Loughborough Commons will be Common indeed!

Desco’s proposed Loughborough Commons is a case study in thinking only about the box and certainly not outside the box. Tonight’s public meeting had some pretense of a public input forum but in reality it was a ‘here is the generic strip center we are giving you let us know what color flowers you want planted under the monument sign’ type of meeting.

Prior to the meeting I had a chance to speak with Alderman Matt Villa as well as an representative from the engineering firm and Desco. First let me say that I like Matt. We are close in age and I’m personal friends with his wife’s sister and her husband. But, any association with someone on a personal level can’t an excuse for keeping silent on a bad proposal. To Villa and the engineer I raised concerns about connecting the public sidewalks to the development. The woman, I believe her name was Denise Coleman (she didn’t offer a card), said at this scale they couldn’t show sidewalks but they be there. Hmmm… [Note 8/31/06: Her name is Dennice Kowelman]

At right is the overall site plan for the proposed project. Loughborough is on the far right and is the Northern boundary of the project. To the bottom (East) is the railroad line and I-55. The top of the picture is Grand. For those of you that know the Grand Blvd which goes all the way from North St. Louis to Carondelet Park this Grand is much different – it is residential street. The part of the site on the left is the old Nordyne site.

Apparently in the last year Nordyne just closed up shop and moved out of the area – not bothering to tell the city they were leaving. Nice. Villa says it was a call from Desco that alerted him to the fact Nordyne was selling the property.

The upper right corner of the site plan – marked Outparcel A is where 18 single family homes now sit. With room enough for three out parcels, 50,000sf of additional retail and more parking than is required by the city I just don’t get why they need to take the existing homes. Two answers are most apparent. One is the home owners, if left, would hate backing up to such a boring big box development and second developer wants maximum exposure. Houses along Loughborough will block the view of the side of the Schnuck’s store. With the houses gone and some sort of typical fast food establishment on the corner people passing by will quickly realize this isn’t a pleasant residential neighborhood but a boring strip center.

… Continue Reading

New 25th Ward Housing Delivered on Trailer

Just down the street from me three new houses are being built. Two are marginally acceptable and one is completely inappropriate.

One house was delivered by tractor trailer last Friday. As a designer I know the difference between prefab housing and a trailer. Unfortunately, this prefab house looks like a trailer. In fact, I’ve seem some trailers that would look better. Prefab construction can be very high quality and can result in a very modern exterior.

It is my understanding this house is to be “accessible.” In other words, designed for a wheelchair bound occupant. It is being built on a speculative basis. Don’t misunderstand me – I’m not opposed to accessible housing – I’ve designed numerous spaces for disabled people over the years. My objection is how the house looks completely out of place with the neighboring housing.

The 47xx block of Minnesota is a very eclectic – with both brick and frame houses. Most are quite modest in size. What the block lacks in pretense it makes up for in rhythm – very consistent lot & house widths. One and two story houses seem to work well next to each other. Until that trailer pulled up…

Just look at this house. It is wide – taking up the width of at least two or three houses. Due to the accessible design requirements it is low to the ground – that I accept. What I don’t accept is the short height, the plain roof and overall lack of detailing. The old houses on the street with asbestos siding have more curb appeal.

The worst part is the blank space you see here will have a front facing single-car garage. Yes, a brand new front facing garage in the city – on a lot with an alley at the rear of the property. Why should we be subjected to a front facing garage?

My understanding is this project was rejected for tax abatement due to the front garage. But, why is it here in the first place? Why weren’t neighborhood leaders consulted on the design – at least given a chance to suggest alternatives?

As Alderman I would do everything I could to convince a developer to make the design work with the neighboring houses, get area leaders involved and stop any front facing garage where an alley is available. My vision of new housing for the ward is certainly better than this…

– Steve

More Than a Matter of Scale

Most preservation & urban minded people would look at the picture on the right and say the problem is the scale of the dreadfully ugly HUD infill house. Yes, the scale is out of character for the neighborhood.

It is much shorter than the much grander house next door. Narrower too. The original house is elevated above grade whereas the infill it not. The ceilings are lower on the newer house which doesn’t help with its squat appearance. Again, most would say any new house need to have a similar scale to fit in with the old house. Most times I’d probably agree.

… Continue Reading

Sprawl & Eminent Domain Alert in St. Louis County

It doesn’t seem to end. Big boxes have saturated the blighted corn fields of St. Peters so now they are moving toward the core – taking people’s homes in the path of “progress.”

