MetroLink Slowly Pulls Into Shrewsbury Station Today

Testing on the new 8-mile length of the MetroLink “Cross County” extension began this morning at 9am. But don’t look for a train speeding along the track, it will take them 4 hours to get from Des Peres Road (just east of Skinker) to the end of the line at Shrewsbury.

From the press release:

The train and test crew are moving at walk speed (2-3mph average) stopping at each station platform to take measurements.

The release also says they will be “towing” the vehicle but don’t elaborate as to how. Presumably the electrical system is not all in place for the train to operate under its own power. However, they also caution media to assume that all wires a live.

Metro is suggesting the following locations for viewing the train:

•Sidewalk south of University Drive, north of Forest Park Parkway
and just east of Big Bend. (1.2 miles along the test route)
• Public sidewalk adjacent to Forsyth station (2.0 miles along)
• Bemiston Avenue Overpass, over Forest Park Parkway (3.0 miles)
• Morrow Drive at Galleria Parkway (3.8 miles)
• Maplewood station, visible above Manchester Rd (5.4 miles)
• Sunnen station, visible from the cul-de-sac on Laclede Station Rd at
Sunnen Drive (5.9 miles)
• I-44 Bridge (6.7 miles)
• Shrewsbury station (7.2 miles)

You’ll need to do the math to figure out when they will be at the various viewing locations. They are suggesting they will arrive at Shrewsbury at 1pm this afternoon.

On a related note…

This past Saturday over 40 people from both the City of St. Louis and the City of Shrewsbury gathered to conduct a design charrette examining TOD (transit oriented development) possibilities for the new Shrewsbury Station.

Seven teams worked all day on their ideas after touring the area and viewing a presentation on TOD. Participants included residents from both cities, local architects & planners. The event was organized by Citizens for Modern Transit along with Shrewsbury Mayor Bert Gates and St. Louis’ 16th Ward Alderwoman Donna Baringer. Rolling Stanley, director of Planning & Urban Design for the City of St. Louis, was among the professionals helping guide the charrette. Rollin’s wife Ann, also planner, was on one of the seven teams.

Many great ideas came out of the results, including some interesting reconfigurations of the street pattern along River Des Peres. I think one of the best ideas was to continue Wabash Street south of Lansdowne, crossing the “river” to connect with the existing Boulevard. All teams focused on creating a mixed-use area along Lansdowne at the station or in the immediate area. Some accepted the MoDot’s idea of connecting River Des Peres Boulevard with a new I-44 interchange. Others weren’t so keen on the idea. Everyone agreed that River Des Peres should actually have water!

I spoke with both Mayor Bert Gates and Alderwoman Donna Baringer. They seemed equally excited about the process and were very thankful to everyone that participated. Baringer acknowledged the help of Rolling Stanley in this and prior events (see related video below).

“If it weren’t for him I wouldn’t be so well versed in the best urban designing and streetscaping we can come up with”

The Cross County MetroLink extension has certainly had its low points with the budget and delays but I find it very exciting to be at the point we are now, so close to opening day. What are your thoughts?

UPDATE 6/20/06 @ 4:10pm – Video embedded within post, removed earlier link to video.

– Steve

Metro’s Chair Seeks to Correct the Media

Local rail advocacy group, Citizens for Modern Transit (CMT), sent the following out today:

In a letter to KMOX talkshow host Charlie Brennan, Hugh Scott, Chairman of the Metro Board of Commissioners, responded to inaccurate and unfairly critical comments made by Brennan on KMOX, and on KETC’s Donnybrook program. As a supporter of Metro and public transit in the St. Louis Region, we’re providing you with a copy of Chairman Scott’s letter to Mr. Brennan. These facts will help you respond to questions you might receive about Metro and its current MetroLink extension project.

Here is the letter to Charlie Brennan:

To: Charles Brennan

From: Hugh Scott

Date: 6/9/06

While I realize that your on-air comments on KMOX and Donnybrook need to be arranged in convenient sound bites, I have become increasingly bothered by your lack of knowledge on the subject situation.

When you say things like; “We all know Metro is a mess” and then back it up with comments about cuts in bus service and $28 million “in arrears” it shows that you have not really taken the time to look at what is actually happening at Metro. Likewise, your comment on the June 1 Donnybrook program that it is “dumb” that the new stations on the Cross County Extension do not have parking is simply wrong.

For your information, the actual facts are these:

1. The Cross County Extension is a year late and $150 million over budget due largely to poor and incomplete design work on the part of the engineering consortium hired to build the project. While it may be surprising that such large multi-national firms could do such shoddy work, the evidence speaks for itself. Obviously, we hope to recover a large amount of this overcost on behalf of the St. Louis taxpayers, in a lawsuit currently pending in St. Louis County Circuit Court.

2. Bus service has not been cut in the last four years. With the opening of the MetroLink extension, we will be eliminating bus routes where they duplicate the MetroLink expansion. Otherwise, bus service has in fact increased. I might add that ridership has increased significantly each of the past two years in spite of major fare increases.

