QuikTrip will raze house, acquires lots for new gas station





Locations: 4839 Potomac Street, 3400 South Kingshighway, 4830 Fairview Avenue

Size: 59,802 square feet total





Buyer: QuikTrip Corp.





Sellers: Nancy and Nina Zimmerman at 4839 Potomac, Ernest and Grace Patti at 3400 South Kingshighway and co-trustees Commerce Bank, Elsie Grebe, Ottmar Grebe and Jacquelyn Grebe at 4830 Fairview





Transaction handled by: Helena Hartig of Grubb & Ellis/Krombach Partners for the Zimmerman family; Dan Johnson of Hilliker Corp. for the Grebe family; Brian Young of Young Realty for QuikTrip Corp.





Use: Additional land parcels for a new gas station at 3400 South Kingshighway

- Tavia Evans

I think QuikTrip is scrambling to grab Walgreen's crown as Most Ridiculous and Nauseating Over-Expansion and Market Saturation Of All Time.



This is why I generally frown on any type of new development. They take a slash-and-burn, surround it with a moat of asphalt approach a la the suburbs. Boo.

you can only have so many gas stations

If you ask that idiot, Tom Bauer, he'll make it sound like Quik Trip opening a station in Dogtown is the equivalent of GE moving its headquarters here or something.



We already have plenty of places to fill our tanks and buy cheap coffee. Give me a ***** break - do these aldermen get kickbacks from companies like QT or something?

If you ask that idiot, Tom Bauer

I wonder what his re-election chances are...he seems to have made more than a few people mad this year.



Ask Clifton Heights residents about having a new hotel right in their backyard. I think it's a bad idea as well.

I don't have a problem with the hotel at all. In fact, I want it. But that still doesn't mean Tom Baur isn't an idiot. He has done plenty of other stupid things. I really don't know what that guy is thinking.

I drove by there today and demo is going on now- I'm fairly sure it was at Fairview, but I'll double check later.



As for QT's slash and burn tactics- I have mixed feelings on this one. This stretch of Kingshighway is auto-oriented retail, not because of all the car dealerships but because all the retail is based on people driving. This stretch is disconnected from the residential both on the east and west by light industrial, railroad tracks, etc. so, no one is going to walk up to a store. So a QT fits here more than anywhere else I can think of.



agree/ disagree??

^ I would have to agree thats the feeling I get in that area.

touche, but my problem is that i'm a rabid urbanist. cities, of course, can't operate without cars and the businesses that support them, but in my ideal world, everything in the city would be pedestrian oriented. too bad my wishes aren't the world's command.

I agree that this fits here. I have no problem with this being built in that location, because it is definately an improvement over ernie pattie collision center, and regular retail really doesn't exist in this area. If it lowers gas prices in this area, I'm all for it too.

steve wrote:touche, but my problem is that i'm a rabid urbanist. cities, of course, can't operate without cars and the businesses that support them, but in my ideal world, everything in the city would be pedestrian oriented. too bad my wishes aren't the world's command.

agreed 100% that's why I said I had mixed feelings about this

I drove by this site yesterday and they now have a "Quiktrip: Coming Soon" sign as well as some kind of construction vehicle (wow...I really sound like I know what I'm talking about ).

They must be making money, or they wouldn't be building them.

MattnSTL wrote:They must be making money, or they wouldn't be building them.

Heheh...seems like a fairly simple concept. I guess I'm just bitter that something better and more interesting can't be put at that location.

Countykidcitylife wrote:If your going to get anyone from the county to move back into the city. There has to be some conviences that people have become used to. Believe me. Because all of my county friends thought I was crazy 5 years ago when I moved to "The City!" So I've been waiting for the big boys to start showing up here. It's just plain stupid of South City residents to have to go outside the city limits just to visit a decent, well stocked, well maintained store. Let's have more of it, I say.

I agree that it is stupd that City residents, not just South city residents, have to go to the county for certain things. But I have to be honest, and no offense, but if building crap strip malls to attract the standard crap stores is the only thing that will attract certain county residents to the city, than by all means, stay in the county, please. I hate that my city leaders spend all of their time trying to suburbanize the city so as to attract county people here. There are plenty of people who want to live here for the urban aspects (i.e. NOT car oriented retailers/businesses), and retailers will soon figure out (and the city will soon enforce, hopefully) that they can move in to the area and still keep an urban feel to the area. Unfortunately, it isn't happening here yet.

Adding new retailers to the city is great - having a mix of national retailers (in well-designed developments) and quality local stores really helps make the city a more attractive place to live. However, do we really need another QT? There are plenty of places to buy cheap fountain sodas in the city, and we already have plenty of QTs.

