What do others think of the two strip malls proposed for Soulard? They look as if they should be in Ballwin to me. Your thoughts?

http://www.loopnet.com/xNet/MainSite/Li ... t006a00001

It doenst look like your typical stripmall to me. Much smaller than anything youd get in the suburbs.

^ I didn't see a second "strip mall", but I think it's good they put in angled parking and at least in recent history I think this site was light industrial/warehouse. I would like to see it well connected for pedestrians and as drawn there is ZERO ped access. Is someone to walk on the road and enter the driveway along with cars? Maybe hop the inevitable row of bushes? Also, not sure if there's a sidewalk on the east side of Broadway - don't think there is.

Did you draw the extra pedestrian access on? If so, you may want to send it off to the developer because it is needed.

where's the city market? Is that going in the "available" space?



By the way - I just found out about the bread company - have to say I'm psyched.

City Market is in Georgian Square.



Never mind Grover. I figured it out.

I am always a fan of a bread company joining town, even though I prefer small privately owned businesses. but .... you democrats are putting them out of business

"I am always a fan of a bread company joining town, even though I prefer small privately owned businesses. but .... you democrats are putting them out of business"







how big is the chip on your shoulder that you feel the need to make that statement?

FlatFeeKing wrote:I am always a fan of a bread company joining town, even though I prefer small privately owned businesses. but .... you democrats are putting them out of business

What Democrats? We're all Missourah Republicans here.

not that I want to keep going with this, but I have to ask--how many mom and pop stores does heavily Republican Chesterfield and St. Chuck County have compared to the city?

Let's not dwell on the Democrat/Republican issue here, please. Yes, it was a stupid post, but let's move on.

Until public transportation gets taken more seriously, developers are always going to push for this kind of plan because without lots of street traffic and public transport, parking spaces are by and large the most profitable way to go.

It seems like this area suffers from benign neglect. There isn't an updated development plan that reflects 21st Century opportunity.



I'll guess that the second mall is the one planned for the former Nooter site. Both are in an area known as Kosciusko. It has a very nice retail business base along Broadway including many paint stores, Globe Drug, HUB Furniture, Edele and Mertz Ace Hardware, and bars and restaurants. There are also labor union halls, charter schools, a post office, and a theatrical lighting business.



The new strip center in located directly on the bike trail.



Since neither are located in the historic district, residents don't have leverage.

They're not really in Soulard. They're across 7th. In the case of Bread Co., at least they're rehabbing an old building.

^yeah, it would be nice if the Starbucks went into an existing building like they have done in the CWE (the old Bar Italia) and Olive Blvd. (an old bank) but it looks like they will just have a cookie cutter location there.

Technically, while yes it isn't in Soulard, the residents of Soulard should have had some say in the development.



Soulardians will use the establishments. a lot. Of course you'll see the downtown commuters, especially with the starbucks drive through, but there will be many times I and other residents would like to walk to the Bread. Co and Starbucks in safety. (The Soulard Coffee Garden closes at 4 p.m. daily, BTW.) Pedestrian access looks limited. Why must we cross a main thoroughface, then another parking lot to enter the store?



This is a missed opportunity for an extension of the walkable neighborhood of Soulard. Building up to the street--like the Grand Bread Co--would have been small step towards a more walkable, less autocentric Kiuosticio (no idea how to spell it), slowly extending Soulard's success.



I wish I knew about the strip mall prior to a sign popping up and now construction.



I wrote Alderwoman Young expressing my dissappointment. One of the main reasons I bought a house in Soulard is because it doesn't have strip malls, because I can walk.....and now this.



So, how do we put a stop to developments like this? At the very least, how do we find out about them before they're already begun construcion?

SoulardX wrote:One of the main reasons I bought a house in Soulard is because it doesn't have strip malls, because I can walk.....and now this.



So, how do we put a stop to developments like this? At the very least, how do we find out about them before they're already begun construcion?

You may not enjoy the asthetics of the new developments, but you also don't need to visit them. But if you would like to you can walk to Starbucks as well. We can't stop developments like this until there are new zoning regulations and enforceable development guidelines. To do that, just instill the political will to create a better livable environment. If no one in power understands that a neighborhood isn't bounded by a street but IS a street, things like this will continue to happen. Zoning says the east side of Broadway is a different place than the west side. We know that it's the same place.

this isn't a flip reply, but how do you instill political will?

Ah yes - I don't know . . . run for Mayor and bring your own? Actually you can't (IMO). We need more and better people involved in local government. One effect of people and businesses leaving the city has been less (and generally less afluent - especially in the business community) involvement in city affairs. There is less expertise and civic-minded people than before and increasingly (over the last half century) talented people are choosing private endeavors in lieu of public. Of course in this example Rollin Stanley actually lives in Soulard . . . .

They're not really in Soulard. They're across 7th. In the case of Bread Co., at least they're rehabbing an old building.

Technically yes, 7th is the dividing line, but that's an incredibly illogical way to think. It's ACROSS the street. This entire area should be rebuilt as it once was. Just ALLOWING whatever to be built for the sake of development is extremely short sighted. In the LEAST they could have built the parking BEHIND the buildings and have them face 7th. Mistakes from the past can be corrected today. We don't need to perpetuate bad design and planning in some of city's MOST architecturally significant areas. Again, there USED to be an area that looked like Soulard here before it was wiped clean in the 60's. Is it 1960 again?

JCity wrote:This entire area should be rebuilt as it once was.

Many Native Americans agree.