Drove by this morning and saw that they're tearing down the old grocery store building on the north east corner of Delmar and Kingshighway. Anyone know if they plan on building something there?
Do you mean the old Schnucks? if so then awesome, that thing has been a vacant eyesore for years.flipz wrote:Drove by this morning and saw that they're tearing down the old grocery store building on the north east corner of Delmar and Kingshighway. Anyone know if they plan on building something there?
The property was owned by the Roberts, they have no money so they are not doing anything.
If it was sold, I have no idea to who, my guess is that whoever ownes it just wants to get rid of it to make the property more valuable.
Wish a building (or many) like what's at Euclid and Delmar was built there.
A new grocery store is coming to the site, per permit activity (contingent upon approval from zoning):
Project Type: New Const.
Application Number: 499151
Application Date: 06/22/2012
Structure Type: Commercial
Estimated Costs: $0.00
Contractor:
Application Description: CONSTRUCT NEW GROCERY STORE -ZONING ONLY (PER PLANS)
It's an odd parcel that is split into three uneven parts. Two are still owned by the Roberts, one owned by Aldi, so I'm guess an Aldi is coming here.
Project Type: New Const.
Application Number: 499151
Application Date: 06/22/2012
Structure Type: Commercial
Estimated Costs: $0.00
Contractor:
Application Description: CONSTRUCT NEW GROCERY STORE -ZONING ONLY (PER PLANS)
It's an odd parcel that is split into three uneven parts. Two are still owned by the Roberts, one owned by Aldi, so I'm guess an Aldi is coming here.
Beer City, yeah I was glad to see it happening. I woke up late this morning and was in a bit of a daze so I thought I may have imagined the whole thing.
stldotage, I hope it's not Aldi. There is an Aldi right up the street at Page (I think) so they will just trade one empty building for another. I was hoping it was something that would get rid of the huge parking lot and build up to the corner.
stldotage, I hope it's not Aldi. There is an Aldi right up the street at Page (I think) so they will just trade one empty building for another. I was hoping it was something that would get rid of the huge parking lot and build up to the corner.
I smell a "What Should Be" for this site. Aldi on the ground floor, 5 stories above, parking in back.
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Looks like Aldi bought the lot at 702 N. Kingshighway in 2012. I've attached a map of the site. This project will carve up the block, putting Aldi in the center of the block, leaving only narrow sites fronting Delmar and the intersection of Delmar and Kingshighway... deep enough for a small fast food place, but not big enough for a larger project. Who knew we even had flag lots in the city?
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This site is the grand entrance to the city's 18th ward. Alderman Kennedy is on the Housing, Urban Development and Zoning Committee. I'd think he would demand a better vision for the entrance to his ward.
This site is the grand entrance to the city's 18th ward. Alderman Kennedy is on the Housing, Urban Development and Zoning Committee. I'd think he would demand a better vision for the entrance to his ward.
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I would bet that site development won't be gerrymandered like this, but simply that a final sale of the other two parcels hasn't been made/there's a cooperative development plan, or it just hasn't been recorded, or parcels have been combined, but that hasn't been recorded.
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^I hope so. The information on the Assessor's website seems strange. It does note that the Roberts brothers haven't paid their property taxes on the land the past three years, though...
I am pretty sure waht you are seeing is the parcels that make up the consolidated site, the shape to the east and north would conform with vacated alleys.Presbyterian wrote:^I hope so. The information on the Assessor's website seems strange. It does note that the Roberts brothers haven't paid their property taxes on the land the past three years, though...
I am not optomistic that Aldi will build up to the street, but you never know.
The Aldi on Gravois(former Kingsland theater) was built to the street similar to the Save-A-Lot on S. Jefferson, so there's a little hope.
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http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/prin ... l?page=all
There were plans to build a Shop n Save and McDonald's on this site if I'm not mistaken. The print edition of the article linked above had a map of the area included in the redevelopment plan. I assume the plan was scrapped but who knows? After I read about this, I took some photos in the area. At that time I did see an Aldi's on Page just off Kingshighway.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pasa/sets/ ... 020421425/
There were plans to build a Shop n Save and McDonald's on this site if I'm not mistaken. The print edition of the article linked above had a map of the area included in the redevelopment plan. I assume the plan was scrapped but who knows? After I read about this, I took some photos in the area. At that time I did see an Aldi's on Page just off Kingshighway.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pasa/sets/ ... 020421425/
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Aldi is the parent company of Trader Joe's, which is owned by the estate of one of Aldi's founders.
More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trader_Joe's
Let the speculation run rampant...
More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trader_Joe's
Let the speculation run rampant...
