Chouteau Crossing Will Have Minimum Required Pedestrian Access Route

ABOVE: Chouteau Crossing

Chouteau Crossing is a green renovation of an old industrial structure at 2301 Chouteau Ave:

“Chouteau Crossing features wind turbines, geothermal heating and cooling, and a graywater system that handles the irrigation. The parking lots are illuminated by power stored from the rooftop PV array. It will be completed at the end of 2009, and 33,000 square feet have been taken already for lab space. The project is being developed by Green Street Properties.” (Jetson Green)

As I saw the work progress at the site I was concerned if provisions had been made for pedestrian access from Chouteau as all too often they are not (example).  My concern is twofold, 1) accessibility for disabled pedestrians and 2) increasing the walkability of the city for all.

ABOVE: Aerial of site during construction; image via Google Maps

St. Louis zoning and building codes don’t require any connection to the adjacent public sidewalk which is a horrible oversight on the part of the Board of Aldermen.  Walkable communities are appealing to most everyone, including those who always drive.  The city is naturally the most walkable part of the region based on the 19th century street grid, transit service and population density.  Shouldn’t we require new & renovated buildings to connect to the public sidewalk?

So I looked up Chouteau Crossing’s website to try to determine if a pedestrian route was planned.  I thought I saw a possibility but the site plan was so tiny I couldn’t be sure. I made an email inquiry to developer Green Street Properties.  I got a quick response from VP Brian Pratt saying they weren’t sure but they would check with their architect, Trenor Architects. A few days later I had my answer  - yes — and a detailed drawing of the route.

ABOVE: lowered curb is where curb ramp at Chouteau Crossing will be located

I’m glad one pedestrian access route has been planned, but this development is on a large site bounded by three public streets, has four auto entrances (three on Chouteau) and multiple tenant entrances. I’d like to see the zoning or building code require a pedestrian route from each public street and equal to the number of auto drives provided.

- Steve Patterson

Sidewalks Reopened Around Former St. Louis Centre

ABOVE: Former walkway over Washington Ave, looking west from 6th on May 19, 2010

St. Louis Centre, the former failed downtown enclosed mall, was an assault on the sidewalk and the pedestrians that use them.  In typical mall fashion, retail was turned inward rather than facing the sidewalk.  The walkways over Washington & Locust blocked views on both streets in both directions. 1980s thinking at it’s worst!

In the last year the structure has been transformed ground level retail and enclosed parking.  The work is nearly complete.

ABOVE: Looking west from 6th on December 10, 2010

Storefronts now face the public sidewalks on all sides of the building which occupies the city block bounded by Washington Ave on the north, 6th on the east, Locust on the south and 7th on the west.  During the last year the sidewalks were closed during construction.

ABOVE: Looking west from 6th on April 14, 2011

Thursday evening I was able to do a complete circle around the building. The only sidewalk not open is the raised part, shown above. Usually you don’t want to place steps between the main sidewalk and retail businesses because that can cut down on foot traffic, but sometimes you have no choice given the grades.

- Steve Patterson

The Backs Are Interesting Too

ABOVE: Leather Trades (left), Ely Walker (center) & YMCA (right) at 16th & Locust as seen from 16th & Olive

The back facade of our older building stock is often more interesting than the front facade of newer our buildings. The building detailing and functional fire escapes are beautiful to my eyes. New balconies on the back of Ely Walker

Hopefully the upper floors of the YMCA, vacant for a few years, will get renovated soon. Most recently those floors were senior apartments.  The YMCA space is a separate condo unit from the rest of the building, with separate ownership.  Work began on creating rental units in the Leather Trades building earlier this year.

I see the wonderful fronts of these buildings daily, but it the backs I really enjoying seeing.

- Steve Patterson

Parking Needed for Restoration and Occupancy of the Municipal Courts Building?

On April Fool’s Day Paul Hohmann had an excellent post suggesting the city was going to raze the vacant Municipal Courts Building and replace it with a parking garage.

ABOVE: Hohmann's mock-up of the joke (bottom)

The city isn’t going to raze the building but what are we going to do with the structure? There have been numerous ideas over the last decade but it seems the lack of a large source of dedicated parking is problematic.  Downtown has an excess of parking but the oversupply isn’t where it is needed.  I’ve got an idea.

ABOVE: View of the south side of the Municipal Courts as seen from 14th & Clark.

I still miss the old city jail that occupied the NE corner of Clark Ave & 14th Street, why not build a mostly underground parking structure with street-level storefronts facing both 14th & Clark Ave? The parking could serve the need of tenant(s) in the Municipal Courts, City Hall, Scottrade Center, Busch Stadium and the Peabody Opera House (formerly Kiel).  Retail & restaurants could serve all the above as well as the Sheraton Hotel located one block south and the many daily transit riders at the Civic Center bus & light rail station, also a block south.

