Few Readers Favor Banning Food Trucks

Less than 10% of readers felt food trucks should be banned to help favor brick & mortar restaurants:

Q: St. Louis suburb of Maryland Heights just passed an ordinance regulating itinerant food vendors, including trucks; thoughts?

1. Do food trucks even go out to Maryland Heights? 28 [24.78%]
2. The trucks and other “itinerant” vendors should be allowed to operate anywhere 26 [23.01%]
3. A uniform policy is needed for the region. 22 [19.47%]
4. With 90+ municipalities in St. Louis County different regulations will be a headache for vendors 16 [14.16%]
5. The trucks and other “itinerant” vendors should be banned to help brick & mortar restaurants 11 [9.73%]
6. unsure/no opinion 5 [4.42%]
7. Other answer… 5 [4.42%]

The “other” answers were:

1. The more the better – but should park legally
2. Screw Maryland Heights.
3. I think you guys should worry more about crime than MH.
4. there are a couple of independent ice cream vendors other than that not
5. I don’t mind the food trucks that are based in the city but won’t go t

Officials act like restaurants are the only ones making capital investments and paying taxes. Food trucks, and carts, are not cheap and the work is hard. Additionally they add life to a street which attracts more people.  More people means brick & mortar restaurants and retail stores will have more customers. Thoughts on the results?

– Steve Patterson

Poll: Should Scrap Metal Dealers Be Required To Mail Checks Rather Than Pay Cash?

The poll this week relates to a bill at the Board of Aldermen:

The ordinance would force scrap yards to stop dealing in cash and to computerize records of what they buy and from whom. They could only accept air-conditioner coils from certified technicians and could lose their business license if they violate the ordinance.

It is the first item — requiring scrap dealers to pay their customers by a mailed check — that is causing the most consternation. But that’s the one element police say is a must if the city wants to curb scrap metal thefts that are costing property owners thousands in repairs and driving rehabbers out of St. Louis.

Since 2010, the city has seen more than $6 million in scrap metal thefts, $1.5 million of that since March. Police say drug addicts who steal scrap and sell it to support their daily habits would lose interest without the immediate payout of cash. (STLtoday.com)

Board Bill #86 sponsored by  16th ward Ald Donna Baringer on June 3, 2011. Co-sponsors listed are Troupe, Arnowitz, Wessels, Boyd, and Cohn:

An ordinance pertaining to the purchase or resale of scrap metal; repealing Ordinance 67424, presently codified as Section 15.159 of the Revised Code of the City of St. Louis, pertaining to electronic database requirements, purchasing HVAC scrap metal, establishing licensing requirements and rules and regulations for persons doing business in the City of St. Louis as scrap metal merchants; containing definitions; a penalty clause, a severability clause and an emergency clause.

I’ve read opposition on Facebook, saying this bill, if passed, will hurt legit guys who collect metal for a living. The argument is they depend on cash to buy food and pay rent.

I don’t have a strong opinion, but I’d like to see how readers feel about this issue so this is the poll topic this week. As always, the poll is in the upper right corner of the blog.

– Steve Patterson

Back to the 5th Ward

We know with certainty that every ten years the boundaries of St. Louis’ 28 wards will change to reflect new population based on the most recent Census. Each decade we see small changes, more dramatic at times.

Most wards are currently in the positions they were in the 1960s.  Sure, the exact lines have moved around but with respect to other wards they are similar. But wards 1, 2, 6, 8, 10, 20, and 25 have different, in some cases dramatically different. For example the moving of the 20th ward from north to south in 2001.

I’ve been through two redistricting in St. Louis – 1991 and 2001. In 1991 I was living in Old North St. Louis in the 5th ward before in after. Mary Ross was the alderman.

In 1994 I moved south to a two-flat that was in Dutchtown. Ward boundaries didn’t mean anything to me in the early 1990s but I was in the 13th ward, represented by Fred Wessels who is still the alderman. In 2001 my house became part of the 25th ward, then represented by Dan Kirner. Four years later I ran unsuccessfully against his widow Dorothy Kirner who was elected in a special election.

In 2007 I moved to a downtown loft, which happens to be in the 6th ward represented by Kacie Starr Triplett.  Under a proposed ward map I will again be in the 5th ward, represented by April Ford Griffin since 1997.

After the census, all legislative bodies are required to redraw the legislative districts to represent the new population figures for each district. The City of St. Louis has 28 wards as directed by the City’s Charter. Therefore, each ward must represent an average of 11, 403 residents. The task for redrawing the boundaries is assigned to the Legislation Committee.

The committee, chaired by Alderwoman Phyllis Young with Alderman Terry Kennedy acting as vice chairman, has successfully completed this process and voted the bill from the committee. It will now go onto the full Board of Aldermen for consideration; however, with 28 co-sponsors, there is little doubt of passage.

The two goals of the group were that (1) the process would be participatory and (2) that no ward would move significantly from its current area. With that in mind, President Lewis Reed and Alderwoman Young met with each alderperson to discuss each ward’s base of population, priorities for that alderperson, and current development areas. After those meetings were completed, aldermen were brought in as small groups representing adjacent wards to discuss common boundaries and to negotiate the new lines. This process continued for the past two months to lastly redefine the boundaries.

The map that you may view here represents the final product of the redistricting process. The initial goals were achieved as members of the Board of Aldermen have actively engaged with one another in accomplishing the task. (source)

What are your thoughts on redistricting?

– Steve Patterson

A New Saint Louis: Erasing Our Political Boundaries Through Consolidation

It is time for the St. Louis region to realize that, over the years, we’ve created too many political entities, most from the last (20th) century. I propose a complete overhaul.