Back in November I commented on the new Walmart, Sam’s Club & Lowe’s abomination on Hanley Road. Also in November I shared my viewson the proposed Schnuck’s & Lowe’s at I-55 & Loughborough. The RFT did a story on this a few weeks later. Just a couple weeks later I talked about a proposed Home Depot at Goodfellow and I-70. This is a lot of big box stores for a region that is not greatly expanding its population.

Well, add another to the ever expanding list. This morning I learned of a proposed Walmart at I-55 & Weber road in South St. Louis County. According to Yahoo Maps this is only 1.3 miles from the I-55 & Loughborough Schnuck’s grocery/Lowe’s. Both involve eminent domain – the taking of people’s homes for the greater public good. Of course, greater public good means a developer think the houses are in the way of their generic box stores and massive and barren parking lots. We can’t let people’s homes get in the way of progress can we? Let’s ask the folks over in McRee town shall we???

Oh that is right – we can’t ask the folks in McRee town because their homes have already been razed. How silly of me to forget. After all, I can clearly see the fact McRee town is missing when I drive by on I-44. Some of the destruction is still on-going but they are making quick headway of erasing decades of history. Reminds me of the wreck-less destruction for housing projects in the 1950s. Displace the poor so we can remove from our sight reminders that people are poor. I’d better stop now – this post is supposed to be about big box stores not the systematic displacement of people.

So, just over a mile from one abuse of eminent domain is another abuse of eminent domain. Since they go hand in hand with each other why not have public hearings on both projects on the same day? That way the big wigs from Walmart only have to come into town to threaten and intimidate for a day. No point dragging things out right?

Tuesday January 25th at 9am will be a public information meeting on the I-55 & Weber project. The meeting will be held at Stupp Brothers – the proposed site. At 7pm that same day will be a public information meeting on the I-55 & Loughborough project. That meeting will be held at the Carondelet Athletic Club which is next door to Schnucks.

One of the key phrases you’ll hear now is “county buyout.” That is the new kindler, gentler politically correct phrase for using tax money to take people’s homes through eminent domain. I’m not sure what the new phrase is for when the tax payers also rebuild the highway interchanges at Loughborough & Weber to handle the additional traffic demanded by these regional big box eyesores. Any thoughts?

– Steve

Sprawl & Eminent Domain Alert in St. Louis County

It doesn’t seem to end. Big boxes have saturated the blighted corn fields of St. Peters so now they are moving toward the core – taking people’s homes in the path of “progress.”

Back in November I commented on the new Walmart, Sam’s Club & Lowe’s abomination on Hanley Road. Also in November I shared my viewson the proposed Schnuck’s & Lowe’s at I-55 & Loughborough. The RFT did a story on this a few weeks later. Just a couple weeks later I talked about a proposed Home Depot at Goodfellow and I-70. This is a lot of big box stores for a region that is not greatly expanding its population.

Well, add another to the ever expanding list. This morning I learned of a proposed Walmart at I-55 & Weber road in South St. Louis County. According to Yahoo Maps this is only 1.3 miles from the I-55 & Loughborough Schnuck’s grocery/Lowe’s. Both involve eminent domain – the taking of people’s homes for the greater public good. Of course, greater public good means a developer think the houses are in the way of their generic box stores and massive and barren parking lots. We can’t let people’s homes get in the way of progress can we? Let’s ask the folks over in McRee town shall we???

Oh that is right – we can’t ask the folks in McRee town because their homes have already been razed. How silly of me to forget. After all, I can clearly see the fact McRee town is missing when I drive by on I-44. Some of the destruction is still on-going but they are making quick headway of erasing decades of history. Reminds me of the wreck-less destruction for housing projects in the 1950s. Displace the poor so we can remove from our sight reminders that people are poor. I’d better stop now – this post is supposed to be about big box stores not the systematic displacement of people.

So, just over a mile from one abuse of eminent domain is another abuse of eminent domain. Since they go hand in hand with each other why not have public hearings on both projects on the same day? That way the big wigs from Walmart only have to come into town to threaten and intimidate for a day. No point dragging things out right?

Tuesday January 25th at 9am will be a public information meeting on the I-55 & Weber project. The meeting will be held at Stupp Brothers – the proposed site. At 7pm that same day will be a public information meeting on the I-55 & Loughborough project. That meeting will be held at the Carondelet Athletic Club which is next door to Schnucks.

One of the key phrases you’ll hear now is “county buyout.” That is the new kindler, gentler politically correct phrase for using tax money to take people’s homes through eminent domain. I’m not sure what the new phrase is for when the tax payers also rebuild the highway interchanges at Loughborough & Weber to handle the additional traffic demanded by these regional big box eyesores. Any thoughts?

– Steve