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PostJul 07, 2021#501

I think a quality grocery store here has the ability to serve far more residents from neighborhoods both south and north of delmar than the strip mall did. I think creating a walkable grocery store in the middle of the city next to transit, dense neighborhoods, and one of America’s best parks is a really smart idea moving forward.


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PostJul 07, 2021#502

throatybeard wrote:
Jul 07, 2021
That said, a closer grocery would be at least one saving grace from this grotesque matchstick interstate motel looking pile of lumber.  Built by developers obsessed in their public comments with crime, of which there was very little at the strip mall, who called a functioning strip mall blighted because there were AfAm businesses in it, and on whose consruction site you see only white laborers.
We must be watching different construction sites because I run by the site every working day right when the workers arrive and can attest that they are diverse. There are men and women, white and black, Hispanic and Asian so whatever you're spewing is incorrect. 

I have talked with many of my neighbors and have mentioned that this will have a grocery store and all of them are very excited.

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PostJul 07, 2021#503

I understand, though disagree with, the perspective that the strip mall should've stayed because it offered cheap rents to minority owned businesses. But I think it's in very bad faith to argue that anyone who wanted to tear down an ugly strip mall is racist. 

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PostJul 07, 2021#504

PeterXCV wrote:
Jul 07, 2021
I understand, though disagree with, the perspective that the strip mall should've stayed because it offered cheap rents to minority owned businesses. But I think it's in very bad faith to argue that anyone who wanted to tear down an ugly strip mall is racist. 
Then the developers shouldn't have used racialized language about crime and blight while they're displacing African American human beings.

No one has made the argument that the strip mall was an optimal use of space according to urbanist standards. But if the developers didn't want to be seen as racists then they shouldn't have spoken exactly like racists. Ethics, morality, and basic human decency matter more than maximizing land use.

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PostJul 07, 2021#505

I think "displacing African American human beings" is a bit overstated, it's not like anyone lived in the strip mall. Or maybe we disagree about citizens united, I don't think businesses are people. 

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PostJul 07, 2021#506

symphonicpoet wrote:
Jul 07, 2021
urbanitas wrote:
Jul 06, 2021
symphonicpoet wrote:
May 13, 2021
^There's certainly no rule that you can't put more steel into a building than required. The 5 over 2 is a minimum, if I understand it correctly, not a maximum. And local laws may (and doubtless do) vary. (Stagehands and musicians are doubtless not great resources on local and national building code.)
6 stories is about the maximum with standard load-bearing wood framing.  You can go taller with lighter floors and higher grade, bigger or more closely spaced studs, or with engineered wood products, but that added cost becomes counter-productive very quickly in all but a handful of markets.
Sorry, I wasn't clear there. Five over two is a term I've heard thrown around a lot lately for what I used to call four story stick, but with a steel framed garage underneath. I don't mean to say you can make a wood frame structure infinite height, but I think the two stories of steel framing is a minimum amount of steel, for your twigrise not a maximum. (Otherwise downtowns would be a lot shorter than they are.) Mind you, I don't mean to say you could put a four story wooden hat on top of the Sears Tower, but I don't think having a five over two as a part of your structure would prevent you from having five stories of solid steel as another wing.
The podium or base is pretty much irrelevant to the height of the load-bearing wood frame on top of it, at least from an engineering standpoint.  It could be concrete or steel, a 10-story garage, 1-4 stories of retail and office, or nothing but a foundation.  The only limitations in those cases would be leasing feasibility, fire safety, and elevator access (there's a height limit for hydraulic elevators, for example).

I was just referring to the limitations of the load-bearing wood frame itself.  The height limit is simply determined by how much weight can be supported by the wood bearing walls on the lowest level.  Obviously, the more walls you have the less load each wall carries, but then that really limits your architectural room layout.  This is part of the reason some of these stick-framed residential projects have so many studio apartments.

PostJul 07, 2021#507

SeattleNative wrote:
Jul 07, 2021

My hope for the grocer continues to be a Schnucks Culinaria type store that serves all residents from the surrounding neighborhoods and further (as the transit stop gives great access).
Unfortunately, the retail space in question is much smaller than even the downtown Schnucks.  Possibly one of their new "Fresh" concept stores would fit...

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PostJul 07, 2021#508

urbanitas wrote:
SeattleNative wrote:
Jul 07, 2021

My hope for the grocer continues to be a Schnucks Culinaria type store that serves all residents from the surrounding neighborhoods and further (as the transit stop gives great access).
Unfortunately, the retail space in question is much smaller than even the downtown Schnucks.  Possibly one of their new "Fresh" concept stores would fit...
How big is the downtown schnucks space? The expo space is about 15,000 sq ft, which is roughly the avg Trader Joe’s size.