Before I get into my solution I want to outline the problem(s) as I see them:

1. A strong “City vs. County” attitude exists dividing us, holding the region back.
2. Municipalities within St. Louis County disagree how to share revenues.
3. St. Louis County experienced a drop in population in the 2010 Census.
4. We have poor & affluent school districts providing very unequal education to future voters.
5. Numerous police & fire departments exist.
6. St. Louis, and the region by association, is viewed nationally as on the decline. This limits the potential to retain talent and attract employers.
7. In 1876 the bulk of the region’s population lived east of Grand, but now the population lives mostly in St. Louis County. As a region we’ve outgrown our 19th century viewpoint.

OK, so here is my solution: government consolidation on a massive scale.

1. St. Louis County would become an independent city and absorb the current City of St. Louis and all 91 municipalities within it’s current borders.
2. The new City of Saint Louis would have a population of 1,318,248 (998,954 + 319,294), instantly making it the 8th most populated U.S. city, after San Antonio and ahead of San Diego (see list).
3. The Greater St. Louis MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area) would remain the 15th largest with  a population of 2,779,939.The new Saint Louis would contain 47% of the region’s population.
4. Planning districts would be established to plan corridor/transportation projects.  These would be classified using DPZ’s Transects, shown above, offering something for everyone.
5. Existing government buildings (city halls, for example) would be evaluated and some used as district offices.
6. St. Louis County’s existing buildings in Clayton would become the new City Hall for the new Saint Louis.
7. Expenses would be incurred in the short term but in the long run savings would be realized.
8. A Council-Manager form of government would be adopted, a professional municipal administrator hired.
9. A new non-partisan city council would contain seven members, the presiding officer (“Mayor”) would be selected by a vote of these seven. The mayor would oversee meetings and cut ribbons. As an alternate two representatives could be elected from each of seven districts and a mayor elected by the public.  Either way administrative power would reside with the city manager.
10. Staff would be empowered to enact the policy established by the city council.
11. Former municipalities such as Florissant, Ladue & Pacific would become neighborhoods for planning and identification purposes,

None of this is new, cities and counties have merged in this manner before. Evansiville Indiana is currently in the process:

Tonight is likely the final workshop between the Vanderburgh County Commissioners and the Evansville’s City Council before they reconvene their public hearing on June 30 to address a possible city-county merger proposal.

Members of the two bodies have met for five weeks to work on changes to the initial consolidation proposal drafted by a citizen committee earlier this year. Both bodies must ultimately approve identical merger plans for the issue to go to referendum, possibly in November of 2012. (source)

This sort of radical departure from the current forms is needed for the region to end the 21st century better than when we started.  Discuss.

– Steve Patterson

Restaurant, Lounge or Late Night Club?

The business Rich Girl Lifestyle, LLC is seeking a liquor license at the address 1627 Washington Ave, in the space previously occupied by Cummel’s.  The building is known as the University Lofts.  Few things are as controversial as the issuance of a liquor license and the application for the place to be called Couture is no exception.

In April liquor license compliance specialist Joe Kelly sent a letter to property owners, businesses & registered voters within a 350 feet radius of that address seeking their approval for a liquor license at a new “restaurant and lounge” to be called Couture. My building is within the radius but only those on the first three floors get any say about such matters. The city must think sound can’t reach me or my neighbors on the 4th floor or higher.

Teri Little indicated to KMOV’s Maggie Crane that Couture would close most nights by 11pm:

The proposed hours of operation are 11a-11pm M-Th, 11am-130am Fri-Sat.

In a nutshell, it’s a boutique styled cafe/lounge(speakeasy style venue) geared towards the fashion friendly. We will serve food and exotic handmade cocktails as well as some light retail. (source)

However, a resident of University Lofts told me they are now saying they will be open until 1am 7pm every night.  Late nights on Friday and Saturday nights are expected, especially on Washington Ave.  But the rest of the week the area is a mostly quiet residential neighborhood.

Neither LeTeri Little, or her business partner Angelique Hover, live in the City of St. Louis. Residency isn’t a requirement to obtain a liquor license, of course, but I don’t know that residents of nearby suburbs can appreciate the concern of those who live in close proximity to others.

The resident I talked to indicated the lobby doorway would not be the main entrance.

He said the side door would be the doorway used instead.  I haven’t verified his claims but I doubt the doorway would be used as is, it’s just too steep.  It is possible to build a platform and easier steps to use this door, perhaps even a deck for outdoor seating.

Using the side door makes since to bring some life to this short block of 16th Street.  The problem is the width of the public right-of-way is only 50 feet.

Given how sound can bounce from wall to wall it is absurd residents on the 4th floor or higher don’t get a say in liquor license applications.  My windows face the building next door, about 75 feet away, and I hear everything that goes on in the parking lot below. This limitation needs to be reviewed and revised.

LeTeri Little’s husband, Chris Little, ran the Label in Chouteau’s Landing, which has been in the news since April:

St. Louis Police are mourning the loss of one of its veteran officers, following a downtown altercation in a nightclub parking lot. (source)

Very different area, there might be a few residences in the upper floors of these buildings but parking lots and other businesses is the norm.  Is there guilt by association? Yes, prior and affiliated businesses are a basis I would use to approve a new license — if I got a say in the matter.

Personally I like the idea of a new establishment near me and I like a drink now and then so I wouldn’t flat out reject it.  But most restaurants are not open until 1am seven nights per week.

– Steve Patterson