urbanSTL

Unless downtowns fortunes change I would expect the land surrounding the stadium to sit status quo similar to the land around Busch, Enterprise, and the Dome. Parking lot owners are thrilled right now, not because they will be able to develop their land, but because the value of their parking just shot up during home games and other events.

Until the city restructures how downtown surface parking lots are taxed we are just going to see more of the same in downtown west. It's just too easy for these lot owners to just sit there rake in the money. Hopefully the new administration will address this.

I will be interested to see how much the new administration wants to fix up downtown, or if they will place their focus elsewhere. 

But I really don't think the land around the MLS stadium is going to be dead space when City isn't playing. There is serious momentum in this area. Union Station just went through a renovation and added an aquarium. The Jefferson Connector is a short walk away. Locust Street continues to improve itself in DTW and Midtown. 

I'm pretty bullish on this area of the city - especially if City ownership and their rich friends actually step up and invest in the blocks surrounding the stadium complex.

^Agreed and in general I think the overall gain for the city in having your highlighted lots developed is far more beneficial long term that the equivalent space South of Market. As with all of us I wish there was demand for both, but the lots you highlight should be prioritized over South of Market until if/when the demand is there for a higher use of the land. Echoing the above that I hope the city places emphasis on the appropriate parties to drive development in this area as soon as possible.

Khakis wrote: ↑

Apr 13, 2021

DTGstl314 wrote: ↑

Apr 13, 2021

urbanitas wrote: ↑

Apr 13, 2021

Parking, loading docks, back-of-house, parking, storage, emergency generators, electrical substation, parking, stormwater detention, pedestrian connections between the stadium, team facility basement, and future below-grade garage, and/or parking...

Perhaps even parking?

The tunnel that leads under market will go to the stadiums loading dock / player and staff entrance / stadium back of house Ops etc. I remember earlier renderings of the south of market project had a parking garage that would be built beneath the practice fields; Those plans for the parking garage got scrapped likely due to cost or just being not practical for the project as the scope matured and was finalized.  That garage i dont believe was ever going to be a public garage anyways, it would have been used for players and Front Office staff when the HQ was still on the main plot of land south of market and the training facility. 

The earliest renderings clearly showed at least one level of parking under both soccer fields between Market and Clark (they may still be on the MLS thread), with an elevator lobby in the northeast corner across from the stadium. Just one below-grade level of parking under both fields would have been over 1,000 spaces. I can't imagine the team officials, players, and Academy ever needing even half of that.

Besides, I discussed it with the HOK project executive in late 2019. He referred to the garage as game-day parking, and said there could be a separate parking area below the team building for players and officials, but they were, "still looking at it".

Quick edit: My point is this - can we move on from bringing up every little piece of the MLS Stadium that isn't "ideal" to an urbanist's point of view? It's not going to "fix" anything at this point in time - they're certainly not going to change the stadium plans, and it only diverts the conversation away from what the land around the stadium could become. Let's be more forward thinking and try to promote "what should and can be" for the area around the stadium.

It may be difficult, but certainly not impossible to build something there eventually. Might be a nice spot for a hotel expansion one day.

^100 percent agree

Laife Fulk wrote: ↑

Apr 23, 2021

...and it only diverts the conversation away from what the land around the stadium could become. Let's be more forward thinking and try to promote "what should and can be" for the area around the stadium.

no it doesn't. we can talk about both. and i think you're highly overestimating the influence of this forum on development.

^100 percent agree   ...Doubly so on the "highly overestimating the influence of this forum on development" comment

urban_dilettante wrote: ↑

Apr 23, 2021

Laife Fulk wrote: ↑

Apr 23, 2021

...and it only diverts the conversation away from what the land around the stadium could become. Let's be more forward thinking and try to promote "what should and can be" for the area around the stadium.

no it doesn't. we can talk about both. and i think you're highly overestimating the influence of this forum on development.

Not at all - this forum has little / next to zero influence. I've always had that belief / understanding.

Laife Fulk wrote: ↑

Apr 23, 2021

urban_dilettante wrote: ↑

Apr 23, 2021

Laife Fulk wrote: ↑

Apr 23, 2021

...and it only diverts the conversation away from what the land around the stadium could become. Let's be more forward thinking and try to promote "what should and can be" for the area around the stadium.

no it doesn't. we can talk about both. and i think you're highly overestimating the influence of this forum on development.

Not at all - this forum has little / next to zero influence. I've always had that belief / understanding.

The forum is a great way for keeping up with local development news.  It has zero or next to zero influence on development.  

Laife Fulk wrote: ↑

Apr 23, 2021

Quick edit: My point is this - can we move on from bringing up every little piece of the MLS Stadium that isn't "ideal" to an urbanist's point of view? It's not going to "fix" anything at this point in time - they're certainly not going to change the stadium plans, and it only diverts the conversation away from what the land around the stadium could become. Let's be more forward thinking and try to promote "what should and can be" for the area around the stadium.

But that equine is not yet deceased!

This same "developer" plans to remake much of Downtown West, or so they claim. So it seems to me as though "every little piece of the MLS Stadium" which exemplifies poor urban design would be highly relevant to "what the land around the stadium could become". Particularly so on a forum, "Dedicated to Urbanism in St. Louis".

Up to three lattice boom crawler cranes in the stadium now. The MLC 300 is still setting structural steel. The first 2250 is setting pre-cast. I think the second 2250 now assembled is to start working on the canopy structure.

MattnSTL wrote: ↑

May 02, 2021

Up to three lattice boom crawler cranes in the stadium now. The MLC 300 is still setting structural steel. The first 2250 is setting pre-cast. I think the second 2250 now assembled is to start working on the canopy structure.

And there they are:

Just two columns left to erect, at the southeast corner of the stadium (left edge of the photo).

More new pics here:
Stadium
Training Compound
Photos provided by: Linktree: 314SoccerShow

Sent the drone up today here for my monthly update. With the canopy going up, it'll start taking final shape quickly.








Up close shots of the canopy...






Additional seating sections...




South of Market Street...

^There's a certain stage in any project when things start to seem very fast indeed. The foundation work usually seems to drag on forever, but once the iron starts going in . . . 

I can't wait to see this finished. Thanks for the updates!

chriss752 wrote: ↑

May 10, 2021

Would ya just look at all those full parking lots? Glad we made some new ones to match all of the demand.

I wonder if the owners dodged a bullet on steel prices?  They have must have been locked in early last year or this project would probably have seen another big round of value engineering.