Sutton Loop in Maplewood open for redesign

Alex Ihnen · PostApr 20, 2009#12009-04-20T18:22+00:00

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/s ... enDocument

Architects will offer ideas for Sutton Loop

04/19/2009

MAPLEWOOD — The Maplewood Community Betterment Foundation will ask local architects to submit ideas on how to use the former Sutton Bus Loop, 2815 Sutton Avenue.

Residents offered suggestions last week at a public hearing on how to use the land on Sutton, between Hazel and Maple avenues. A few said some of the area could be used for parking, but most urged city officials to preserve the tract as green space or a park.

Mayor Mark Langston presented a sketch he and former public works director John Openlander drew as a possibility. The sketch shows parking spaces on the Maple and Hazel sides and at the back of the site with green space and a small playground in the heart of the plot. Sidewalks crisscross the site diagonally.

I guess this is an OK spot for a park - but I'd go for two-story ground level retail and second level office/apartments with parking in the back. There are some very nice commercial storefronts immediately adjacent to this site and added density could make the stretch very pedestrian friendly and attractive. There's plenty of room for a pocket park either on this site or one of the surrounding large surface lots. Let's hope whomever is designing alternatives have more of an imagination than demonstrated in the story!!!!

moorlander · PostApr 20, 2009#22009-04-20T18:57+00:00

Why is the answer to EVERY question either parking or green space? Son of a .....

10-intuition · PostApr 20, 2009#32009-04-20T19:00+00:00

Moorlander wrote:Why is the answer to EVERY question is either parking or green space? Son of a .....

Its a cheaper solution leave the land vacant than to building something. How many times have we seen developers propose a project only to get it stalled or nothing built at all. Maplewood can do better than just turn this into a wasted opportunity!

dredger · PostApr 20, 2009#42009-04-20T19:11+00:00

Onboard with Moorlander, extend the cross street, cut up in lots and you got some great property for residential infill without having to do tear downs.

Alex Ihnen · PostApr 27, 2009#52009-04-27T04:49+00:00

^ The cross street is an alley. Driving around the area today there is some great retail from this block towards Manchester. So I say make it a "town green" - a bit of an oasis surrounded by retail/restaurants off the main strip. Let's face it, the Shop 'n Save killed any real chance that this stretch of Manchester would ever feel like the Delmar Loop.

http://stlurbanworkshop.blogspot.com/20 ... ed-as.html

jcity · PostApr 28, 2009#62009-04-28T03:43+00:00

they should push to tear down that shop in save, push it up to the street grid, have the parking in the rear. Maplewood could really compete even more with the Loop and other areas. how shortsighted was it to allow them to tear down this stretch of commercial buildings.

southcitygent · PostApr 28, 2009#72009-04-28T20:22+00:00

In some respects the Shop and Save is an improvement over the K-Mart development that was previously there. It was a parking garage retail space lining the sidewalk while the K-mart was on the second level I found it to be pretty oppressive.

moorlander · PostApr 28, 2009#82009-04-28T20:23+00:00

this is news to me. Anyone have pics?