ABOVE: Satellite view from Google Maps

Activating the sidewalks along both 14th and Clark Ave would do wonders for improving the walkability of the area.  I’m thinking 3-4 floors of occupied floors about grade. If parking was above grade it should be fully enclosed.  Ideally the bulk of the parking would be below sidewalk level, not above.

The big picture would be to evaluate all 10 blocks of Clark Ave from Busch (8th) to Union Station (18th), finding opportunities to improve the many people who currently walk all or part of this stretch.  Way back in July 2006 I posted about building over the existing MetroLink lines between 15th-18th, also facing Clark Ave.

The Municipal Courts Building would be a premier location for one or more law firms.  Treasurer Larry Williams has the ability to fund the structure, leasing some space to future firns in the Municipal Courts.

- Steve Patterson

Bollards Reconfigured At America’s Center To Create Protected Pedestrian Zone

ABOVE: relocated bollards at America's Center, view looking west

Link to above pic: http://www.flickr.com/photos/urbanreviewstl/5587359644/

I’ve done numerous posts about the sidewalk along Washington Ave in front of America’s Center (St. Louis’ convention center), in January 2007 the pedestrian experience was bleak (Taxi Cabs Block Sidewalk at Convention Center, Exit Via Crosswalk).   By May 2007 bollards were installed to prevent cabs from exiting at the crosswalks, but they were still on the sidewalk space (Taxis Still Blocking Pedestrian Sidewalk at St. Louis’ Convention Center)  It took me until December 2010 to get the cabs relocated onto 8th Street so the sidewalk was free for pedestrians (Sidewalk In Front Of Convention Center Now Just For Pedestrians).

Last week the bollards were relocated to clearly separate the circle drive from the pedestrian space.

ABOVE: protected pedestrian zone in front of America's Center, view looking east

Link to above image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/urbanreviewstl/5586769385/

The lesson for me is to get to the person in charge.  I was only after I left my card for Kitty Ratcliffe, president of the St. Louis Convention & Visitor’s Commission, that change happened. Once I was able to explain the situation directly to her she began having meetings to get the cabs relocated.  After that was done she hired a form to redesign the bollard locations so the pedestrians would be protected from vehicles in the circle drive. I picked up a copy of the bollard plan the week prior to the work being done just in case I saw something that might need correcting. But the plan was great.

- Steve Patterson

Weekly Poll: What Do You Think Of When You Hear The Term “Affordable Housing”?

ABOVE: Public housing project before major renovations

Earlier this month I participated in a two-day conference on affordable housing sponsored by FOCUS-St. Louis (agenda- PDF):

FOCUS St. Louis, in partnership with the Des Lee Collaborative Vision, presents Housing: Building a New Foundation for Economic Prosperity. This symposium explores affordable housing in Missouri and Southwest Illinois, taking a close look at the disparity between the location of many jobs and the location of housing that is affordable for workers who fill those positions, and ways to resolve these issues to help build sustainable, prosperous communities.

You are thinking, “Why bother in St. Louis?”  Our housing is cheap, right?  I was on a panel discussing land use policy as it relates to affordable housing.

Affordable Housing is the subject of the poll this week (upper right of site). Results and commentary on Wednesday April 6, 2011.

- Steve Patterson

The Corner ‘Blade’ Sign Making A Comeback

I’ve eaten at Rosalita’s Cantina only once since it opened a few months ago, but I’ve admired their sign each time I pass by. My admiration of their sign began last October.

ABOVE: A worker installs the metal bracket that will hold the sign, Oct 27, 2010

Blade (projecting) signs were once common throughout cities, but in the 1970s a national movement to remove “clutter” began that killed off unique signs, especially those that projected from the building facade.  Thankfully those decades old attitudes are slowly dying off.

Note to self, have lunch at Rosalita’s Cantina again soon.

- Steve Patterson

100 Years Ago Today: The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

ABOVE: "The building's east side, with 40 bodies on the sidewalk. 'Two of the victims were found alive an hour after the photo was taken." Source: Wikipedia (click to view)

Architecture students learn many things in college, including about notable fires.  The 1980 MGM Grand Fire is one, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of March 25, 1911 is another.

The Triangle fire in New York City on March 25, 1911, killed 146 people, mainly women, mainly young immigrant women. Some were girls of 14 and 15. The fire broke out on the upper floors of the factory, too high for fire department ladders of those days to reach. People gathered on the street below watched in horror as women and men jumped to their deaths to avoid the enveloping flames. Observers talked of the sky raining flaming bodies. Many of the workers trapped inside were burned beyond recognition. (CNN)

I’m sure you are wondering why I’m writing about a New York City fire on a St. Louis blog, let me explain.  The fire lasted only thirty minutes, but the tragedy sparked changes to building codes and labor laws that endure today.  Regulations requiring emergency exits to be unlocked when a space was occupied came as a result of this fire. Some exits were locked, trapping victims. According to Wikipedia, a factory owner was “arrested for locking the door in his factory during working hours. He was fined $20.”