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The city records the owner of 702 N. Kingshighway as Aldi, O'Fallon, Mo 63366. The Aldi website lists the district manager for southern Illinois, eastern Missouri and southern Iowa as being located in O'Fallon, MO 63366.
I'm not holding my breath. While I would much prefer a Trader Joe's, I believe the managerial structures of the two chains are kept separate. This one smells like an Aldi.
I'm not holding my breath. While I would much prefer a Trader Joe's, I believe the managerial structures of the two chains are kept separate. This one smells like an Aldi.
Aldi in Europe is the parent company of Trader Joes, Aldi in the US is owned by the other Albrecht brother, seperate company, similar business practicegone corporate wrote:Aldi is the parent company of Trader Joe's, which is owned by the estate of one of Aldi's founders.
More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trader_Joe's
Let the speculation run rampant...
Whether ends up being a Aldi's or a Shop N Save seems like such a waste to tear down a usable building. Terry Kennedy could care less what the gateway to the 18th ward looks like as long as it's making him and his developer friends $. Have lived in that neighborhood 5 years and have never seen him, nor does he return calls or attend meetings. Why? Because he doesn't care about the people or the neighborhood. In 2011 Mr Kennedy and LRA took properties from people who owed back taxes. Two active in the community store on Academy where closed because of this. Owner owed $30,000 in back taxes for that property. Stores were given 30 days to vacate and is still LRA property just sitting. The owners were only given a few weeks to pay up or there property went to Auction. One guy owed like $300 on a vacant lot, guess what? He lost it, now it's lra. Some how the Robert's Brothers were not included in this sweep, even though they own multiple properties in Academy and owe tons more in taxes. In dec 2011 they owed $165,000 ,What, really confused why they still even have there properties. Also, all of them are all working to get the TIF now. I sure hope karma gives them some grease when they get bent over. Cause they have been bending over the people for years dry and rough. It's a shame and disgusts me that my taxes go to support all of this nonsense happening in the Academy area.
Image from the business journal:
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Something like this store (in Houston) would look pretty decent facing this intersection and encourage better use of the other corners. Unfortunately they are more likely to put a parking lot at the corner.
Something like this store (in Houston) would look pretty decent facing this intersection and encourage better use of the other corners. Unfortunately they are more likely to put a parking lot at the corner.
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Here's a photo of Delmar and Kingshighway from 1964. The Aldi's is going in where the Westgate Hotel and Marko Drugs used to be, on the left. You'll notice that the old Friedman Loan and Stanley Men's Shop were upgraded to a Taco Bell at some point. The hotel and cafe on the right is now something else and has a KFC next door. And the D&R Grill is now a local, flag-enveloped gasoline, telephone, check cashing, pager, sandwich and gold purchasing store and ATM.
And that streetcar has been upgraded to a Metro bus. I'm so glad we were able to get rid of those overhead wires and clean up this intersection.
And Aldi's will be great, too.
And I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for this. I'm sure there is. Somewhere.
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And that streetcar has been upgraded to a Metro bus. I'm so glad we were able to get rid of those overhead wires and clean up this intersection.
And Aldi's will be great, too.
And I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for this. I'm sure there is. Somewhere.
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Yup. The only buildings still standing in this photograph are the tall Hotel Roosevelt in the distance (NW corner of Euclid and Delmar) and the Easton Trust building attached to it on the west. The rest is a testimony to numerous small decisions in the 1970s (I assume) that eventually erased an entire neighborhood. This photo is from the 1960s, which is not that long ago.
That said... an Aldi's is fine. They build temporary structures, and we can aim for dense residential and commercial in another ten years or so.
That said... an Aldi's is fine. They build temporary structures, and we can aim for dense residential and commercial in another ten years or so.
imran wrote:Image from the business journal:
Something like this store (in Houston) would look pretty decent facing this intersection and encourage better use of the other corners. Unfortunately they are more likely to put a parking lot at the corner.
Hopefully will see the Houston format/layot. But too bad the developer couldn't see the long term value in real estate by adding two or three levels above for future residential/office build out.
The Aldi in Granite City has this design...but sits in an ocean of parking.
I wish we had Google Maps and Streetview back then. It would have inspired more preservation I think.Presbyterian wrote:
My realtor, who used to work for National, said HUD paid to have it built there. Did that also include paying for the demo of the old buildings?
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I hadn't realized how huge that lot is. Hopefully Aldi at least builds near the corner. They generally seem to have much smaller footprints, building and parking, than Schnucks and the like. Staying close to the corner would provide some future flexibility to use all the rest of the site.