Open Letter to the new Downtown Partnership President Maggie Campbell
This post is to welcome Maggie Campbell to St. Louis. Campbell started work yesterday as the new President and CEO of the Partnership for Downtown St. Louis. The following is from a September 30th St. Louis Business Journal article:
Campbell has been president of the Arlington (Texas) Downtown Management Association since 2006.
She will succeed Jim Cloar on Nov. 2 and become the first woman to hold the post, according to Shuntaé Shields Ryan, a Partnership spokeswoman.
Cloar announced his retirement plans in February after eight years at the helm.
Prior to her current position, Campbell served as president and CEO of the Old Pasadena Management District in Pasadena, Calif., and as executive director of the Dallas West End Association, a nonprofit organization that represents 24 blocks in the downtown Dallas historic entertainment district.
So now that everyone knows who I’m talking about I’m going to address the balance to her:
I’ve been a downtown resident for two years now. Even before I moved downtown I saw the potential. I remember going on tours of future lofts in the mid-1990s. Those never materialized but many others did. Over my 19 years in St. Louis I’ve seen far to many great buildings razed. I’ve seen some bad ones razed, but we still have too many of those.
I wanted to bring you up to speed on a variety of issues, giving you a different perspective that you probably won’t hear from the suits.
Busch Stadium:
- Seems to work well in downtown.
- Fans hang out before and after the game.
- Openness of the stadium is nice.
- Not paid for yet so I don’t expect changes for a long time.
- Two parking garages left over from previous Busch Stadium are horrible at the sidewalk level. Retrofit of street-level retail not feasible. Both garages need to go.
Ballpark Village:
- Good potential, good location.
- Cordish/Cardinals should create form-based standards and parcel out the land so that it can be built in stages by various entities.
Edward Jones Dome:
- Horrible structure that divides downtown from the near North side of town.
- Keep the Rams in the St. Louis region, just not downtown and probably not in the City of St. Louis.
- We should not invest more in the dome to meet the 2015 lease requirements.
Taxi stand at America’s Center:
- We have taxi cabs parking and driving on the public sidewalk where we have visitors to our city.
- Solution: move taxi stand to curb lane of Washington Ave.
Street Vendors:
- St. Louis’ current law is highly restrictive — too few licenses are issued.
- The area where licenses are issued is too small.
- Vendors are a great & cheap way to add life to sidewalks.
Parking (Bicycles):
- A handful of blocks on Washington Ave have some poorly placed bike racks.
- The rest of downtown mostly lacks bike parking.
Parking (On-Street):
- Every block needs to be evaluated to see where additional spaces can be added.
- Disabled parking needs to be added at metered spaces throughout downtown.
Parking (Garages):
- We have an excess number of garages although the suits will tell you we need more.
Bottle District:
- Not really a district, just vacant land North of the dome.
- Needs to be connected to adjacent areas.
Streets & intersections:
- 3-4 years ago a study was prepared that indicated some of our one-way streets could return to two-way traffic. I say make all two-way.
- Pedestrian signals downtown are lacking.
- We need to change the name of Convention Plaza back to Delmar.
Downtown guides:
- This may be happening already but get some of then off the bikes and on foot instead. They are more approachable on foot.
- The ones on bikes please make sure they actually secure their helmets.
- Make sure all shirts and jackets no longer say “CID” on the back because most don’t know that means Community Improvement District.
Arch Connection:
- The suits want to put the highway into an expensive 3-block long tunnel.
- They call the tunnel a lid so it sounds less expensive than it will be.
- A group of citizens has proposed a 2 mile long boulevard to replace the highway from Cass Ave to the Poplar Street Bridge.
- Connecting 2 miles is better than 3 blocks.
St. Louis Centre/skywalks:
- The failed downtown indoor mall.
- Walkways over the sidewalks on all sides.
Union Station:
- Not well connected to surrounding blocks.
- Needs residential closer.
22nd Street Interchange:
- Left over from a planned highway that is officially dead.
- Paul McKee plans to develop the area.
- Needs the restoration of the street grid.
- Possibly abandon highway connection here and build new interchange at Jefferson Ave.
Valet Parking:
- A few years ago numerous restaurants had out of control valet service.
- City needs a good way to permit and manage the valets so they conduct their business in a limited zone, leaving the rest of the street for the public.
Gateway Mall:
- Very long history, most of it not so good.
