possible? After all, that's what density means.

They should develop the plot of land the park will be on and build an underground plaza, beneath the parking garage. That way we won't be forced to look at another wasted, diseased, bald spot... I mean "park".

Don't have much to add to the rants and raves above, but this is really disappointing. Definately old St. Louis mentality involved here.

For those tired of our leaders prioritizing parking and urban plazas over meaningful projects that will actually contribute to downtown's vibrancy...



Here's where to sound off, but let's please keep it civil and to the point...



Gateway Foundation: tsmith-gwfnd@sbcglobal.net



Obviously we don't know the whole story just yet, but this may be another chance for St. Louis Urban Progress to make a difference somehow. I would at least hope that TPTB in City Hall are watching, and trying to bring about a solution. The Roberts Brothers' plans for this parcel are too important to be derailed by senseless infighting.



(Just my $.02... of course...)



EDIT: I had incorrect contact info for the Danforth Foundation- I will post the correct info when I find it. I apologize for the error, and I thank Dr. Drew for pointing it out!

^Damn right. Especially since this "urban" park was touted as a necessary component of the Old Post Office project, along with the destruction of the late great Century Building. We must not allow the Century's demise to be in vain.



btw, I say screw the park and build two highrises on that lot. Who needs ANOTHER park anyway?

I'm not sure those are the Danforth people you should be emailing; that is the advisory board for their forums on educational reform. Notice how most of them are school administrators.

wow, totally laughable. agree with everyone. Welcome to 1950's thinking. A park over a new tower... amazing... And here I thought we had the most underutilized "downtown mall/ plaza" in America.



I wonder how much more harm we're doing downtown with everyone being able to pull their car into their loft basically next to their bed. It totally sucks the "life" out of downtown by cutting down pedestrian activity. In a way it brings suburia into the city, where people rarely have to cross paths with anyone else. Obviously, parking is needed with these buildings, in order for these lofts to sell, etc.- I understand this isn't New York, but I think it's worth pointing out.



Did anyone ever figure out why the "plaza to the north couldn't be used for the garage? I guess I'm still not over the Century.

DrDrew wrote:I'm not sure those are the Danforth people you should be emailing; that is the advisory board for their forums on educational reform. Notice how most of them are school administrators.

Whoops! Thanks for calling this to my attention- I edited my above post accordingly.

I wonder how much more harm we're doing downtown with everyone being able to pull their car into their loft basically next to their bed.

I know of one guy that drives from 16th and Locust to Met Square everyday to work. Of course, he has in-building parking both for home and work, but it's obviously only a ten-block walk. Only in St. Louis, I guess.

Did anyone ever figure out why the "plaza to the north couldn't be used for the garage? I guess I'm still not over the Century.

Because the Civic Progress types are addicted to lifeless green space. Sure, many would argue the Downtown Plan called for such plaza, but the Plan also called for no parking garages surrounding the Old Post Office. But powerful people can pick and choose their rules to follow.



Others would say that the Roberts Brothers would only do their tower if it were to be on such a plaza. But as we now see in the on-going delays, the powerful are fighting for the plaza over the tower. So then, adding more grass to our downtown is sadly more of a priority to our community and business "leaders" than actually adding more people.

I'm going to pack a picnic basket and hang out on the grassy knoll outside the U.S. Bank Building on my lunch break today. Should make for a wonderful afternoon.

^Good luck actually setting foot on that grassy knoll.







I just can't imagine you with a picninc basket.

^ Good luck getting your sandwich out of its wrapper before security arrives!