16th Ward Alderwoman Out in Front on Planning & Communication
16th Ward Alderwoman Donna Baringer has posted several items on the 16th Ward News section of the Board of Aldermen website. At this time only Baringer and Young (7th Ward) are posting online news about their respective wards on the site. It is unclear how the other 26 are communicating ward news to constituents, city residents, potential residents, existing businesses and potential businesses.
From the PDF of a print newsletter I can see that Baringer was at Francis Park this past Saturday (the 19th) to show off plans for revisions to the playground and asking for feedback.
In commercial news I can read a summary of the Shrewsbury transit charrette that I attended recently (see post) as well as a Hampton & Chippewa charrette that I was unaware of. A two-page PDF entitled a “16th Ward Retail Profile” is an excellent marketing piece for businesses considering locating in or near the 16th ward. Among the information included is buying power for the area relative to Lindbergh & I-44 and other retail corridors.
I’ve yet to review a new Starbucks with drive-thru recently built in the 16th Ward. My initial drive-by was not overly impressive as it had a drive lane between the public sidewalk and building. Still, I am impressed by Ald. Baringer’s willingness to get involved in planning issues, bringing in the planning staff and clearly communicating this information to the public. Currently Baringer is out front leading other aldermen, many of whom have decades of “experience.”
Baringer, elected in 2003, is still in her first stint as alderwoman. While the ward has not turned into a dense urban oasis during her term it is clear she is making a strong effort to move the 16th in a positive and more pedestrian-friendly direction. From my vantage point, Ald. Baringer is way out in front of all the aldermen on planning and communications.
– Steve
I agree completely.
In a settled and stable ward like the 16th, what are the top urban concerns?
In the past few years, here are some of the ones to make the news:
1. Retaining Target
2. Limiting signs on rental property
3. Facelift for Macklind, following Ivanhoe model
4. Public schools have been a recent focus of the alderman.
5. Nottingham Community Center
6. Chippewa Lion’s Choice/Starbucks developments
7. Rally’s at River Des Peres
8. Metrolink and possible new T-O-D development of area around the station
9. Francis Park improvements
10. Dog park sponsored by Southampton Neighborhood Associaton, located in Wilmore Park
11. An active commercial development committee
12. Traffic safety, increased enforcement against speeders, radar trailer moved around the ward
[REPLY I see her as taking pro-active steps to look at pedestrian friendly issues so that as development continues to occur in the ward it will be done in a manner that makes a positive contribution beyond simply the fiscal investment. – SLP]
I’m really glad to see you doing some reporting on aldermanic stances on urban issues. It’s really important to know where our elected officials stand with respect to good urban planning! I look forward to seeing some more of this kind of thing!
Some people would consider the Chippewa Lion’s Choice as big of a blunder as the South Grand McDonald’s. Beyond posting to an online newsletter, how is Baringer’s interest in planning any different from Jennifer Florida’s?
Both talk good games, communicate with planning staff, and deliver bad results. What’s the difference that I can’t see?
[REPLY The difference? Hum, I don’t think Baringer every lied to citizens telling them they would not be getting a Lion’s Choice. Also, I don’t think tax money was used to clear the site for Lion’s Choice whereas tax money was used on the former Sears site where the McDonald’s will be located. Also, I don’t know that the planning department was ever brought in to consult on South Grand. And finally I don’t know that numerous officers of Lion’s Choice or their developer gave significant financial contributions to Baringer to win approval. The difference is night and day. – SLP]
As of the other day, the Starbuck’s is not open and the Lion’s Choice construction hasn’t started.
I think most of the neighborhood is very happy to trade in Steak n Shake and Taco Bell for Starbuck’s and Lion’s Choice.
The Lindenwood area has three aldermen representing them, Donna Barringer (16), Kathleen Hanrahan (23) and Bill Waterhouse (24). While I’ll give Bill a pass (since he has such a small part), I find Kathleen to be both more proactive and more involved in the issues that impact the area. I don’t know if the northern half (Donna’s part) has that much less happening, but I really haven’t seen much other than a caretaker approach (the streets are clean and getting repaved, the trash gets picked up, etc., etc.) on her part. While I’m sure the Lindenwood School redevelopment required input to get to where it is now (under construction), I’m not aware of any community outreach on any potential developments north of Chippewa . . .
[REPLY Jim, I think you are getting the 16th & 23rd mixed up. The 16th, Donna Baringer’s ward, is located south of Chippewa. The 23rd, Hanrahan’s, is located north of Chippewa. – SLP]
One of the great features of the city is that it is not homogenized–there are urban areas, there are suburban areas. With these choices, residents can live in the nighborhoods that most suit their needs and tastes. The 16th and the 23rd are two of a small number of suburban-style wards within our city. The residents of those neighborhoods live in those areas because they enjoy the life-style, and don’t want our more urban existence. Aldermen like Donna Barringer should be applauded for bringing in the types of businesses their constituents support, such as the Lion’s Choice and Starbucks, both of which received strong approval and support from the St. Louis Hills Neighborhood Association.