- Downtown has too much open space and not enough urban space. Leave the mall but build out other areas to reduce total open space.
- Citygarden is amazing. But many more blocks are awaiting a transformation.
- 1st priority is to extend the wide “hall” along the North side of Market St.
I’m sure I’ll think of other things but this is a good starter list. Readers will no doubt leave additional items in the comments. Many will disagree with me as well. This shows you that citizens care about downtown and that not everyone agrees. When the suits tell you something be sure to ask citizens what they think. Your members do not represent the typical resident or downtown user.
We’ve already met virtually but I look forward to meeting you in person. Welcome to St. Louis.
– Steve Patterson
I’m a big NFL fan (not of the Rams, but still) and I agree with you, Steve. The EJ Dome needs to go and that whole area should be redeveloped to connect Laclede’s Landing with Wash Ave and then the Bottle District could take off.
I would move the Rams to a new location in the county, either near the I-270/I-44 interchange or right next to the Verizon Wireless amphitheater so both venues could use the same gigantic parking lot. I would argue that most of the Rams fans are out in the county anyway, so why not bring the team to them? Hell, a lot of the Rams players live in the county, their training facility is in Earth City, and I think moving the stadium out to the county makes sense for everybody involved. And please make it an open air stadium. This is football, play it in the mud like it’s supposed to be played.
I also agree with the 2 miles is better than 3 blocks. The whole stretch of 70 from Poplar Street to Cass is god awful. A majestic boulevard would be a great addition to downtown St. Louis and a perfect way to develop a connection between Wash Ave and Laclede’s landing.
Thoughts?
Steve–
Very comprehensive list.
I just wanted to point out that it’s “Busch” Stadium, like the beer (and not “Bush” like the ex-presidents 🙂
Does the citizen group backing a 2-mile boulevard (instead of 3-block tunnel/”lid”) have a website or visuals?
TB — are we going to build a metrolink out to the stadium in the county as well? (I don’t like driving) And is the city going to give up the money having the stadium brings in?
East riverfrontttt you would only have to add a stop and you can have parking behind the stadium and you can have a fanastic view of the skyline.
You’d have to get the land from the NPS but the east riverfront is so poorly developed the land should be forfeited anyway. I don’t care for the fountain or the new overlook.
The Rams have sold out something like 214 or 224 games or so. County fans aren’t having trouble getting to games
Great list Steve, alot to tackle, but I’m sure you will help lead the charge!
Of all the entries, the most important issues are:
1. Arch Connection
2. Gateway Mall
3. Ed Jones Dome/Bottle District
Ballpark Village – I can see this one take off immediately (with the economy turning around) this is a win-win for any business/development that wants a prime location. I really don’t even see it as an issue. And I think it would have a great and lasting impact on downtown.
to Joe Borough: Your idea of an east side stadium is not new. In fact, the Cardinals proposed a St. Clair county site as leverage against the city of St. Louis in order to get Busch Stadium III built. But if the Rams played in Illinois, would they be the Granite City Rams instead?
As for the Rams sell out numbers, I can’t argue with you because I don’t know the facts. However, I will say this: if the Rams continue to play horrible football like they have for the past 3 seasons, then the sellouts will be less and less meaning revenue for the city of St. Louis will be less and less. In all honesty, I could see the Rams being sold to LA Billionaire Ed Roski and moved back to LA if their stadium lease is forfeited in 2014.
Finally, expanded Metrolink into the county is a great idea, but the county already voted that idea down. But, if plans for a new stadium development included a Metrolink stop, county voters may reconsider.
One last note: isn’t it insane to think that a stadium built in the early 90’s is considered sub-par by NFL stadium standards?
Regarding Gateway Mall / Citygarden, the block immediately west of Citygarden (between it and the Civil Courts building) needs to be improved. Richard Serra is a pretty big time artist, and the sculpture is an asset, but it’s totally neglected. The grass is full of weeds and the block is neglected and shabby. The sculpture itself looks like it also needs some restoration. The block could be easily incorporated into the existing Citygarden by adding some trails around the sculpture, along with benches and so forth.
I would like to add one: transportation, the #99 circulator bus route Steve reported on recently is encouraging, however a full blown review of transportation and its relationship outside the central city and the region is in order. I would not rely on the usual choices for input. Transportation planning has to be the future: if not all other endeavors will fail, including art in the park, Gateway Mall, Union Station, St. Louis Centre, Ballpark Village and so on. The development of a sophisticated urban transport system is essential for success. The shortcomings of St.Louis compared to other world class cities is nothing short of embarrassing. There is no excuse for this gap in city leadership.