3. The $28 million “in arrears” comment seems to refer to the fact that Metro has announced that without a tax increase or more subsidy from the State of Missouri or from the federal government, we will have a deficit in fiscal year 2008. Currently, Metro is not running a deficit and in fact finished FY ’06 with a balanced budget. Last month Metro’s board approved a balanced budget for FY 07, as well.

4. Metro has built large park and ride lots and/or garages at two of the nine new stations on the Cross County Extension.(Lansdowne and Richmond Heights) Further, there will be other (non Metro provided) adjacent parking opportunities offered at the Sunnen, Galleria, and Clayton stations. Remember also that many of the new stations are also transfer points where MetroLink connects with MetroBus service. Likewise, the parking lot at the existing Forest Park-DeBaliviere station will be re-opened in time for the opening of the Cross County Extension. You can be sure that as with the present alignment, Metro will be offering a great deal of free parking.

5. The stations without parking are in very densely populated areas where it can be expected that riders will arrive and depart on foot or by bus. Specifically, the Forsyth station exists to serve downtown Clayton workers and nearby residents, the Big Bend station serves the western portion of Washington University, and the Skinker station serves the eastern part of Washington University. While it would have been nice to provide parking at these locations, “park and ride” makes the most sense when it is adjacent to major highways and thoroughfares. This has been provided for in the new extension.

6. Metro is not a mess – quite the opposite. Larry Salci and the current management team arrived mostly after the Cross County project had begun. They realized quickly that the engineering consortium was not doing a good job and they fired them. Since Metro has taken over engineering and supervision, the project has gone remarkably well. Two years ago, Metro promised that the Cross County Extension would be operating in October of 2006. Today, it appears that this deadline will be met easily. While I am admittedly biased, I believe the present management represents the solution to the problem and not the problem.

I realize that the situation at Metro is baffling and frustrating to many in the community. As you can see from the above, it is difficult to summarize succinctly all of the issues here. To date, the media has shown little interest in understanding the actual issues and in reporting on them. Instead, print and broadcast media seem to “feed off” each other’s misinformation to create stories. While this obviously arouses the ire of already frustrated taxpayers, it does little to help the situation.

Pleased be assured that the Metro staff and I will be happy to meet with you and discuss this situation in detail at any time.

Hugh Scott, III

Chair

Metro Board of Commissioners

Not to be argumentative (well, OK, just a bit), here are some thoughts:

Metro blames the “engineering consortium” that was hired for cost overruns and delays. Who hired them? Metro did. As Scott points out in #6 above, “Larry Salci and the current management team arrive mostly after the Cross County project had begun.” That is a convenient excuse but it sounds a bit like the school board, “Oh yeah, that was the guys before us.”

I still have to wonder about the size of Metro. Some have suggested they are now a lean machine while others tell me there is fat to be cut. As a citizen it is really hard to get a grasp around such entities. I was thinking we should send the Alverez & Marsal team over to Metro but they’d probably cut all the bus & MetroLink drivers but retain everyone else, collect millions and then leave town before we realized what happened.

Metro needs money just to stay afloat. Not money for expansion, just operations. It will come in the form of a tax increase. I’m not sure how we can get them to prove they are fiscally responsible but I’d like your suggestions. If they want more money I’d like to know how the current funding level is being spent. I know part of the need for additional funding will the be additional operation of 8 more miles as well as some deferred debt. They need to start a really good sucking up PR campaign. I’m not sure bitching about the media is the best way to start…

– Steve

Negligent Board Giving Away Charless Home

Despite the spin in the Post-Dispatch back in April the Charless Home, founded in 1853, is not “merging” with or being “acquired” by Bethesda Health Group. The folks I talked to tell me Charless’ Board is essentially paying Bethesda to take the south side landmark. The Charless Home has prime real estate at I-55 and South Broadway (map) yet the board has voted to give the real estate and millions of dollars to Bethesda in exchange for… well, nothing.

The board, comprised mainly of Clayton & Ladue socialites, is making a huge mistake. I’m told the Charless Home has nearly $17 million in the bank, hardly a distressed non-profit. A few board members voted against giving Charless to Bethesda and instead suggested they take on medicaid patients and consider constructing independent living housing on their grounds.

The one-sided article in the Post-Dispatch says staff didn’t want medicaid patients due to the paperwork. Wrong. The issue is the country club board didn’t want to spend any money upgrading the facility, instead finding it easier to give away the 153-year old institution. The grounds, just two blocks from my house, are spectacular. The setting is ideal for constructing new independent living apartments facing Osceola St. &/or Nebraska Ave.

Bethesda is talking about ensuring the facility remains open for at least three more years but I can’t see families entrusting their loved ones here with the possibility of future closure. Also, I’ve heard talk of Bethesda building some new building in St. Louis County and calling it “Charless at Bethesda” or a similarly offensive name.

Back to the location. I have fears a deal is already in the works to sell the property and raze all the structures and mature trees. I suspect city and Ald. Ortman (9th Ward) will use the “we need retail & sales tax” argument to go along with the demolitions. The property, originally 8 acres, was reduced to just over 1.6 acres over the years as the adjacent neighborhood developed. Still, I can see a big box developer eyeing the property’s easy highway access and visibility and try to get a couple of more adjacent blocks razed for a big development.

And before I hear the now tired “it is not in your ward” argument let me state that the other three corners of my intersection are the 9th Ward. So while I am in the 25th Ward I look at the 9th Ward daily. Furthermore, a potential buyout of homes and demolition to create a large site could end up directly across the street from me.

While this board is off playing golf with their country club buddies from Bethesda it will be those of us in the city left to deal with the consequences of their actions. If they didn’t want to take the responsibility to see the 153+ year old facility continue they should have resigned from the board so that community leaders with vision for the future of the city could take their place.

At the very least I would like some assurances the property is not leveled. The building and setting are spectacular and has great reuse potential. Our city continues to face critical urban development decisions but the decision makers are woefully inadequate.

– Steve

Tower Grove Farmer’s Market a Huge Success!

The speeches haven’t even begun opening the Tower Grove Farmer’s Market but if the first few hours are any indication, it will be hugely successful.

Occupying a small paved area west of the Pool Pavilion (which itself is on the West side fo the traffic circle), the market was full and vendors and paying customers.

Organic produce, live plants, eggs and meats. Other local items such as handmade soaps, bread, and pasta rounded out the selection.

The only problem was really a good one, lots of people and bicycles. It was crowded but that added to the feeling of success. Had the same number of people and vendors been spread over a wider area it wouldn’t have been as good.

Bike parking was an issue so some secured their bikes to the fence of the nearby tennis courts or light poles. Hopefully before the end of the market in October some bike racks can get installed nearby. Joining the Friends of Tower Grove Park might help that cause.

I noticed many residents walking to the farmer’s market both from Tower Grove South and Shaw neighborhoods. That is really great as I’d hate to see so many cars in the park that someone starts thinking a parking lot is needed.

Big kudos to all the organizers, sponsors and elected officials (including Ald. Jennifer Florida), for making this happen.

See additional photos on Flickr.

– Steve

Latest Design on Lindell Tower A Major Imporvement

Opus Northwest presented a revised Lindell Tower to a packed room at the Schlafly Library. The public forum was orchestrated by 28th Ward Alderwoman Lyda Krewson. After making a few brief remarks Lyda did a very smart thing, she handed the meeting over to a moderator, long-time West End fixture Rudy Nickens (owner of the former Sunshine Inn).

Opus took the first half hour for presentation and then questions and comments were solicited from the audience. It should be noted that nobody was made to feel unwelcome if they were not a resident of the 28th Ward or this neighborhood.

The best argument against this project is it violates the height requirements of the historic district and therefore requires a variance. The question becomes is this project worthy of a variance on its merits or is this well-funded developer getting special treatment? I happen to think, with the revised design, this project most definitely deserves a variance.

As for the special treatment, perhaps so. I think a better statement would be this developer is wiling to bring in consultants to refine the project as needed and has shown a willingness to respond to prior criticisms. This is much different than recent cases before the Preservation Board where I’ve seen home owners (the small guy) install windows that violate the ordinances without any building permit. If we are going to give out variances I’d much rather them go to a developer that is willing to take the time to work through a designs of a project than to someone that willfully violates the ordinance and then asks for forgiveness afterwards. Sometimes the big guy gets “special treatment” simply because he did things through the right way.
When so many of our local historic district standards were written the idea of lots of new construction just wasn’t considered. At best the standards were trying to prevent the type of new construction that was conceived, fast-food restaurants with drive-thrus, short little ranch houses and strip malls with parking in front. The standards were not written to prevent highly urban forms. As one resident said, we should not keep granting variances. We should have a discussion about what we want and change the codes. Agreed! This really should apply to both historic districts and the overall zoning code.

Opus literally went back to the drawing board with this project. While at first glance it might look similar to the previous version it is a radical departure in my view. First, they’ve done the right thing by place two levels of parking underground. Their architect indicated this reduced the height of the base from roughly 60ft to 42ft. Along Euclid the facade drops again to about 32ft. This relates in scale quite well to the adjacent buildings along Euclid.

They still have about 1.5 garage spaces per unit. I’d like to see this drop to 1.2 or 1.4. One resident suggested to me they sell spaces separately so buyers will feel the true cost of the parking. I like that idea but it might screw up some people’s financing if they chose not to buy a space. Damn conservative bankers…

One of the opponents of the project’s height suggested it be built across Lindell so that it is not in the historic district. So across one street it is OK? Lindell is a diverse corridor.

I do have a few minor issues. I’m not thrilled about having a circle drive for dropping off people as that will require a second curb-cut on Lindell close to Euclid. I also don’t like losing 4-6 on-street parking spaces along Lindell. I mentioned bike racks to Lyda Krewson and Opus’s John Picher. Lighting and paving still need to be worked out as well.

They’ve done an outstanding job with the revisions. If only their Park East Tower had as nice of a base. In a joint report with PubDef click here for more information and photos from the meeting.