[REPLY 8/21/06 9:40pm Every region needs to have a strong urban core and, given the size of the St. Louis region, the area East of Grand is too small relatively speaking. An area say from the river out to I-170 or so should be urbanized.
This does not mean we should build high rises on Watson Rd. Rather, it means that inside the urban core we should have a reasonable expectation of multiple transit choices: walking, biking, transit or car. As we transition from urban to suburban to exurban the car becomes the dominent form of transit.
If the line is drawn at Grand I might as well pack my bags and leave St. Louis because we will never become a thriving urban center if the balance is assumed to be auto-dominated sprawl. At a bare minimum the line must be drawn at the city limits but I’d like to include at least the first ring of inner suburbs. Remember, a suburb is not necessarily suburban. Webster and Ferguson, for example, are urban and pedestrian friendly from a planning perspective (well, much of their city’s are, but not all). – SLP]
There seem to be a lot of people who assume that:
good development = mom and pop stores and
bad development = chain stores
It just isn’t that simple. There is nothing wrong with a Starbucks or a Lion’s Choice if they are done properly.
Sorry ladies and gents but the “all corporations are ‘evil corporations'” mentality just is not practical, logical, or what is best for soceity.
[REPLY 8/21/06 9:50pm True enough. Some chains like Starbucks are very flexible in their store layout while others, like Lowe’s, are very in-flexible. Conversely, local stores can be great urban models but you also have the local folks that want to put up cheap metel or block buildings just like the chains. My preference is local+urban first then chain+urban, local+suburban, chain+suburban. – SLP]
Travis,
I live in the suburban 23rd Ward, and I take offense to your generalization that we 23rd Ward residents prefer a suburban lifestyle.
I am living here because my rent is cheap, and my landlord lives in my building. My street is very quiet as well.
Will I own property in this Ward? Maybe. My main concerns are access to a bus line which has a direct route to Metrolink, which Hampton 90 does, and I can get to said bus in 1.5 minutes. Is that suburban?
“I think most of the neighborhood is very happy to trade in Steak n Shake and Taco Bell for Starbuck’s and Lion’s Choice.” = Insanity
Doug:
Keep in mind that you are not only a recent transplant to the ward, but also not the average resident of the ward. I think you would agree with me that most residents of the 23rd and 16th enjoy less an urban lifestyle than those who live in the 7th or 19th. The residents of the 23rd and 16th want those quiet streets, such as the one you live on.
Jeff,
How do you come to the conclusion that it is insanity? I know for a fact that Donna asked for input from the neighborhood and, this is exactly what it wanted.
What would you propose go on that site? Places like Aya Sofia across the street are great, but they aren’t going to put up the money to build a new building, and if they did it would just end up vacant in 6 months when they go under.
Same with all the little shops on Hampton. Most aren’t even willing to spend the money to spruce up their existing building, much less build a new building to move to. The only option for that site was a chain and the lack of parking was probably going to scare away a more sit-down
type place.
Some of us with kids like to be able to drive through places that are a little better alternative than McDonald’s.
As for “towers on Watson,” there already are some taller buildings down in Ted-Drewes country. There are multi-story medical office buildings at Watson and Chippewa (this one currently condemned), as well as Lansdowne and Chippewa, each with structured parking. Plus, there is the former Aboussie-tied hotel turned nursing home at Donovan and Chippewa. In fact, back when Colleen was alderwoman, the new owners proposed building luxury senior apartments in a similarly tall addition to its east towards the “Donut Drive-In,” but NIMBY’s on Bancroft were adamant about preserving their views of Torrisi’s scenic car wash.
As a resident of the 23rd ward in a (1) house on a standard 35×125′ city lot in a (2) gridded street environment with (3) alleys, (4) sidewalks, (5) corner stores and (6) ample pedestrian traffic, I would say that my neighborhood is far from fitting the description of “suburban”. It seems that some people classify “urban” as “urban” only when the grittier side of urban living is experienced.
While on the thread of the 16th and 23rd wards, I must bring up my pet peeve regarding the total disregard for the treasure trove of art deco and moderne architecture that is prevalent in the southwest quadrant of the city. In the past 11 years of living in this neighborhood, I have seen many buildings completely destroyed:
– Southtown Famous
– Art Deco Multi-Family Apartment building at Hampton/Chippewa
Or defiled:
– Curved glazed brick moderne apartment building at Columbia/Hampton painted white
– Retail building at Beck/Chippewa painted white
– Numerous streamlined modern flats plastered with inappropriate colonial shutters
Alderwomen Barringer and Hanrahan should be more in tune with the architectural heritage over which they have been given stewardship. Regulations should be drafted to protect this heritage, and to prevent, as I call it, further “miscolonialization” of inappropriate properties.
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