The NPS was involved because it was an addition to an existing federal historic tax credit property. Therefore, any addition has to be built in a consistent manner or the tax credits can not be used on the existing structure.
loftlover wrote:Full page color rendering in todays PD Downtown Progress Report insert. Very sharp. Also, it refers to the building as now "under construction".
I went by this morning and this building is not under construction.
In related news, the new town hall in Smurf Village is almost finished, but Gargamel is considering stepping on it.
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It helped can the 46-story Renaissance Grand addition, had it been built would have added some skyline bulk to this part of downtown - along with the forthcoming Roberts Tower.
It also would have had 30% occupancy and collapsed under its own weight. As built, it is only now starting to cover the bills.
It also would have had 30% occupancy and collapsed under its own weight. As built, it is only now starting to cover the bills.
because of the current management company.
The Renaissance Grand is a massive property that was completely "out of line" in financing... hence the management company has been in financial straights since the hotel opened. It is NOT that the hotel is NOT being used or the fact that the occupancy rate there is low/down... it is because the cost of "doing business" and operating that huge hotel was completely out of line even before it was opened. Then 9/11 hit them hard to throw into the mix.
ANYWAY... back to the ROBERTS TOWER...
It appears that a large amount of dirt was dropped at the building site.
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shouldn't they be hauling away dirt? You know, digging a hole for the foundation.
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If I'm correct I believe the dirt that was dropped off is actually on the opo plaza site. I'll go check it out (love living in the city...).
^That would be correct. The piles of mulch have been there for a little while. No visible progress on any construction.
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OK I have officially become way too impatient for this new wave of construction to begin in St. Louis. Time for a little trip down to the sales center tommorow to attempt to decode when some actual use will come of the site. (I swear if I drive by and see it being used as a parking lot 1 more time....)
newstl2020 wrote:OK I have officially become way too impatient for this new wave of construction to begin in St. Louis. Time for a little trip down to the sales center tommorow to attempt to decode when some actual use will come of the site. (I swear if I drive by and see it being used as a parking lot 1 more time....)
Maybe they'll have some floor plans by now? I did not see any on their website last time I checked...
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I know they had full architectural plans in the sales office last time I stopped in (maybe a month 1/2 ago) but I can't remember if there were any floor plans (although I'm assuming there have to be as they are selling condos. Is that possible without floor plans?) Ill bring the camera along tommorow, but the top of the 25th floor (top floor of the diagram in the sales office) was at 292'. I hope they get over 300 on this one, somewhere in the 350' range would look nice in the skyline from the West.
I think 300' is a strong possibility, but I think 350' is probably wishful thinking at this point.
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Oh for sure. I doubt they get anywhere over 320'. That extra 30 feet would sure bump up it's profile in the view from the west though.
So we went and checked out the sales center today and it could have possibly been one of the least productive things I have ever done. I hate to say it but the woman who was aparently in charge was one of the least knowledgable people I have ever talked to. Aparently they "maybe might possibly have one person who has placed a hold on a unit" according to her. Additionally they "might maybe be starting construction next year and they are having lots of conference calls and stuff with people about the building and things."
This woman was aweful and if they ever hope to get anything done they should fire her immediately...unless they are trying to not sell units. I hope she was just a janitor or something filling in because the real person was on a break.
In other news, there is aparently a 5,000$ holding fee to reserve a unit. Other than that nothing that I was told seemed to have anything substantial behind it. They removed the structural plans that I saw a few months ago.
This woman was aweful and if they ever hope to get anything done they should fire her immediately...unless they are trying to not sell units. I hope she was just a janitor or something filling in because the real person was on a break.
In other news, there is aparently a 5,000$ holding fee to reserve a unit. Other than that nothing that I was told seemed to have anything substantial behind it. They removed the structural plans that I saw a few months ago.
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^ I know it's just one woman, but this sounds bad. Maybe this last round of publicity was a final attempt to drum up some business . . .
If she didn't know what LEED certified meant, it could have been the same sales lady from the loft tour 2 years ago...
I've spoken to her recently as well. When I asked her about an official "ground-breaking" date, she asked me "What do you mean by ground-breaking?" 
I think this woman is more familiar with The Lofts at Roberts Plaza than she is with the Roberts Tower. She was all too ready to give me information and a tour of the Roberts Lofts. Frankly, I think she has been dumped on and is acting as a conduit until the real salespeople (person) get set up.
I think this woman is more familiar with The Lofts at Roberts Plaza than she is with the Roberts Tower. She was all too ready to give me information and a tour of the Roberts Lofts. Frankly, I think she has been dumped on and is acting as a conduit until the real salespeople (person) get set up.
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I'm hoping that's the case (above). It just blows my mind how they could see themselves through to allowing this to happen if they are serious about their development. Put me in there, I have virtually zero sales experience and I gauruntee I would be a MILLION times better than that woman. It can't be THAT hard to find someone who is at least competent can it?
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She is one of those poeple that we can compare to Brick Tamlin. An IQ of 48 and years later will be diagnosed as mentally retarded
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I stopped at the sales office during the Loft Tour and spoke with a guy that I thought knew what he was talking about (for example, I'd originally read that the condos would start around $850,000 and he set me straight in that they'll start in the $300's).
I suspect the woman you're referring to is there to sell the lofts and probably doesn't know beans about the condos, but if she hasn't been trained regarding the condos, you can't really blame her too much (although she would have been better off just saying so rather than making comments that made her sound dumber than she probably is).
You can blame the Roberts brothers, though, who should realize that if they're going to put up building sized banners for a project, they'd better have infomed people to discuss it with potential buyers.
I suspect the woman you're referring to is there to sell the lofts and probably doesn't know beans about the condos, but if she hasn't been trained regarding the condos, you can't really blame her too much (although she would have been better off just saying so rather than making comments that made her sound dumber than she probably is).
You can blame the Roberts brothers, though, who should realize that if they're going to put up building sized banners for a project, they'd better have infomed people to discuss it with potential buyers.
^As I believe has been stated on here a few times before, the Roberts Bros. tend to hire family, friends, friends of family, etc. for all of their endeavors, with little regard for actual experience or qualifications. So, the above experiences are not at all surprising.
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That might explain a LOT. I just remembered another memorable quote. I made a comment about the "bamboo" floors when she was saying that it would be a green building, and she delightfully added in, "carpet too!" Not exactly sure how that's gonna work... bamboo carpet huh?
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newstl2020 wrote:That might explain a LOT. I just remembered another memorable quote. I made a comment about the "bamboo" floors when she was saying that it would be a green building, and she delightfully added in, "carpet too!" Not exactly sure how that's gonna work... bamboo carpet huh?
Maybe she meant all the carpets would be the color green!
