US Bank Garage Need Not Be Razed, Just Rethought

In May 2010 I  wrote that the US. Bank parking garage at 8th & Washington Ave should be replaced with something urban, with windows and doors. Since then I’ve spent more time looking at the design of the garage and I think it can be made less hideously oppressive through some relatively simple changes.

The upper levels of the garage could be screened with metal panels or even plant material. My biggest concern is the sidewalk level.

Horrible, but this appears to be just a storage area based on what I can tell from the inside of the garage. There is a vent extending to the roof in the NW corner of the garage so some sort of equipment may be located in the space.

The material at the sidewalk facing both Washington Ave and 8th are non-structural.  My thinking is the storage space become a small storefront space with glass walls facing each sidewalk. Outside add a few cafe tables & chairs plus an umbrella or two and the corner is humanized.

– Steve Patterson

Poll: Should zoning laws allow kids to sell cookies, lemonade, etc in front of their homes?

The St. Louis region made the national news this month:

In Hazelwood, Mo., Carolyn Mills and her daughters, Abigail, 14, and Caitlin, 16, have sold Girl Scout cookies from their driveway for years. But after a neighbor complained that the cookie stand created too much traffic and was causing dogs to bark, city officials told the Millses that selling cookies there violated the city’s zoning code.

Hazelwood officials say scouts are allowed to sell cookies in the city but must go door to door or set up at a place like a grocery store parking lot (with the store’s permission). So while the front yard snack stand is one American tradition, the lawsuit is another. The girls urged the family to sue, and it did. (NY Times)

Other national coverage:

• Perez Hilton
• Huffington Post

But the lawsuit didn’t go far:

CLAYTON • A St. Louis County judge [Circuit Judge Maura McShane] has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the mother of two Hazelwood teens who were ordered last spring to stop selling Girl Scout cookies in front of their home.

In her dismissal, McShane wrote that the Mills first should have exhausted their appeals asking the city to reconsider barring cookie sales before taking the case to circuit court. (STLtoday.com)

This  recent history is to introduce the poll question this week: Should zoning laws allow kids to sell cookies, lemonade, etc in front of their homes? The poll is in the upper right corner of the blog. Results on Wednesday August 31st.

– Steve Patterson

Readers Split on Naming Commercial District

When last week’spoll (Name the future commercial district along Grand at the Old White Water Tower) started I thought the number of responses was going to be quite low, but it ended about typical (104).  But unlike most weeks, the results ended up being tied at four levels.

#1 (tie)

• Grand Water Tower District 20 [19.23%]
• Doesn’t matter, will never become a commercial district again 20 [19.23%]
• College Hill 20 [19.23%]

I knew there would be many that would take the negative answer, just glad to see it didn’t get more votes than any other. I voted for College Hill, the name of the neighborhood,  but then I started thinking the commercial district and adjacent neighborhood should have their own identities.

#2 (tie)

• Bissell Point 8 [7.69%]
• The Column 8 [7.69%]
• The Corinthian 8 [7.69%]
• Other: 8 [7.69%]

I like Bissell Point as that was the name of the water plant that required both water towers in College Hill.

#3 (tie)

• 20 Grand 5 [4.81%]
• Grand College Hill 5 [4.81%]

#4 (tie)

• Old White 1 [0.96%]
• unsure/no opinion 1 [0.96%]

The eight other answers were:

1. who cares?
2. the pits
3. The towers
4. Do master plan first, then you will know what the name is.
5. Grand Column
6. tower point
7. Ask local residents for their preferred name.
8. The Intersection of Crack and Guns

For several of the above, may I direct you to STLtoday.com.

I would have asked local residents but I don’t want their religion forced upon me just to talk, as I found out when I tried to set up a casual meeting. Hopefully I can find residents outside the official group that I can meet with in a place other than a church and without a prayer at the start and end of the meeting. More residents and businesses are needed, a closed religious group will not accomplish that goal.

The marketing of the neighborhood and district clearly needs significant help, the type of help not gained through prayer. You know things like consistent marketing of the name, website, Twitter & Facebook, etc. Neighborhood organizations should be inclusive and secular.

As I said above I think the neighborhood and commercial district need their own branding and campaigns. For the commercial district I’m partial to Bissell Point at College Hill. We would just call it Bissell Point for short, but the “at College Hill” would help market the neighborhood as well.

