Kroenke, Rams, Dome, Broadway and the Elevated Highway

Last week NFL owners approved Stan Kroenke’s bid to increase his ownership in the St. Louis Rams from 40% to 100%.  The sale is not strictly about sports.

Speculation and rumors about the future of the Rams is swirling after Stan Kroenke was allowed to buy St. Louis’ football franchise.

Will they demand a new stadium? Will they threaten to leave town? Nothing is for sure, but Rams fans are crossing their fingers, getting out their rabbit’s feet and eating Lucky Charms: anything to swerve things in St. Louis’ favor. (Full Story: KMOV)

In the next couple of years decisions will be made that may profoundly change the area between St. Louis’ convention center (aka America’s Center) and the nearby Lumiere Hotel & Casino.  In 2012 the process starts to bring the Edward Jones Dome into the top quarter of NFL facilities by 2015.  If we don’t get the dome into the top quarter, the Rams are free to leave the dome for another facility.

Another facility might be elsewhere in the region or perhaps, back in Los Angeles. The message to us is clear, pony up some serious money to improve the dome or find the dome without a tenant.  The third, but unlikely possibility, is the Rams stay put through the end of the 2025 lease without upgrades to get the dome into the top quarter. From the same KMOV story:

There probably won’t be a lot of new, taxpayer funded initiatives to lure the Rams away from St. Louis, but Kroenke is a developer. There has been speculation that he could push for a new stadium. That stadium could be in St. Louis county, near Earth City or even Illinois.

Sports economist Patrick Rishe said moving the stadium out of the city is not likely.

“I don’t think St. Louisans want to go to the suburbs to watch professional sports,” Rishe said. “I think we’re accustomed to watching it downtown, so I don’t think that’s an option. Geographically that’s an option, but logistically I don’t think it will be a reality.”

Rishe is right — if you are talking baseball.

The poll this week asks what you think Kroenke’s purchase of the rest of the team means for the City/Region, the Rams and the dome. City to River wants to replace the elevated lanes you see above that divide Laclede’s Landing (right) from the city to the left.

– Steve Patterson

Growing Up In Sprawl

Our driveway was three cars wide by three deep, plus room for two more in the garage. We didn’t have sidewalks, when I was older I biked to stores — without a helmet. At times I got glimpses of older neighborhoods.  Our family doctor was located in an older commercial district just south of downtown Oklahoma City, known as Capitol Hill.   As a kid the area was likely in transition downward.  There were vacant department stores and storefronts but there was a clear grid of streets — with sidewalks.

My father would occasionally do carpentry work at our doctor’s house.  When he did I always wanted to tag along because our doctor lived in a big old house in the Heritage Hills neighborhood. When I’ve returned to Oklahoma City over the last 20 years I drive through these areas. They weren’t where I spent my childhood, but where I would escape to once I turned 16 and started driving. If a bus system existed I knew nothing of it.

I racked up a lot of miles for a high school kid with a new license, exploring areas that had long been written off or destroyed by Urban Renewal schemes. I preferred the remains of urbanism to the newness where I lived.

I’m curious why I desired a more urban environment? Most of my friends from high school have done as most people did and just locate in newer versions or sprawl further away from the center. Was it the used brick as the veneer on our frame house that got me curious about old brick buildings? The house next door was veneered with a pink brick made of concrete, it looked as bad as it sounds. Was it the fact I’m gay? I hadn’t read any manual on how to be gay.

Why some people have a strong need to break out of suburbia while others are quite happy fascinates me. My two older brothers were about 7 & 16 when they moved into our custom built new home, less than a year before I was born.  They had both experienced older homes before the move to the new home, in the new subdivision, near the new shopping center.  One has traveled the world with the Navy and he appreciates walkable urbanism. My other brother prefers drivable sprawl.

Does the urban gene skip the middle child?

– Steve Patterson

Separation of Sidewalk & Surface Parking

When building a new surface parking lot in the City of St. Louis you are required to have separation between the parking area and the adjacent public sidewalk.  A fence, landscaping or even a simple concrete curb would have prevented the drive of the above car from pulling so far forward that I couldn’t pass on the sidewalk.

– Steve Patterson

Blank Walls Kill Sidewalks

Like so many other areas, the intersection of Page & North Kingshighway suffers from disinvestment.  Yet, at one point in the last few decades, the 1904 building on the corner received new investment in the form of street facades featuring blank walls and mirrored glass.   The building next door, also from 1904, has a blank facade where windows and doors should be.

I’m not saying this corner would be lively if the corner building hadn’t gained blank walls during the unfortunate new skin with blank walls. But, the blank walls make improving the vibrancy of the sidewalk today impossible.  A new pro-urban formed-based zoning code would prevent future blank walls to the sidewalk.

– Steve Patterson

Shallow Liner Building Needed To Mask Parking Garage

The University Heights Loft Apartments faces Laclede Ave.  The associated parking garage, located behind, faces Forest Park Ave.

I’m not sure if this was part of the plan, but there is room to build a shallow liner building between the garage structure and the public sidewalk.

Most liner buildings are around 12 meters (40 feet) in depth. Liner buildings are typically simple and work well with “loft” or “industrial” architectural expression. Liner buildings may be up to five stories tall, but should be as tall as is required to serve their purpose of screening. Liner buildings must be constructed at grade if the ground floor is designed for commercial use. They should be slightly elevated above grade if the ground floor is designed for residential uses.(Source: PlanningWiki)

I’d like to see storefront spaces on the main level with residential above. With many students in the immediate area there would be a demand for nearby businesses.

Realistically only one large or two small businesses could fit into the space. The number of residential units would obviously depend upon the size of the units and the number of floors.

The improvement to Forest Park Ave would be immediate, reinforcing the other establishments at Spring Ave.  Hopefully this was the plan when the garage was set back from the property line.  Even a single story structure with storefronts would do great things for this area.  align the front with the loft building and have a wider sidewalk with cafe seating.  New trees in the tree-lawn between the sidewalk & curb would shade patrons.

With so many students, faculty & staff in the area the available on-street parking is more than adequate.

– Steve Patterson