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PostJul 07, 2021#509

PeterXCV wrote:
Jul 07, 2021
I understand, though disagree with, the perspective that the strip mall should've stayed because it offered cheap rents to minority owned businesses. But I think it's in very bad faith to argue that anyone who wanted to tear down an ugly strip mall is racist. 
You do realize that anyone who criticizes any accusation of racism now, no matter how absurd, is a de facto racist, right?  😉

PostJul 07, 2021#510

SeattleNative wrote:
Jul 07, 2021
urbanitas wrote:
SeattleNative wrote:
Jul 07, 2021

My hope for the grocer continues to be a Schnucks Culinaria type store that serves all residents from the surrounding neighborhoods and further (as the transit stop gives great access).
Unfortunately, the retail space in question is much smaller than even the downtown Schnucks.  Possibly one of their new "Fresh" concept stores would fit...
How big is the downtown schnucks space? The expo space is about 15,000 sq ft, which is roughly the avg Trader Joe’s size.
The downtown Schnucks is around 27,000 sf, including the mezzanine.

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PostJul 07, 2021#511

urbanitas wrote:
SeattleNative wrote:
Jul 07, 2021
urbanitas wrote: Unfortunately, the retail space in question is much smaller than even the downtown Schnucks.  Possibly one of their new "Fresh" concept stores would fit...
How big is the downtown schnucks space? The expo space is about 15,000 sq ft, which is roughly the avg Trader Joe’s size.
It's around 27,000 sf including the mezzanine.
Ah, okay. How big is the mezzanine? Feel like this location could go without that.


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PostJul 07, 2021#512

SeattleNative wrote:
Jul 07, 2021
urbanitas wrote:
SeattleNative wrote:
Jul 07, 2021
How big is the downtown schnucks space? The expo space is about 15,000 sq ft, which is roughly the avg Trader Joe’s size.
It's around 27,000 sf including the mezzanine.
Ah, okay. How big is the mezzanine? Feel like this location could go without that.
The store footprint is 21,000 sf, so the mezzanine must be around 6,000 sf.

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PostJul 07, 2021#513

urbanitas wrote:
SeattleNative wrote:
Jul 07, 2021
urbanitas wrote: It's around 27,000 sf including the mezzanine.
Ah, okay. How big is the mezzanine? Feel like this location could go without that.
The store footprint is 21,000 sf, so the mezzanine must be around 6,000 sf.
Thanks. Any idea how big the Whole Foods in CWE is? Or even the Fields Foods there? Maybe those are better for comparison?


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PostJul 08, 2021#514

SeattleNative wrote:
urbanitas wrote:
SeattleNative wrote:
Jul 07, 2021
Ah, okay. How big is the mezzanine? Feel like this location could go without that.
The store footprint is 21,000 sf, so the mezzanine must be around 6,000 sf.
Thanks. Any idea how big the Whole Foods in CWE is? Or even the Fields Foods there? Maybe those are better for comparison?


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To your earlier point Urbanitas, the Schnucks Fresh concept opening will be 18k sq ft. So that probably would work. Hopefully they have some interest in filling in the gap between their CWE and Clayton Road locations.


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PostJul 08, 2021#515

urbanitas wrote:
Jul 07, 2021
PeterXCV wrote:
Jul 07, 2021
I understand, though disagree with, the perspective that the strip mall should've stayed because it offered cheap rents to minority owned businesses. But I think it's in very bad faith to argue that anyone who wanted to tear down an ugly strip mall is racist. 
You do realize that anyone who criticizes any accusation of racism now, no matter how absurd, is a de facto racist, right?  😉
Couple comments:

1. Unless you and I are at the receiving end of it, we really shouldn’t get to judge what is racist. Racial bias takes many subtle forms.

2. Success in the city so far for the most part has been rather tone-deaf. The focus has been attracting the most affluent residents and visitors you can because money will solve all our problems. The impact on existing occupants is usually not a part of the conversation.

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PostJul 08, 2021#516

I’d be curious to know if any actual African American business owners in this strip mall reached out to “throatybeard” about their complaints or if this is some misplaced white guilt (which is most likely). My guess is the business owners in said strip-mall got compensated for their relocation and that was that. Considering our current environment…I feel like if they were getting screwed…we’d know about it…

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PostJul 08, 2021#517

FWIW, I think the only black owned business in the strip mall was Shave Barbershop which now looks to be down on Wash Ave. Chinese Express looks like it moved to Clayton Road. Don’t know what happened to express mart (liked that place) or the laundromat. The Metro office there appears to have just closed and not relocated. Subway, too.

I was hoping more of those places would relocate nearby to the several vacant storefronts on DeBaliviere, Pershing, and Delmar.

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PostJul 08, 2021#518

throatybeard wrote:
Jul 07, 2021
PeterXCV wrote:
Jul 07, 2021
I understand, though disagree with, the perspective that the strip mall should've stayed because it offered cheap rents to minority owned businesses. But I think it's in very bad faith to argue that anyone who wanted to tear down an ugly strip mall is racist. 
Then the developers shouldn't have used racialized language about crime and blight while they're displacing African American human beings.
Are there specific statements by the developer that you're referring to? 

