When I was involved in transportation planning for wash u med school, I and a our main consultant (worked at Civitas) pushed hard against this is late 2017, I left in early 2018 and she did too by late 2018. I guess someone who wanted it won out
Jane Jacobs-
Erosion of cities by automobiles entails so familiar a series of events that these hardly need describing. The erosion proceeds as a kind of nibbling, small nibbles at first, but eventually hefty bites. Because of vehicular congestion, a street is widened here, another is straightened there, a wide avenue is converted to one-way flow, staggered-signal systems are installed for faster movement, a bridge is double-decked as its capacity is reached, an expressway is cut through yonder, and finally whole webs of expressways. More and more land goes into parking, to accommodate the ever increasing numbers of vehicles while they are idle. No one step in this process is, in itself, crucial. But cumulatively the effect is enormous. And each step, while not crucial in itself, is crucial in the sense that it not only adds its own bit to the total change, but actually accelerates the process. Erosion of cities by automobiles is thus an example of what is known as “positive feedback.” In cases of positive feedback, an action produces a reaction which in turn intensifies the condition responsible for the first action. This intensifies the need for repeating the first action, which in turn intensifies the reaction, and so on, ad infinitum. It is something like the grip of a habit-forming addiction.
Erosion of cities by automobiles entails so familiar a series of events that these hardly need describing. The erosion proceeds as a kind of nibbling, small nibbles at first, but eventually hefty bites. Because of vehicular congestion, a street is widened here, another is straightened there, a wide avenue is converted to one-way flow, staggered-signal systems are installed for faster movement, a bridge is double-decked as its capacity is reached, an expressway is cut through yonder, and finally whole webs of expressways. More and more land goes into parking, to accommodate the ever increasing numbers of vehicles while they are idle. No one step in this process is, in itself, crucial. But cumulatively the effect is enormous. And each step, while not crucial in itself, is crucial in the sense that it not only adds its own bit to the total change, but actually accelerates the process. Erosion of cities by automobiles is thus an example of what is known as “positive feedback.” In cases of positive feedback, an action produces a reaction which in turn intensifies the condition responsible for the first action. This intensifies the need for repeating the first action, which in turn intensifies the reaction, and so on, ad infinitum. It is something like the grip of a habit-forming addiction.
Expand Newstead from 3 to 5 lanes and provide “pedestrian safety improvements”. Gee, thanks.
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Unfortunate? Maybe.
It’s not the end of the world by any means. This area is auto oriented anyway with the large parking garages right there and the construction of a new garage with the Neuroscience Building.
It’s not the end of the world by any means. This area is auto oriented anyway with the large parking garages right there and the construction of a new garage with the Neuroscience Building.
^That goes directly to Quincunx’s point. It’s the insidiousness of the “its already car oriented anyway” attitude that results in an autocentric office park in the middle of your city acting as a divide between two of its fastest growing neighborhoods - instead of pulling them together.
Want to walk from the Grove to CWE?
Sarah - beautiful new parking lots and now garage!
Boyle - new breeze lane to get cars to the onramps faster!
Newstead - now five lanes for higher speeds and faster right hand turns!
Want to walk from the Grove to CWE?
Sarah - beautiful new parking lots and now garage!
Boyle - new breeze lane to get cars to the onramps faster!
Newstead - now five lanes for higher speeds and faster right hand turns!
^ and between 5pm Friday and 6am Monday its the most desolate part of the city. Walking through Cortex on a Saturday morning is depressing.
I could excuse SOME of the parking if this were a mixed-use neighborhood, but it isn't. It's parking and office.
I could excuse SOME of the parking if this were a mixed-use neighborhood, but it isn't. It's parking and office.
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Not sure how large this will be, but Maryville is opening up a location in Cortex:
Newstead widening is absolutely idiotic and we need to fight this tooth and nail. We don't need more traffic sewers dividing FPSE, Cortex, and CWE.
Really wish Wash U. would put their pro-transit tools to work in this area the way they do around the Danforth campus. I don't know what the power balance is between all the Cortex member institutions. The method is very simple: give all Cortex area employees free metro passes and TAKE AWAY their parking spaces. Boom! Instant critical mass of transit riders which provides security, fosters community, makes people healthier (BJC is a Cortex member!), and adds citizens to the already most cosmopolitan place in the region, the metro train. It's disappointing to watch this area continue to cater to motorists this way.
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I was just at the intersection of Newstead and Clayton last night and couldn't stop thinking how truly awful it looks. The Shriners Hospital building is nice looking and I understand the Stix school is a good institution, but holy cow this area looks terrible! 3 of the 4 lots at this intersection are covered with high fencing, 2 of which feature barbed wire. A non-STLer visiting here might think this is a prison/jail area. People complain that Cortex looks too much like a West County office park, but I don't think that's accurate...this area looks less inviting and way less pleasant than a West County office park. At the very least, the barbed wire and fencing need to come down. I'm optimistic that Cortex will be a long term success in terms of bringing good jobs and companies to the City, but I think there's a very low percentage chance this will ever be a cool area. If the goal is to be something better than a suburban office park, first they need to be at least as good as one.
