Well, if this and 6630 Delmar go up, the next logical sites to develop are to the north and east of the Loop. Maybe the continued string of investments into the West End neighborhood mean that the portions along Delmar are ready for more significant new construction to link to the stuff on Debaliviere and to Maxine Clark's deal at the old hospital.
As for the design of this building, I'm fine with it. I think it will look better once building or when better renderings are made. It still seems early on.
I remember the first time I visited the Loop with a group of fellow plucky teens from Kirkwood who just got their driver's license. We parked east of Skinker and walked around the east side of the Loop for a while thinking that it was a bit disappointing. Little did we know that the main part of the Loop was in fact west of that god awful Skinker intersection.
I've also walked the Loop with people coming from the other side and had to stop them from turning around at Skinker because they also thought the Loop ended there.
Having 3/4 corners densely developed is HUGE for the Loop. That intersection was such a huge hole in an otherwise magnificent streetscape. Now we just need to find a way to develop that ATT lot. Not likely to happen anytime soon but a man can hope.
I'd love to see a significant renovation or redevelopment of the Seoul Taco building.
Hopefully also
Phase 2 of The Loop Lofts (Enright & Westgate)
The old Dobbs Tire & Auto site (6045 Delmar)
And the lots at Hodiamont, Hamilton, and just east of the trolley garage. It would also be cool to see new construction along Skinker, just north of Link in the Loop.
I'd love to see a significant renovation or redevelopment of the Seoul Taco building.
Hopefully also
Phase 2 of The Loop Lofts (Enright & Westgate)
The old Dobbs Tire & Auto site (6045 Delmar)
And the lots at Hodiamont, Hamilton, and just east of the trolley garage. It would also be cool to see new construction along Skinker, just north of Link in the Loop.
There is also the Wash U "North" Campus - the old Angelica plant - along with the Metro lots is a giant contiguous piece of ground - I have no idea if Wash U has plans for this site. Right now it houses facility support and an early childhood center.... really under utilized. Now that East Campus is complete I wonder if we will see a plan - The Danforth Campus has little room for new work.
The density and mass of this is a real upgrade over the past proposals, the masonry base looks nice, the bulk of the building needs some refinement - though I wonder if the rendering technique used here is doing a disservice to the design.
I'd love to see a significant renovation or redevelopment of the Seoul Taco building.
Hopefully also
Phase 2 of The Loop Lofts (Enright & Westgate)
The old Dobbs Tire & Auto site (6045 Delmar)
And the lots at Hodiamont, Hamilton, and just east of the trolley garage. It would also be cool to see new construction along Skinker, just north of Link in the Loop.
Vertical density proposed here will set a precedent for what's to come moving east on Delmar. I believe the lots owed by Wash U. around the Delmar station will also be developed with some height. The Delmar and Forest Park stations should have a dense corridor between them. Eventually the Loop Trolley will be an important people mover within this carless-living densely populated stretch. I believe this vision is already laid out and well on it's way to becoming reality.
Selfishly for the city... I'd love to see a rush of 4-5 story buildings infill all of those empty lots down to Debaliviere.
Totally. Although the block on the north side of Delmar between Hamilton and Goodfellow would be suitable for something big. You have a huge vacant lot where the McDonald's once stood, an unexceptional one-story retail building, another vacant lot, and then an old car wash that was converted into something else (a daycare?).
The building with Seoul Taco is old actually. It was an insurance company building before. They added a story and the façade during the urban renewal era. I find the colonnade oppressive and the music Seoul Taco blasts out super annoying.
The parking lot north of Link in the Loop is owned by the church at Skinker and Washington. Doubtful that'll get developed next.
The parking lot across Skinker owned by WUSTL is meant for the office tenant at Link.
The lot to the east of the Trolley barn is owned by the History Museum and the lot built by the East Loop CID. That area NeEdEd PaRkInG!
WUSTL owns almost everything around the Metrolink station. I wonder what they're waiting for. To get the last few properties (the dentist and chop suey place)?
