urbanSTL

sc4mayor wrote:This is a substation treatment in downtown KC.  Hopefully they can do something like this where it's shielded at ground level for pedestrians and cars, and then light up the rest that could be seen from a distance.

I'm not sure that is an improvement... 

It's better to highlight industrial and utilitarian infrastructure than to try to hide it.  If the perimeter is cleaned up, and attractive fencing, landscaping, and LED lighting can be added, it can become a feature - a public art installation if you will - instead of an eyesore.

I like how they did Charolette over KC substation in terms of the brick wall present around the perimeter.   Spending the extra money for a well done brick wall as it seems they did in Charolette versus the KC wall that appears less expensive from looking at the pictures was well worth it in my opinion.    

Putting up a well done brick wall that matches up and compliments the Armory with the lighting seems like the way to go.    My fear is St Louis mentality takes over and what is good and cheap enough approach overrides lets go with what is best over the long term even though it might cost a little more up front.   So you get a wall that doesn't great during the day and looks even worse in time even though the lighted substructure might look great at night when their is lot less people around.

Possible phase II?

That’s it.

Smart to abut the parking to the highway


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I would've preferred the previous design with the highrises, but this is a good, less costly, alternative. Still brings density and well-designed development to the city sp there's not much to complain about.

Gimme that Grand Viaduct level retail or I'm leaving. 

Elek.borrelli wrote: ↑

Dec 10, 2019

I would've preferred the previous design with the highrises, but this is a good, less costly, alternative. Still brings density and well-designed development to the city sp there's not much to complain about.

That is my thinking, some of the early renderings with hotel tower on top of platform that offered both ground level and viaduct level entry was by far the best hotel idea in the area in my opinion.  Especially a full service hotel with some conference/meeting space as your literally centered between two medical campuses, medical school, CORTEX, arts center and major university.   

Aprice, as far as viaduct level retail.  That doesn't seem appealing in my mind simply for the fact that their is retail being pursued in the immediate area from Foundry to the north to Iron Hill to the south and if that is not good enough, you got Grand Center, CWE and The Grove all a short distance away.

But the next best thing is what the latest rendering is showing,  good density to an unique area.   The next big thing on the radar if Foundry phase II and Amory phase II/this gets built is how connections can move forward whether it be a new pedestrian crossing between Foundry & Armory to Greenway to at grade FPP-Grand intersection, so on.  How will those connections come about and how do SLU/powers to be make funding happening.  I think it makes for a great BUILD proposal/grant but tough to secure with the competition and current admin favoring non urban areas.     

From an additional rendering I have seen, and I have a picture of it somewhere, the interaction with Grand is ok. Mostly a driveway and turn around circle. Access to the main Armory area will be here as well as a ramp will be built.

The timeline may have changed on when they hope to start but last I heard was late 2020. 

Green Street should just focus on the residential building along Prospect, and leave the space next to the Grand viaduct open park space for a future Phase III.  If this area gets hot, they may be able to put together a much better project than this several years from now.  And, who knows, by then maybe MoDOT will finally get around to considering how to clean up that interchange and get rid of that pointless waste of space Bernard St. off ramp from eastbound I-64.

I really liked the circular building in the old renderings.  The massing was a bit depressing, but would have been a cool design building wise.

STLEnginerd wrote: ↑

Dec 12, 2019

I have no problem with the density, height or use as primarily residential.  Parking against the highway is a good plan as well.  But its seems obvious to me that Bernard should ramp up from Prospect to Grand.  There should be a lighted intersection at Grand and Bernard.  How else are they expecting people to get to this development.

As the East side of Bernard is developed it should likewise ramp up to the same lighted intersection.  And down the road the Goodwill should be demolished and Bernard developed all the way to Vandeventer.

You can get to the Armory from Vandeventer via Market, and from Compton via Spruce-Theresa-Scott.  If they must have direct access, wouldn't it be a lot more efficient to just have an Armory garage entrance off of Grand rather than build very steep ramps down to Bernard on both sides of the viaduct?

What I don't understand is how these areas are supposed to comprise a "district," especially armory, steelcote, and iron hill, when they are totally isolated from each other. Is the Greenway supposed to be the thing that knits them together eventually? the infrastructure along either side of that stretch of Grand just seems opposed in every way to a really vibrant urban area taking shape there, no matter how many apartments you put in on either side of it.

JacksonPolyp wrote: ↑

Dec 13, 2019

What I don't understand is how these areas are supposed to comprise a "district," especially armory, steelcote, and iron hill, when they are totally isolated from each other. Is the Greenway supposed to be the thing that knits them together eventually? the infrastructure along either side of that stretch of Grand just seems opposed in every way to a really vibrant urban area taking shape there, no matter how many apartments you put in on either side of it.

Yes, but that isn't going to do it by itself.  That's why integrating the Grand viaduct into the neighborhoods below, for all forms of traffic, is so important.

To address the connectivity issue, we need to rebuild the Spring viaduct and either create a Theresa viaduct or connect the northern and southern sections with an at-grade with the tracks. I know there are a lot of tracks to cross, but at least it's something.

We also could eliminate the separate EB Bernard/Market exit and build an option at the Grand exit to continue on to Spruce, which eventually connects to Chouteau. This would also eliminate one more noodle in that spaghetti of ramps by getting rid of the Market underpass. Market east of Prospect could continue on to take the place of the Bernard exit ramp to give a continuous outer road from Vandeventer to Ewing. 

This site has been very quiet for the past couple months, can't remember the last time I saw a soul there working. Windows are in, but still lacking doors and a complete weather tight core/shell. 

Any news floating out there? Has leasing all dropped out of this one? Doesn't seem to bode well with the potential of a phase II. 

Wasn't WeWork supposed to be a tenant? That company doesn't seem to be doing great

My company is moving a couple hundred of us to WeWork for a few months, maybe even a year. That should help them out a bit, I'd imagine.

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

I thought We Work was in Met Square?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk