Our library system is wonderful, I feel fortunate to live just two blocks from the magnificent Central Library, which recently had a $70 million dollar renovation. Returning a few items the other day when the library wasn’t open I realized the renovation included a new return box.
There I am on the sidewalk in my wheelchair looking for the slot to slide the items in.
East side of the after hours book return at the Central LibraryThe return slots are only accessible from Locust Street, not the sidewalk
I had previously assumed the ramp you see behind the library return box was for passenger loading/unloading, but perhaps it is so pedestrians could easily get into the street to return books & videos.
Most other libraries in St. Louis have easily accessed return boxes, not requiring competing with moving traffic. Here are a few examples:
Central Express 4 blocks east of CentralBaden, far north cityKingshighway at SouthwestBuder, south Hampton
Does someone at the St. Louis Public Library think everyone downtown drives everywhere? Returning books a few blocks away means getting in the car? Another day I asked a librarian at the circulation desk who confirmed they only have the one return box.
It appears the new book return is accessed from below so librarians don’t need to go out with a cart to retrieve items, a wise choice given the volume at Central. Not providing a way for pedestrians to return items without having to enter the street is yet another example how everyone involved either 1) drives and didn’t consider the pedestrian viewpoint or 2) deliberately made a decision to make returns a challenge for pedestrians.
The free ride downtown will soon be over. Effective July 1st metered parking downtown will no longer be free, the Treasurer’s press release:
Effective July 1, 2013, the Parking Division will begin enforcing parking violations, including expired meters, in Downtown St. Louis on Saturdays. Accordingly, Downtown patrons will be required to pay for using parking meters on Saturdays from 8:00am-7:00pm. The Parking Commission of the City of St. Louis voted unanimously to change this policy during its monthly meeting held May 9, 2013. This change in policy is necessary in order to apply consistent enforcement policies across the city.
In order to adjust to the change, enforcement officers will issue warning notices during the first two weekends in July.
Downtown is currently the only area of the city without Saturday enforcement.
The facts got a bit twisted in the local media:
For decades, flashing “expired” signs went unenforced in downtown parking meters on Saturdays. But City Treasurer Tishaura Jones announced on Tuesday that the city will end the long-standing policy and start requiring people to pay for street parking on Saturdays.
Starting on July 1, Jones said, downtown motorists will be required to pay for using parking meters on Saturdays, from 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. To help ease the change, violators will be issued warnings on the first two weekends of July. (stltoday)
7am? Went unenforced? To be fair to the paper this “violations” view came from the treasurer website:
Effective July 1, 2013, the Parking Division will begin enforcing parking violations, including expired meters, in Downtown St. Louis on Saturdays.
Yesterday Jones replied to my email inquiry, indicating: “The previous policy was the first two hours were free.” However, Jones’ statement doesn’t jive with with the current meters:
For years downtown parking meters have indicated parking was free on Saturdays, Sundays, and Holidays. No mention of only 2 hours being free
Jones indicated these “tags will be updated shortly. They be replaced before July 1.” Over downtown 3,275 meters need changing with only 7 business days remain before July 1st. As indicated, this decision was made on May 9th so it is reasonable to expect all to be updated in 7 weeks time. Still, I’m bothered by the apparent confusion as to what the policy has been.
Cover of the most recent Downtown Parking Guide from the Partnership for Downtown St. Louis reinforces the common understanding of the existing free weekends policy.
Maggie Campbell, who recently resigned as President of the Partnership for Downtown St. Louis, was an advocate for free parking seven days a week. I sat on a downtown parking committee with her a few years ago and we disagreed on this issue. I agree with parking experts like The High Cost of Free Parking author Donald Shoup (video) and Parking Management Best Practices author Todd Litman that pricing should not be free, but set to create turnover.
I think Jones may be confusing the 2-hour limit with free saturday parking. In theory the limit for most downtown spaces is two hours, after which the enforcement officials would drive around putting a chalk mark on tires and ticketing vehicles that hadn’t moved in two hours — regardless if the meter had been paid. It is this time limit that has never been enforced anywhere in the city. Two very different issues a banker might get confused.
A puzzling part of this change is who has authority to set policy, her or the Board of Aldermen. Jones directed me to Missouri statute RsMO 82.485:
It shall be the duty of the supervisor of parking meters to install parking meters, collect all parking meter fees, supervise the expenditures for repairs and maintenance, establish and supervise a parking enforcement division and a parking meter division to enforce any statute or ordinances now or hereafter established pertaining to the parking of motor vehicles, including automated zone parking and all other parking functions, and to make all disbursements on any parking contracts, including employment, consulting, legal services, capital improvement and purchase of equipment and real property which may hereafter be made by such cities, subject to audit in the manner provided by state statute.
The treasurer’s website also references RsMO 82.487, relating to the duties of the parking commission. Who is this parking commission anyway?
The Parking Commission consists of the following:
Tishaura Jones (Treasurer)
Carl Phillips (Parking Administrator)
Todd Waeltermann (Director of Streets)
Ald. Freeman Bosley, Sr (Chair of Streets Committee)
Meetings of the CITY OF SAINT LOUIS PARKING COMMISSION are open to the general public and held every second Thursday of each month at 10:00 a.m. in Room 220 City Hall, 1200 Market Street, St. Louis, MO 63103. Please call 314-622-4700 for more information.
Yet the Board of Aldermen has passed numerous ordinances related to parking, such as Parking in the Third Ward or Parking Meter Division Employees relating to pay scale of employees. Hopefully Tishaura Jones will be successful in doing what she campaigned on, removing parking from the Treasurer’s office. Bankers should not determine parking policy.
Retailing isn’t easy, successful brick & mortar retailers hire consultants, question focus groups, and study market trends, to get customers through the door. Store design is an important part of the equation. Many firms specialize in retail design.
I covered this topic last August after a seeing the transit agency store in Dallas (see Transit Visibility: Metro vs DART). Metro’s MetroRide store on Washington Avenue is pathetic.
Last August I showed this pic to help illustrate the problem. Which entrance is the transit store?Obviously this one, right?
Each time I visit the MetroRide store to buy transit passes I realize it is the result of a quasi-government agency that has zero competition. Where is the hungry merchant trying to drum up sales to cover the rent payment? It’s like the exclusive restaurant
I took this similar pic a few days ago, it was impossible to even tell if the lights were on.
Sure, those of us who seek it out don’t need a big neon sign or even a simple “open” sign in the window, but it might help get the attention of others walking by. Tourists might inquire about the downtown trolley and what else they can see without a car.
I’d like to see Metro make it obvious to anyone walking, or driving, past the MetroRide store to know it is a place to buy transit passes and pick up schedules. As a fan of gift shops, I’d also like to see St. Louis transit-related merchandise: t-shirts, postcards, magnets, calendars, etc. I still have a puzzle of the Philly transit map I bought on vacation in 2001, but I have almost nothing for St. Louis. I’d love a toy MetroBus.
Just over half (50.77%) the readers who voted in the poll last week felt the closing of the downtown Macy’s will have a negative/very negative affect on downtown. Here are the results:
Q: How will Macy’s closing their downtown location affect downtown St. Louis in the long-term?
Negatively 47 [36.15%]
Neutral 43 [33.08%]
Very negatively 19 [14.62%]
Positively 11 [8.46%]
Unsure/No Answer 6 [4.62%]
Very positively 4 [3.08%]
Here’s my take (not spin): I specifically included “in the long-term” in the question because I think the short-term effect will be negative, but will be neutral in the long-term. How long is long-term? I’d say 8-10 years, in this case.
Cities/neighborhoods are resilient places, provided they don’t pass a tipping point. For many of us that live downtown, Macy’s just wasn’t that important. I personally bought more from Macys.com than in the Macy’s store. When Macy’s closed both restaurants in the consolidation to 3 floors a couple of years ago I no longer had a reason to visit. Previously I’d attend a monthly lunch in the St. Louis Room, then browse the kitchenware section afterwards, often making a purchase.
On the positive side I see the void as opening up the market so another retailer might consider a new store. The new urban CityTarget format comes to mind:
The Chicago store is housed in a 113-year old historical landmark constructed by architect Louis Sullivan in the heart of the city at the corner of State and Madison Streets. Nearby retailers include H&M, Forever 21, Office Depot, Nordstrom Rack, Sears and T.J. Maxx.
CityTarget stores are more expensive to operate and build, as they are housed in pre-existing spaces, Schindele said. In Chicago, for example, Target had to rip out old floors and strip dozens of coats of paint off of columns to give the store the CityTarget look.
CityTarget shelves are bright white rather than almond-colored. Mannequins, tested in one Target store, and brushed silver racks are used to display clothing. In a first for the Target chain, music plays in the Chicago and Seattle locations. (Huffington Post)
CityTarget stores are also located in Seattle, Los Angeles (2), San Francisco. Additional CityTarget locations are planned for Boston & Portland OR, with additional stores in LA and SF.
Last month, in a different conference call, Target chief financial officer John Mulligan said the company was “very excited” about the CityTarget concept.
Target plans to open three more this year, Mulligan said. “And then, we’ve said all along, we’ll pause,” Mulligan said. “We’re pretty thoughtful about things like this. So we’re going to pause in 2014 and evaluate where we are at.” (Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal)
So even if Target can be interested it’ll be a while before it would happen. Other retailers might see an opportunity in the meantime.
With the north-south section covered, I’ll resume heading west on Olive starting at 18th. For information on properties I checked city records on GEO St. Louis, it is generally reliable.
1800 Olive, built in 1962, contributes nothing. It is owned by the Salvation Army, which owns the Railton Apartments next door.The one-story White Knight Diner at 1801 Olive dates to 1954, but it makes a positive contribution to the public realm. This place was featured in the 1990 film “White Palace” with Susan Sarandon & James Spader, click image for more information on this film.MERS/Goodwill owns much of this city block
b
The Currency Exchange owns the building at 1809 Olive, it has no off-street parking despite being surrounded by parking. It was built in 1926.The surface parking lot between the Currency Exchange and 19th Street belongs to the police, came with the building that’ll be the new HQ next year. This reduces development potential unless they can get by with the parking located within the building.This building faces Olive, 19th, & Pine. It was most recently a charter school.It should become occupied and hopefully altered, see below.A doorway could be added to to enter the ground floor from Olive without a need for a ramp or steps. This could be for retail and/or restaurant.Four buildings, four owners. Three from 19th century, one 20th century. The beige one-story building is from 1896, but it has been significantly altered.The large parking lot fronting Olive, 20th & Pine is owned by an out of state entity, it should be more valuable developed.2001 Olive was actually built in 1892, as a one-story building with 4 storefronts facing Olive and 3 facing 20th. By 1909 it was surrounded by taller buildings. Click image to view 1909 Sanborn map.The narrow building at 2011 Olive was built in 1919. The empty lot on the east (right) is owned by the owner of the previous building.This space at 2015 Olive is west of the previous building and has the same owner. This would make s nice patio/beer garden.The rest of this block-face to 21st is these two buildings with the same ownership. The one on the left was built in 1903, the former Hamilton-Brown Shoe Factory. The one-story building on the right is from 1955. A taller building could replace the one on the right.The 3rd floor is for lease but offices occupy the ground floor. The owner occupies much of the building, perhaps they can reconfigure so the ground floor becomes restaurant/retail space.The remaining buildings on the south side of Olive, west of 20th, were built in 1926. This is within another proposed Northside Regeneration job center.The block bounded by Olive, Pine, 21st, & 22nd, was cleared for the unbuilt 22nd Street Parkway. 21st & 22nd were vacated, these should be reopened.St. Louis Brewery, owner of the Tap Room, owns this parking lot at 21st & Olive. Easily developed or turned into a beer garden.Both of these buildings have the same owner and have been renovated within the last 5-10 years. Not sure if additional floors are an option.The State of Missouri owns the vacant land at 22nd, part of the 22nd Parkway right-of-way.I’ve long thought 22000 Locust was ripe for redevelopment. May 2010 photo.It’s getting renovated into apartments right now, click image for more information.Unfortunately the corner lot at 2201 Olive, just cleared of a non-urban building, will become a new surface parking lot for the apartment development.The building at 2209 Olive (right) was built in 1906, but you can’t tell it. Expect lots of changes in this block.The 1922 building at 2231 Olive contributes to the Locust Olive Historic District, click image for nomination.
b
2200 Olive occupies a large parcel of land. The largely blank walls were common in 1963 when it was built.The Lincoln Arms Hotel, built in 1928, provides low rent rooms by the week, serving a niche market. Walk by in the summer and the smell is awful. The physical form is ideal along a streetcar line.Firestone owns this location built in 1964, not sure if they’d cash out the real estate.I’d long assumed this surface parking lot belonged to the company in the building across the alley.This 1968 building at Olive & Jefferson is interesting, but also low-density.
There are many more development sites, to the north & south, between 18th & Jefferson. I expect this to be a high activity area for development.
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Built St. Louis
historic architecture of St. Louis, Missouri – mourning the losses, celebrating the survivors.
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a guide to geospatial data about the City of St. Louis