A single-story car magnet pick up pizza place that covered about a third of the parcel was floated for the SE corner of Delmar and DeGiverville. Some felt it was the best we could hope for given the small lot size. Some felt it was lame use for a parcel about 500 ft from a Metrolink station and noted there were thousands of more productive buildings on lots that size all over the city. And it didn't met the forthcoming FBC.
Still hoping the Lucier Park reconfig as outlined in the SD plan might happen some day which would put it at the corner of Delmar and Hamilton.
And of course the Metro garage.
And hope someday the NW corner of Delmar and Goodfellow gets redone. After the What Should Be post on NextSTL about it, a real estate broker who said they'd listed the property for a year before the NextSTL post said they didn't get interest. He was pretty grumpy about the NextSTL post. I asked what the list price was in case someone asked me about it. No answer. Meanwhile the out of state owners don't pay their property taxes giving me hope, then pay up at the last minute. Just like at Delmar and Skinker, often the problem is the owner.
WUSTL owns almost everything around the Metrolink station. I wonder what they're waiting for. To get the last few properties (the dentist and chop suey place)?
They may not be waiting for anything specific - just purchased them when they could to gain control and are keeping them until a need arises to utilize them. No different than what SLU does with buying up property, except that WashU doesn't tear everything down for the green space.
WUSTL owns almost everything around the Metrolink station. I wonder what they're waiting for. To get the last few properties (the dentist and chop suey place)?
They may not be waiting for anything specific - just purchased them when they could to gain control and are keeping them until a need arises to utilize them. No different than what SLU does with buying up property, except that WashU doesn't tear everything down for the green space.
Both should pay property taxes on their speculative property purchases!
The meeting tonight was filled with complaints about parking (too little apparently) and more college kids taking over the neighborhood even though this would likely reduce the number of college kids renting houses in the neighborhood.
We have some very stupid people living in this City and unfortunately, they're the most vocal. Prime examples of stupidity being this and the Douglass Hill project comments on that project's Facebook.
These NIMBYs don't seem to understand the concept of living in a city or urban area, or even the concept of living in a desirable neighborhood. In the case of the OPUS project, they oppose a project that will add to what's probably the most walkable street in the entire Metro Area. Seems like they'd rather keep a nasty vacant lot. This is one of the projects were I feel public comment shouldn't matter if all it's going to be about is "parking!". Silence the NIMBYs.
So frustrating. Their parking fears will never be assuaged. Opus' experience elsewhere doesn't matter. The experience with the Everly doesn't matter.
Are homeowners using their off-street parking on their own property?
We have some very stupid people living in this City and unfortunately, they're the most vocal. Prime examples of stupidity being this and the Douglass Hill project comments on that project's Facebook.
These NIMBYs don't seem to understand the concept of living in a city or urban area, or even the concept of living in a desirable neighborhood. In the case of the OPUS project, they oppose a project that will add to what's probably the most walkable street in the entire Metro Area. Seems like they'd rather keep a nasty vacant lot. This is one of the projects were I feel public comment shouldn't matter if all it's going to be about is "parking!". Silence the NIMBYs.
Hopefully this follows the same path as The Everly, with the initial horror of neighborhood alarmists giving way to a ground-up development.
They don't have to, but it's unlikely the Board of Adjustment or the Preservation Board (or LCRA board if they're seeking sales tax exemption on construction materials or property tax abatement or assurance) would support without Aldermanic support which probably doesn't happen without neighborhood support.
They don't have to, but it's unlikely the Board of Adjustment or the Preservation Board (or LCRA board if they're seeking sales tax exemption on construction materials or property tax abatement or assurance) would support without Aldermanic support which probably doesn't happen without neighborhood support.
Sorry for maybe a silly question. Why are there all these boards involved. How is a preservation board involved with a vacant lot? Not sure why that need preserved.
The Board of Adjustment considers zoning variances.
The Skinker DeBaliviere Historic District has regs for new construction. That goes through CRO and consideration by the Preservation Board.
Love seeing all of this progress on the east side of the loop. 