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PostJul 08, 2021#519

urbanitas wrote:
Jul 07, 2021
symphonicpoet wrote:
Jul 07, 2021
urbanitas wrote:
Jul 06, 2021
6 stories is about the maximum with standard load-bearing wood framing.  You can go taller with lighter floors and higher grade, bigger or more closely spaced studs, or with engineered wood products, but that added cost becomes counter-productive very quickly in all but a handful of markets.
Sorry, I wasn't clear there. Five over two is a term I've heard thrown around a lot lately for what I used to call four story stick, but with a steel framed garage underneath. I don't mean to say you can make a wood frame structure infinite height, but I think the two stories of steel framing is a minimum amount of steel, for your twigrise not a maximum. (Otherwise downtowns would be a lot shorter than they are.) Mind you, I don't mean to say you could put a four story wooden hat on top of the Sears Tower, but I don't think having a five over two as a part of your structure would prevent you from having five stories of solid steel as another wing.
The podium or base is pretty much irrelevant to the height of the load-bearing wood frame on top of it, at least from an engineering standpoint.  It could be concrete or steel, a 10-story garage, 1-4 stories of retail and office, or nothing but a foundation.  The only limitations in those cases would be leasing feasibility, fire safety, and elevator access (there's a height limit for hydraulic elevators, for example).

I was just referring to the limitations of the load-bearing wood frame itself.  The height limit is simply determined by how much weight can be supported by the wood bearing walls on the lowest level.  Obviously, the more walls you have the less load each wall carries, but then that really limits your architectural room layout.  This is part of the reason some of these stick-framed residential projects have so many studio apartments.
We're talking apples and oranges. If I recall correctly at a quarter to four in the morning my comment was relative to someone expressing shock that someone should use more steel than necessary. I'd gotten the idea the steel was for an amenity space, maybe. (Larger common rooms, a pool maybe, a gym, lots of glass . . . ) I entirely agree with you that wood is limited to five or maybe six stories. There's a reason I used to call it four story stick. But I was never trying to talk about wood. Just steel. My basic point was supposed to be there's nothing structurally stopping a developer from using lots and lots of steel if they want to do something they can't do with toothpicks.

Which is a fancy way of saying "Same team!" ;-)

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PostJul 08, 2021#520

SeattleNative wrote:
Jul 07, 2021

Thanks. Any idea how big the Whole Foods in CWE is? Or even the Fields Foods there? Maybe those are better for comparison?
The Whole Foods is about 28,500sf and Fields Foods is 8,200sf, but I doubt the latter would be considered a "full service" grocer.  

As for Straub's, I'm not sure how big that store is post-renovation, but I think the original store was around 10,000sf, not including the restaurant space, so that's probably the best comparison for what could fit in the Expo North space.

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PostJul 08, 2021#521

Field's in the CWE is a convenience mart and nothing more. I wouldn't be surprised if were to close soon.

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PostJul 08, 2021#522

BellaVilla wrote:
Jul 08, 2021
Field's in the CWE is a convenience mart and nothing more. I wouldn't be surprised if were to close soon.
And the landlord, Cullinan Properties, no longer has any need of a local political goodwill generator...

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PostJul 09, 2021#523

urbanitas wrote:
Jul 08, 2021
BellaVilla wrote:
Jul 08, 2021
Field's in the CWE is a convenience mart and nothing more. I wouldn't be surprised if were to close soon.
And the landlord, Cullinan Properties, no longer has any need of a local political goodwill generator...
There was a STL Magazine article this spring that said 200 apartments are planned directly across Euclid form the Fields. Maybe that will help the numbers work for a convenience level grocer, goodwill or not. 

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PostJul 09, 2021#524

wabash wrote:
Jul 09, 2021
urbanitas wrote:
Jul 08, 2021
BellaVilla wrote:
Jul 08, 2021
Field's in the CWE is a convenience mart and nothing more. I wouldn't be surprised if were to close soon.
And the landlord, Cullinan Properties, no longer has any need of a local political goodwill generator...
There was a STL Magazine article this spring that said 200 apartments are planned directly across Euclid form the Fields. Maybe that will help the numbers work for a convenience level grocer, goodwill or not. 
The developer and the grocer should deliver on their promises. The people north of Lindell would love to be able to shop for groceries without having to cross that traffic sewer of a road but the Fields doesn't want to sell anything but booze 

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PostJul 09, 2021#525

wabash wrote:
Jul 09, 2021
urbanitas wrote:
Jul 08, 2021
BellaVilla wrote:
Jul 08, 2021
Field's in the CWE is a convenience mart and nothing more. I wouldn't be surprised if were to close soon.
And the landlord, Cullinan Properties, no longer has any need of a local political goodwill generator...
There was a STL Magazine article this spring that said 200 apartments are planned directly across Euclid form the Fields. Maybe that will help the numbers work for a convenience level grocer, goodwill or not. 
Even if those apartments become reality, 200 apartments next door won't make up the difference when they have to start paying market-rate rent.  But I suppose liquor sales to addicts at highly-inflated prices might do the trick.

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