Potential Of UMSL North MetroLink Station

Yesterday I took a detailed look at Developing The North Hanley MetroLink Station, today I’ll briefly look at the next station on the line: UMSL North.

Like other stations, this has been in use for over 19 years now. The campus side of the station wasn’t designed for pedestrians and the other side has been ignored.

I’m not optimistic about how this area will get developed, when it does eventually. I’m afraid it’ll end up like other stations — very auto-centric rather than being pedestrian-centric. The potential is enormous.

— Steve Patterson

Developing The North Hanley MetroLink Station

The North Hanley MetroLink station (map) was one of the original stations when our light rail system opened on July 31, 1993.  Unfortunately, after 19+ years, it has yet to see any Transit Oriented Development (TOD). But finally it is getting some attention:

CMT received a grant from the Missouri Foundation for Health to look at areas surrounding MetroLink stations in our communities. We are asking for your help to create a healthier place to live through better use of our transit system.

Our goal is to get the community’s opinions about development near MetroLink and walkable neighborhoods. What do you like about the station? What would you like to see near your station? How is access to your station?

The North Hanley Station is located in unincorporated St. Louis County. How does this effect the zoning around the station?

We will a facilitator on-site to lead us on our walkabout and to help facilitate conversations about the possibilities for the community. (CMT)

I attended this walkabout as I’d never explored the area before, though I had switched from light rail to MetroBus here a few times.

What about the headquarters of Express Scripts you might ask. Yes it is located next to the light rail line and is visible from the station platform, but at best it is transit-adjacent development. Although just a short distance, employees use a bus shuttle rather than walk because of the poor physical design of the station. Again, the surface and structured parking are a huge barrier.

I say build a hotel on the dry hilly part, excavating most of the earth for a lower level to have a restaurant or two serving hotel guests and Express Scripts employees. The forest/drainage area can become a green entry to the hotel. By doing this you’ll make it possible to simplify the walk from the station to Express Scripts.

Scroll back up and look at the map again, the existing route, shown in red, requires pedestrians to cross the same access drive twice. Trying to get pedestrians to take extra steps, cross in front of buses twice and going around a huge parking garage it is no wonder nobody walks to work. But, it can be fixed!

Maybe a hotel isn’t the best option for that site, although officials said a hotel has been desired for years. If built, it would be the first hotel a traveler could reach from the airport via MetroLink. Also, a hotel adjacent to one of the region’s largest employers would benefit both. The topography would allow for two different levels at grade (north vs south) and the height could be as needed.

I look forward to seeing what CMT’s team comes up with for North Hanley.

— Steve Patterson

Poll: Factors Influencing Where You’ll Shop This Holiday Season?

Consumers have many choices where to shop all year and retailers really try to get you during the holiday season starting on Black Friday:

Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, traditionally marked the moment retailers moved into profit, or “the black”. Latterly it has been when consumers queued for hours in the cold to dash around shops, fighting over the latest half-price LCD widescreen televisions. (source)

For the poll this week I’m asking what factors influence where you’ll shop this holiday season. Below is the list of answers I’ve provided, in alphabetical order, you can pick up to three. The poll is in the right sidebar, mobile  users switch to desktop layout.

1. Convenience
2. Customer service
3. Employment policies
4. Financing terms
5. Layaway plan
6. Owneership
7. Politics of retailer
8. Price
9. Sales/Specials
10. Selection
11. Shipping
12. Unsure, N/A, no answer

Note the answers are displsayed  in a random order in the poll itself.

— Steve Patterson

Reading: The Eckert Family Fall Cookbook: Apple, Pumpkin, Squash Recipes, and More

Fall is here, Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away. This year I’m hosting my friends I spend the holiday with. We’ve been together nearly every year for more than a decade now. Even though it’s potluck we all try to find something new and fun to bring to share with others.

This year I’ll likely make one of the recipes in a new local cookbook: The Eckert Family Fall Cookbook: Apple, Pumpkin, Squash Recipes, and More:

For decades, the St. Louis region’s most popular destination for pick-your-own produce has been Eckert’s Orchards. The Eckert family has been preparing delicious meals from foods grown on their farms for seven generations. Eating locally grown foods is a family tradition, and over the years, the family’s collection of delicious fall recipes has grown. From a classic apple butter that has been handed down for generations to a more modern preparation of pork with apple cider reduction, this cookbook has something for everyone. These tried and true family recipes are designed to allow the flavors of the season to shine through. Tips and techniques from the growing fields will ensure successful preparation of fresh ingredients while maximizing flavor. From fall squash to sweet potatoes to apples, these recipes provide inspiration for many memorable meals utilizing the delicious fall harvest. (Reedy Press)

Look for the book in local stores or order online.

— Steve Patterson

A Look At Local Election Results

Voter turnout in the City of St. Louis was an impressive 72.8%! That figure is a bit misleading though, 72.8% of registered voters cast ballots on Tuesday, a total of 142,042, but not every ballot voted on every item. I personally didn’t vote in those races with only one candidate (ex: Circuit Attorney), others did the same.

Here is a list of how many voters did not vote on citywide races:

• President: 456
• Senate: 1,754
• Governor: 3,052
• Lt. Governor: 5,081
• Secretary of State: 5,935
• State Treasurer: 6,199
• Attorney General: 5,251
• US Rep Dist 1: 5,802
• Circuit Attorney: 18,541
• Public Administrator: 11,067
• Sheriff: 10,173
• Treasurer: 8,824
• Amendment 3: 13,748 (change current nonpartisan judge process)
• Proposition A: 8,003 (local control of St. Louis police)
• Proposition B: 5,534 (increase cigarette tax)
• Proposition E: 11,032 (prohibit healthcare exchanges)
• Proposition R: 13,459 (reduce Board of Aldermen)

So 456 people took the time to vote but didn’t pick a presidential ticket? The fewest ballots cast were in the race for Circuit Attorney. Competitive races get higher participation. Hopefully,  in a decade, when we have 14 wards instead of our current 28 there will be increased competition.

Tuesday night when I was at Sen. Claire McCaskill’s watch party at the Chase I checked local results on the KMOV iPhone app, I tweeted the following image that I’d taken as a screen capture.

Oh no, Prop R is going down big time, not just failing to get the 60% approval necessary to change the charter. Very quickly I got replies saying the results from other sources showed the opposite. In the end 65.9% of registered voters weighed in on this important change to city governance. But I’m bugged that 13,459 voters, 14.5% of registered voters, didn’t take the time to make a decision. Though if they had Proposition R might have failed!

But it passed with 61.49% of the vote, just over the 60% needed. So a decade from now you’ll see some real change start to happen.Will the 2020 census record yet another decline in population? Would making the reduction in the number of aldermen have sent a message to young progressives to stay in St. Louis, that we can change? We’ll never know the answer to that last question.

— Steve Patterson