<<<"Are you kidding me?">>>



NO



<<<<<<<"You are in for a sad reality if you think that the city isn't going to invite the larger stores in to do buisiness. The city would completely lose out. A perfect example of that would be North St. Louis city. I can't name one big store in North city. Look at that sad place."



"You just can't blanket statement everything about the the big boys. I'm sure you'll be visiting QT soon after they open."



And by the way.... just because there are a bunch of "crappy strip malls" in the county doesn't mean there aren't any small unique stores in them. Look around, take a trip into the county.>>>>>>>>>>>



A big box retailer coming into North St. Louis city isn't going to save the city. There are a lot of much larger issues that are needed to be addressed.

And I have to say that I never said the city shouldn't invite larger stores in. I didn't make a blanket statement about big box retailers. I made a blanket statement about the city allowing them to suburbanize parts of the city. There is absolutely no reason for that. By calling them crap stores, I was referring to the design and development, I should have made that clear. These retailers can exist in an urban setting. It happens in other cities. That is exactly what I said. If anything, you made a false blanket statement about North city saying it is a sad place. You need to get up there occasionally and see some great neighborhoods.



I have many friends in the county and go out there when I have to. But as far as enjoying it, I don't. I find it rather bland. Also, I am sure I will not be visiting the QT when it is open.

I live about a mile from the new Kingshighway QT and I am glad to see them come in. The bottom line is they run a clean, well lit and secure store with quality convinience items. Unlike many other gas station companies who are largely independently owned franchises, they don't take the urban market for granted.



They will run a tight ship at this location, just like they do out in West County, as city residents should we expect less? No we shouldn't, but look at many of the other gas stations around. The one at Grand and Gravois (can't remember off hand the brand name) is notorious for its trash and crime problems. Driving home from Soulard I will always chose the QT on Gravois over any other station, because they offer a superior product.



While not urban, the QT fits fine into the context already established on that strip of Kingshighway. I am pretty sure they didn't get any tax incentives so it will generate positive dollars for the area.



Too many good issues brought up, I will try to hit on some these other points:



There are so many Walgreens, because they make a TON of money. The one at the corner of Grand and Gravois sold for 5 times the going rate of retail buildings in the city (per sq ft.), because of the money Walgreens makes, the rent they pay is huge.



Brand name retailers won't solve the city's issues alone, but they keep dollars in the city that are currently going out, provide stable income to shopping center developers (you might not care but there would be fewer vacant and run down shopping centers in the city if they had better credit tenants), provide good retail jobs, generate more consumer traffic to an area supporting surrounding independent businesses, and lend credibility to other stores in the shopping center.



That said these retailers should adjust their formats to be more urban, quality design is reflected in sales. Southtown is a prime example it is brand new, yet it is almost dead. The developer ignored the urban sensablities of many who would shop there. Now they can't get attractive retailers (OfficeMax and PetSmart are purely functional, quick in and out trips), and sales must be lower than expected. I rarely go there except for inkjet cartridges and paper. I have no need for this PetSmart, you can get your dog food at PetConnections on Vandeventer. But I am happy there here and have confidence in the city.



I am doing my Masters project on urban retail, I'll let you know how it turns out.

MattonArsenal said "That said these retailers should adjust their formats to be more urban, quality design is reflected in sales. Southtown is a prime example it is brand new, yet it is almost dead. The developer ignored the urban sensablities of many who would shop there."



I couldn't agree more. I don't understand why developers don't invert their "L" shape design in urban settings, give the stores street fronts and have the parking in the back. Conversely, they are putting in a Starbucks there. I couldn't be more excited. That's probably controversial of me to say because they are a big chain that runs Mom and Pop coffee shops out of business, but there product is G-O-O-D.



Part of the problem with the retail chains coming into the city is that the city seems so desperate to get them. If the city played a little harder to get the retail would come in anyway. The Alderpeople bend over backwards and give the companies anything they want. The city needs to step in and tell the companies what they want the buildings to look like. If you go to successful cities you'll see the retailers cram their formulaic footprint into all kinds of locations and be thankful for the opportunity.

National retailers will throw up the standard building if local codes allow it. They will also put in better design if local codes require it.



Since this discussion began I've noticed the exisitng business. Residents prefer these to a beautiful Drury Hotel and a Quik Trip:



Highway maintenance shed and equipment barn yard.

Diamond Head Chinese restaurant that looks like it has been closed for 20 years (but it ain't)

Dirt Cheap liquor store (what every nabe needs)

I don't get the issue with the Drury Inn. The Quick trip though, the should be an area of small urban shops. Looks like it's too late for that though.

Just wanted to drop a note and let everyone know this Quick Trip opened last Thursday.