The East End project has made the #1 (and #2) less useful unfortunately. Plus the changes Metro has done to it. It just gets worse and worse. Such a shame since they used to be so useful.danke0 wrote: ↑Jan 09, 2020Really wish Wash U. would put their pro-transit tools to work in this area the way they do around the Danforth campus.
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Then again, maybe it's needed. I live right near here, have for years. I just drove down this stretch of Newstead maybe 20 minutes ago. Widening this street makes a lot of sense, as it is congested at the rush hours and already has more than 3 lanes of traffic for most of the way (and at the Clayton intersection 4 lanes already). This is where the massive BJC garages feed in and out of traffic towards 64/40, so it's already a bottleneck. Widening it to Clayton can help the area. What gets sacrificed? Parking lot lanes on both sides of the MetroLink tracks. Concurrently, I'm glad they're widening Newstead rather than Boyle or Sarah; those streets are at good capacity already, even with the new garages and buildings going in at Sarah and Duncan (sure could be paved, though).
Plus, this is indicative of how massive the new Wash U Neuroscience building coming to the SE corner of Duncan & Newstead will be. It looks like a net win.
I don't think this 2.5-block street widening in a desolate office park needs to be fought by any means necessary, nor do I think BJC should revoke all of their employees' parking privileges and give them bus passes, all for the sake of limiting lanes on a couple of - honestly - dismal two blocks bordering our City's prime innovation and entrepreneurship cluster that needs infrastructure enhancement so it can thrive.
Plus, this is indicative of how massive the new Wash U Neuroscience building coming to the SE corner of Duncan & Newstead will be. It looks like a net win.
I don't think this 2.5-block street widening in a desolate office park needs to be fought by any means necessary, nor do I think BJC should revoke all of their employees' parking privileges and give them bus passes, all for the sake of limiting lanes on a couple of - honestly - dismal two blocks bordering our City's prime innovation and entrepreneurship cluster that needs infrastructure enhancement so it can thrive.
Geez; tough crowd.
You all forget that Cortex still has a long way to build-out. The buildings are getting bigger and bigger, and yes, residential is coming. This will be a very busy area in a few more years. And no, the vast majority of workers (especially at BJC) simply will not take mass transit. That's simply not going to change any time soon.
You all forget that Cortex still has a long way to build-out. The buildings are getting bigger and bigger, and yes, residential is coming. This will be a very busy area in a few more years. And no, the vast majority of workers (especially at BJC) simply will not take mass transit. That's simply not going to change any time soon.
Especially if we continue to encourage them to drive through more auto infrastructure.
Eh, I would put money on most of those lots getting developed over the next decade. The corner of Duncan and Newstead is going to look unrecognizable once Wash U's new neuroscience building goes up and I wouldn't be surprised if that eventually helps spur development on those other lots heading south. Currently the lot on the northeast corner is used for BJC to park their shuttles, that probably explains the barbed wire...shuttles aren't cheap and vehicle thefts aren't exactly rare in St. Louis. The northwest corner is a federal facility for the FDA...so BJC doesn't have much of say there. Would love to see them and USDA head downtown together though...but that's probably wishful thinking at this point.SouthCityJR wrote: ↑Jan 09, 2020I was just at the intersection of Newstead and Clayton last night and couldn't stop thinking how truly awful it looks. The Shriners Hospital building is nice looking and I understand the Stix school is a good institution, but holy cow this area looks terrible! 3 of the 4 lots at this intersection are covered with high fencing, 2 of which feature barbed wire. A non-STLer visiting here might think this is a prison/jail area. People complain that Cortex looks too much like a West County office park, but I don't think that's accurate...this area looks less inviting and way less pleasant than a West County office park. At the very least, the barbed wire and fencing need to come down. I'm optimistic that Cortex will be a long term success in terms of bringing good jobs and companies to the City, but I think there's a very low percentage chance this will ever be a cool area. If the goal is to be something better than a suburban office park, first they need to be at least as good as one.
This has been stated here time and time again, but I really don't get the hate about Cortex. It's a 20-30 year project that's just barely halfway there. 4210 is going to be 10 floors, the new neuroscience building is rumored to be 14, so finally we're seeing a little more height. I think we'll see even more when Cortex K I and II and Foundry Phase II start moving forward too. The density will come to this area in time.
Also, Cortex will be a long term success...it's already a success. According to Cortex's numbers, 5,800 jobs have already been created and 415 startups call the campus home. This particular intersection may be a bit rough, but the idea that this makes the entirety of Cortex worse than a West County office park is pretty out there imho. Think about what this area looked like 10 years ago...now think about what it will look like 10 years from now. I don't know about you all, but I'm excited.