This fire strengthened the labor movement as workers increasingly demanded safer working conditions. In St. Louis garment factories had to change their ways to prevent a similar tragedy here.

- Steve Patterson

Botanical Grove: Green City Living in the Heart of Saint Louis

A ground breaking was held last Friday afternoon for the Botanical Grove project in the Botanical Heights neighborhood.

The Botanical Heights Neighborhood is a centrally located neighborhood with close proximity to many Saint Louis amenities and destinations. The neighborhood is in the midst of a series of planned redevelopment projects that aim to improve the area, creating a vibrant walkable urban community. The first portion of redevelopment was completed between 2004 and 2007 and included the construction of 150 new homes on the six blocks bounded by 39th Street and Thurman Avenue, completed by St. Louis based homebuilder McBride and Sons. Botanical Grove represents the next phase of development, with a focus on green building within and the historic context of the western half of the neighborhood.

The neighborhood was formerly called McRee Town, so-named after McRee Ave that runs east-west through the neighborhood. Here is info on the project:

Botanical Grove includes thirty new homes on the 4200 Block of McRee in the Botanical Heights Neighborhood of St. Louis. These homes include all new homes as well as complete renovations of historic homes, with a range of unit types and sizes. All homes are built to LEED for Homes standards, to your custom specifications. Green construction on all homes, including standard geothermal heating and cooling, means a healthy lifestyle at a low operating cost. Combining these green features, with quality construction, and ten year property tax abatement allows Botanical Heights Homes to offer exceptional homes at a an exceptional value.

The firm UIC + CDO, located at McRee Ave & Tower Grove Ave , is the developer.  The project has been in the planning stages for the last five years.  In August 2010 I attended a neighborhood meeting where the project was presented to the neighbors, Ald Joseph Roddy (17th Ward) and Stephen Conway (8th Ward) both spoke at the gathering.

ABOVE: Ald Roddy (left) and Ald Conway (right), August 23, 2010

I like many things about this project, among them:

• Existing privately owned homes within the defined area will remain in the hands of the current owners. Existing residents I spoke with will be glad to see  neighboring properties renovated and vacant lots infilled.
• Vacant structures will be renovated, not razed.
• New construction offers a contemporary, but compatible aesthetic.  The Model 1 has a great floor plan with central kitchen and rear living room.
• LEED construction for the buildings as well as green elements for the street, such as rain gardens, are important to reducing waste.
• Commercial buildings along Tower Grove Ave will also be renovated.
• The homes include single-family detached and townhouses. The sizes are reasonable, not McMansions.

I’d be concerned about starting such a project in this economy but the bankers present on Friday are behind the effort.  I think they will phase the project over the next few years as buyers sign on the dotted line for each renovated building or new construction.

ABOVE: ground breaking shovels outside the UIC+CDO office on Friday March 18, 2011

This firm has already demonstrated with both of their buildings at Tower Grove Ave & McRee Ave that good design and a slow approach can make a huge difference over time. Over the next 10 years we will hopefully see the rest of the vacant structures in Botanical Heights renovated and the vacant lots infilled with new housing units.

- Steve Patterson

Thurman Ave Needs To Be Reopened

ABOVE: Shasha's on Shaw wine bar at Shaw Blvd & Thurman Ave

Exciting things are happening in neighborhoods like Shaw.  For example, Shasha’s on Shaw at Shaw Blvd & Thurman Ave is a great wine bar.  Suppose you live just to the north a couple of blocks  among the recently built homes in Botanical Heights (formerly McRee Town) and you wanted dinner and a glass of wine, walking to Sasha’s would be ideal. Except…

ABOVE: Thurman Ave looking south from Lafayette Ave

Walking the short distance via the most direct route takes you along Thurman Ave, long closed to vehicles and looking rather abandoned and unsafe.

ABOVE: Thurman Ave looking north from DeTonty St

Neither end is accessible so pushing that baby stroller will require effort to get over the high curb.  Not sure exactly when or why Thurman Ave was closed to traffic, it has been closed for at least 20 years.  My guess is it was done to contain crime in the area to the north of I-44.

More important than walking to a wine bar is access to transit.  Two bus lines run on Shaw Blvd (08 & 80). The 80 bus also runs on 39th so residents living near that street can catch that line there.

Now that investment is happening on both sides of the highway keeping Thurman Ave closed just doesn’t make sense. Tower Grove Ave to the west and 39th to the east are both open but the distance between them is more than a half mile. This stretch of Thurman Ave between DeTonty St and Lafayette Ave is entirely within the 17th Ward, which ends at Shaw Blvd.  I saw Ald Joe Roddy last Friday but I didn’t get a chance to discuss this issue with him, he might support opening the street for all I know.

Tomorrow’s post will be about more investment just north of I-44.

- Steve Patterson