I suggest the following for the commercial district:

• Set up a design charrette to plan where new buildings should be constructed, along with their massing & form. Adopt a form-based code based on the outcome.
• Set up marketing for the neighborhood  & commercial district; a blog, Twitter account & a Facebook page for each.
• Concentrate businesses on the circle and to the west, residential to the east of the circle.
• Consider a Community Improvement District (CID) to help fund public improvements in the district.
• Plan for restaurants around the circle with outdoor seating facing the water tower.
• Work with Metro to promote arrival by MetroBus to minimize the need for large parking lots.

Many more things must be done, of course, but this is a start.

The potential is there, but will it be realized?

– Steve Patterson

Olive & Lindell More Pedestrian-Friendly, Still Needs Work

The point where Olive goes off to the right and Lindell begins has never been friendly to pedestrians. As the above image shows, the amount of paving was enormous. As a wheelchair-using pedestrian, going straight wasn’t an option.

For the first time ever, this once-open intersection has changed. In a major road diet, the intersection has dropped many sizes.

Most of the intersection is gone. Motorists wanting to go westbound on Olive must now slow and make a right turn to do so. The road diet happened because of the adjacent Hotel Ignacio.

For pedestrians the distance to cross the street is significantly reduced, thus decreasing the chances of being hit by a car.

Crossing Lindell is still a challenge. Pedestrians could go east to Compton or west to Grand, both considerable distance.

The city will probably paint the crosswalk after a person is hit trying to cross the street. A pedestrian refuge is needed at the center of the wide roadway to protect the pedestrian in the future crosswalk.

– Steve Patterson

The Evolution of a Downtown Property

The property currently known as the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark has gone through considerable changes in the last 45 years. After the 1964 World’s Fair in NYC  St. Louis mayor Cervantes convinced civic leaders to pay $6 million dollars to buy the Spanish Pavilion and bring it to downtown St. Louis.

No towers, just a low-rise tourist attraction that didn’t attract tourists for long. A 1989 KSDK story (w/video) fills in some of the details. Basically the first tower was added in 1976, following the bankruptcy of the pavilion.  It was known as the Breckenridge Inn. Later it became a Marriott and the second tower was built to the west.

A few years ago the Marriott became the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark. An addition was built at the NE corner of the property to expand the lobby bar.

But it’s the latest addition that has many impressed, including me.  For a while now a steel & glass structure was constructed on the roof of the first tower.

The new space is occupied by Three Sixty:

Soaring nearly 400 feet above downtown St. Louis, Three Sixty is the ultimate rooftop bar. Located atop the perfectly positioned Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark, Three Sixty offers sweeping views in all directions – hence the name – including a birds’ eye view right into Busch Stadium. With a cocktail in hand and a tasty bite to savor, it is the perfect perch to take in the Cardinals, the Gateway Arch, the mighty Mississippi and the sites of St. Louis near and far.

Open daily at 3 pm, Three Sixty has an extensive wine, beer and cocktail selection as well as a delicious assortment of small plate fare expertly prepared by Chef Rex Hale. Hale, whose culinary experience has taken him to kitchens around the world, has created a menu that’s globally inspired but bursting with locally sourced ingredients. Signature items include Mini New England Lobster Rolls, New York Strip Crostini and Roasted BBQ Oysters. There is also a Woodstone gas firedeck oven that reaches the ideal temperature to produce perfectly cooked pizzas.

The stunning 6,000 square-foot space features indoor and outdoor seating, accommodating guests year-round with its flexible layout. With a giant outside bar, several indoor bars, an open kitchen, a dramatic wine wall, flat-screen TVs, Zen-like fire pits and contemporary styling, its sleek, urban vibe is a perfect addition to the downtown entertainment scene. Already known for its stellar location and first-class amenities, the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark has now been crowned with a rooftop bar on par with the best in the country.

Thursday night I joined the group City Affair at Three Sixty – for three hours.

It was the first night of decent weather since they opened. There is lots of seating indoors as well as out but both were packed.  The artichoke pizza I had ($14) was excellent as was the local Urban Chestnut Winged Nut on draft ($6). The views were outstanding!

The take away is buildings are rarely static, they change slowly over time to meet our changing tastes and uses for them.

– Steve Patterson