I do agree that the Newstead widening needs to die a quick and painful death though...
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^I'm not a Cortex hater at all...I'm just a bit disappointed with the current state of affairs. Can the Cortex fans honestly imagine that the area will be vibrant on Saturday afternoons 5-10 years from now? That's my concern...I don't see much hope for that. At best, this area can become a sort of small scale competitor to downtown Clayton in terms of good companies locating offices there, but Cortex isn't learning from Clayton's problems, which are the same: both are basically dead at night and on weekends. Even Clayton feels desolate during then. The way I see it, yes, this is a 30 year project, but the first 15 were too suburban. The question is can this be turned around in the next 15? I hope so, but I'm doubtful. The Newstead proposal only increases that doubt.
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Honestly, I'm hoping for weekend activity in the neighborhood ten years from now being driven by professionals who are going into the Cortex offices for weekend work shifts. I'm not looking for this area to be a hip neighborhood; the Grove is that already, and Vandeventer is becoming a continuation of that already, let alone what the Foundry will produce. What I want in Cortex is innovation, research & development, global business operations for new companies, and an increase in professional service firms working there to further the entrepreneurs, from big law firms' satellite offices to new digs for venture capital firms and so forth. Especially with the continued efforts of GlobalSTL bringing non-US companies to the region, with quite a few at Cortex, I hope for business activities to be taking place across the district all days of the week.SouthCityJR wrote: ↑Jan 09, 2020^Can the Cortex fans honestly imagine that the area will be vibrant on Saturday afternoons 5-10 years from now? That's my concern...
Meanwhile, as the Choteau Greenway comes further into being, I see mixed uses in the neighborhood developing anyways, and at a good clip. They're looking already to add residential within the district, such as the second phase of Cortex K and whatever will happen at the SE corner of FPP & Sarah, so that'll definitely bring in weekend street level activities. Plus, Chocolate Pig is damn tasty, and Vicia is always packed.
Death by 1,000 cuts.
St. Louis needs to stop subsidizing parking minimums (legal or perceived) and traffic pleasantries especially when Metro just built a multi million dollar station designed specifically for this district. It's maddening.
St. Louis needs to stop subsidizing parking minimums (legal or perceived) and traffic pleasantries especially when Metro just built a multi million dollar station designed specifically for this district. It's maddening.
Exactly. Very well said. Cortex's mission has been pretty straight forward since day one. I don't know why people are expecting this to become some hip nightclub/party/restaurant district. The Grove, CWE, eventually the Foundry, Midtown Alley, etc are all nearby and growing and have those amenities. Cortex is literally surrounded by these types of places lol. It's supposed to be a place for innovation, business, research and development. The title of this thread includes "Life Sciences and Technology District" not the next millennial hipster district.gone corporate wrote: ↑Jan 09, 2020Honestly, I'm hoping for weekend activity in the neighborhood ten years from now being driven by professionals who are going into the Cortex offices for weekend work shifts. I'm not looking for this area to be a hip neighborhood; the Grove is that already, and Vandeventer is becoming a continuation of that already, let alone what the Foundry will produce. What I want in Cortex is innovation, research & development, global business operations for new companies, and an increase in professional service firms working there to further the entrepreneurs, from big law firms' satellite offices to new digs for venture capital firms and so forth. Especially with the continued efforts of GlobalSTL bringing non-US companies to the region, with quite a few at Cortex, I hope for business activities to be taking place across the district all days of the week.SouthCityJR wrote: ↑Jan 09, 2020^Can the Cortex fans honestly imagine that the area will be vibrant on Saturday afternoons 5-10 years from now? That's my concern...
Meanwhile, as the Choteau Greenway comes further into being, I see mixed uses in the neighborhood developing anyways, and at a good clip. They're looking already to add residential within the district, such as the second phase of Cortex K and whatever will happen at the SE corner of FPP & Sarah, so that'll definitely bring in weekend street level activities. Plus, Chocolate Pig is damn tasty, and Vicia is always packed.
Considering the large amount of success the district has already had, the projects in the pipeline (that we know of) and the future plan for residential, I have zero concerns about the future of Cortex.
^ "Cortex is an intentional 24-7 mixed-use community."
- Hank Webber, chairman of Cortex and executive vice chancellor at Washington University
- Hank Webber, chairman of Cortex and executive vice chancellor at Washington University
^ Well, ya got me there. Good thing it's on the edge of one and has a couple more nearby. As long as they can get some residential built and the buildings keep getting bigger as they seem to be I think it'll be fine.
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If their goal is to be a "24/7" community, good luck with that. It would certainly be a first for STL.sc4mayor wrote: ↑Jan 10, 2020^ Well, ya got me there. Good thing it's on the edge of one and has a couple more nearby. As long as they can get some residential built and the buildings keep getting bigger as they seem to be I think it'll be fine.