Mostly I agree, but I have two points where I don’t:
Busch Stadium Parking Garages – I disagree that retrofitting retail at street level is “not feasible. Both garages need to go.” They serve a need, not just for the stadium, but for adjacent office buildings. I’ve also seen a lot of other parking structures that look a lot worse, with a lot less detailing. Could they be better? Yes, of course, but there are bigger battles to fight, and odds are that if they’re demolished, they won’t be redeveloped anytime soon. And the challenge with adding ground-floor retail, here and elsewhere downtown, is finding tenants – we already have an excess of vacant rretail space, creating more, especially where there are few pedestrians (except when the Cards are playing), would likely be an exercise in futility.
On-Street Parking – “Every block needs to be evaluated to see where additional spaces can be added.” Yes. “Disabled parking needs to be added at metered spaces throughout downtown.” No. It’s my understanding that people with handicapped parking placards or plates can already park at any meter for free. On-street parking is a limited resource, and there’s really no reason why the disabled shouldn’t compete for this scarce resource like everyone else. A better solution (but likely tough to accomplish) would be to require both public and private parking lots to provide discounted or free parking for people with disabilities.
Yes, I realize that people with disabilities have special needs, and many times have more difficulty travelling longer distances. What my position boills down to is the difference between reasonable accomodations and special accomodations. The primary purpose of the ADA is to allow people with disabilities to function as equals in contemporary American society. It would certainly be unequal treatment to have both free parking at all meters AND designated parking at certain meters. The law of unintended consequences will start to creep in, much like bike lanes, where if special facilities are provided, the inevitable (ignorant?) pushback starts, as in “Why aren’t you parking at that special meter a block away?” (Instead of using a regular meter that’s actually closer/in front of “my” store?)
Oh yeah, real football stadiums don’t have roofs (Green Bay, Denver, etc.) The only reason for a roof, retractable or not, is to get a Super Bowl game.
I’m confused. If you “no longer meet the qualifications for such a permit”, how would adding more designated disabled parking spaces help you and others in the same situation?
What would happen if the lease requirements were not met in 2015? Is the city leasing the dome, and if so from whom?
Would Downtown benefit by building an MLS stadium if St. Louis were to be awarded a team? I have heard Collinsville, Fenton, and Brentwood could be possible locations. What makes the soccer stadiums in England and Spain so cool is they are part of neighborhoods similar to the placement of Wrigley Field. It would be interesting to have a 10-15K seat stadium adjacent to the loft district.
If you “want to go get a slice of pizza at Tucker and Washington Ave at 11pm”, it won’t really matter if there are any designated handicapped parking spaces, or not, since enforcement at that time of night is virtually non-existent.
Actually, the ADA typically requires that 2% of all general parking be designated for accessible parking. It would be interesting to see if this requirement applies to the city’s total on-street inventory, or if it only applies to defined parking lots. And since the city already designates accessible parking spots in residential areas, that threshold may have already been surpassed.
The other issue with designated parking, especially with our style of government, is the NIMBY issue. Many small businesses view having accessible parking spots in front of their stores as negative and will lobby, heavily, to have them moved somewhere, anywhere else. I’d expect that to be the case with most blocks downtown, and per the law of unintended consequences, the bulk of any designated accessible parking spaces will migrate to the side streets and adjacent to the “scary” loading dock and dumpster areas.
Do you want to keep the Dome around for conventions or are you advocating it’s demolition if/when the Rams leave? Removing the EJ Dome doesn’t seem very realistic. If this is what you’re advocating, do you see more convention space being built elsewhere?
The EJD is a horrible place to see a football game and I am an NFL diehard. The stadium has no character, it is too dark, and there is no atmosphere at the stadium. Football should be played in the elements. We need an open air stadium that seats around 72,000. A retractable roof is a waste of money. That is what Minnesota doesn't get in looking for a stadium as well. Even an open air stadium costs a ton of money but you can get if far cheaper than a dome or roof and real football fans love the game to be played in the elements. Let's stop with the wussification of America and football in general. The only people who don't like to see the game in the elements are the suits who are there to be seen not to enjoy football.