Readers Unsure About the Future of Retailing at St. Louis Union Station

Last week readers weren’t optimistic about the future of retailing at Union Station:

Q: Does retailing at Union Station have a future?

1. The surrounding blocks need infill with housing with local shoppers 37 [30.58%]
2. A few places will do well, but the rest of the retail space needs to be reallocated to other uses 26 [21.49%]
3. No! 20 [16.53%]
4. Sure, just needs better marketing 11 [9.09%]
5. Retailing under the shed needs to be opened to 18th Street 6 [4.96%]
6. unsure/no opinion 6 [4.96%]
7. Other: 15 [12.4%]

I was glad to see my favorite answer get the most votes.  The surroundings  are depressing, Union Station representatives say they aren’t a mall — they are a destination. Yes, when someone is in town that hasn’t seen the Grand Hall I take them to see it. That happens once every five years. In between I might go to an event or meet someone but otherwise I have no reason to visit.

The numerous dead spaces around Union Station must be filled in with offices and residential. Eliminate the on/off ramps at 22nd Street (add WB exits at Jefferson) and build a new neighborhood.

For a number of years now mall owners have been opening up walls and starting to face some retail spaces outward. Union Station must reevaluate the lack of connectedness to both 18th & 20th streets.

The other answers provided by readers were numerous:

1. It is isolated from the east, west, north and south. Wide roads are moats.
2. Tourists want a place 2 shop DT, but dont like US stores- need better retailers
3. needs free parking – then marketing
4. It could be an enclosed antique mall.
5. it would if trains stop there again!
6. Put in open market where paid parking exists!
7. reduce and concentrate retail to ground level, coordinated int. facelift & mktg
8. Reality is that if it has stores and life it will be snuffed out by thugs.
9. needs free parking and better marketing
10. Amtrack should of been positioned there, problem solved.
11. It’s isolated, needs free parking and needs specialty shopping such as outlets
12. Turn it into an IKEA.
13. Both items 1 & 2
14. Union Stations around the country have failed also – it is not just St Louis.
15. Needs something new!

Note the software presents poll answers in random order to each person so I have no idea what answers the person at #13 liked. For #12 the site is way too small for an Ikea even if you razed all the structures. Ikea stores are far from the urban core for a reason — they are auto-centric big boxes.

Hopefully buyers will come along and update the train shed and the city will work to fill in the surroundings.

– Steve Patterson

Pedestrian Access Still an Afterthought at Loughborough Commons

By November 2008 the first of four outparcels at Loughborough Commons was finished — a Burger King.

No sidewalk was built to provide access to the two parcels to the east. Granted, at the time, the parcel to the west wasn’t built upon so the connection to the sidewalk system I fought for in 2005-06. Still it is clear the engineers that planned Loughborough Commons had no provisions for pedestrian access.

The lot to the west now was a Fifth Third Bank, it was under construction a year ago. During construction I raised the issue of pedestrian access. When it opened it did have an access route past the drive thru lanes to the front door facing Loughborhough.

When the bank opened pedestrians had a way to do their banking but not a way to eat at Burger King, not necessarily a bad thing I suppose. Once construction began on the parcel to the east they suddenly realized they needed to correct the earlier lack of sidewalk at Burger King.

Yesterday I took the #70 Grand MetroBus to Loughborough Commons to buy something at Lowe’s. While there I checked out the changes since my last visit. This was my first time there in my wheelchair. View Loughborough Commons in Google Maps here.

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Crosswalk stripes are still needed at the auto drives to Fifth Third Bank and Burger King. After I took the above picture I looked to my left and the last remaining out parcel. At some point they expect to connect it to this sidewalk, right?

They’ve already poured the curb with no provision for an accessible route to the last unbuilt parcel to the south. Talk about poor planning! When that lots sells this work will need to be changed, potentially interrupting this business.

Loughborough Commons is far better than it would have been had I not pushed the issue as it was being built. Still, problems exist that I will elaborate on in future posts. This shows what an afterthought pedestrian access really is. The civil engineers should be embarrassed.

– Steve Patterson

Missouri Baseball Fans Don’t Ride Buses, Illinois Fans Do

The following is an October 18th press release from our transit agency Metro:

Extra MetroLink Service for World Series Games 1 and 2

The excitement is building in Cardinal Nation on the eve of Game 1 of the World Series in St. Louis, and Metro Transit is ready to help Cards fans and visitors avoid downtown traffic congestion on game nights.

Metro will operate extra Eastbound and Westbound trains after the Wednesday and Thursday night games to help the crowds get home, and Metro staff will be at the Stadium MetroLink Station and other nearby stations to monitor the crowds and assist with customer boarding.

Great, but no mention of MetroBus service at all.  Maybe bus service isn’t that significant relative to light rail?

From the bottom of Metro’s press releases:

Metro is the operator of the Metro public transportation system for the St. Louis region, which includes the 87 vehicle, 46-mile MetroLink light rail system; 365 MetroBus vehicle fleet that operates on 75 MetroBus routes; and Metro Call-A-Ride, a paratransit fleet of 120 vans.

The fact is buses move many more people in the region each and every day than light rail. The exception might be game days. What about the person in north city or south county that wants to attend a game with no nearby access to light rail but one of the 75 regular MetroBus routes? Sorry, no extra bus service. Most likely there isn’t a need — no masses of people crowding bus stops wearing red.

Except in St. Clair County across the river. In addition to MetroLink light rail service in St. Clair County the transit district operates the RedBird Express — $5 per adult round trip:

TO THE GAME –

Buses leave from: 134 St. Clair Square, Fairview Heights, Il, 62208, near the Water Tower. First bus leaves 2 1/2 hours prior to game time with service every 5 – 10 minutes.

Fares are round trip only. Cash fares only. No passes, tickets, or transfers accepted on Special Service. Exact fares please.

Last bus leaves 40 minutes prior to game times.

All Buses are wheelchair lift equipped and unload/load outside Gate 4 (Left Field) which is on the corner of 7th & Clark.

HOME FROM THE GAME –

The buses will be lined up at the corner of 7th and Clark at the pick-up/drop-off point. When leaving the stadium, board the front bus and once the bus has a seated load it will return to Fairview Heights.

In the event of an early exit (rain delay, extra innings, heat related, etc…), passengers always have the option to exit the stadium and board the bus to return whenever they see fit. Once there are enough passengers to warrant a return trip, a bus will return. Always go to the front bus unless instructed otherwise by one of our representatives.

MOST IMPORTANT: The last bus will return from the stadium 25 minutes after the official end of the game.

Are baseball fans in Illinois more willing to ride buses or they do so because the service is offered and promoted? Would such service from Jamestown, Chesterfield and South County malls see similar use if offered?

I’d like to see many more baseball fans using transit to reach the games. The fares though won’t cover the costs but that is true of all transit. Of course the cost of auto exhaust, accidents, etc is a cost we all share in. I’d like to see one or both stadium garages  removed so that land can be used for people not cars.

– Steve Patterson

Poll: How Would You Solve the Post Office Budget Shortfall?

The United States Postal Service (USPS) is facing financial difficulties due to declining use and rising costs.

The USPS has an idea to address their budget shortfall:

Under the Postal Service plan for five-day delivery:

• Mail will not be delivered to street addresses on Saturday, and mail will not be collected from blue street collection boxes or Post Offices on Saturday. Also, there will be no Saturday pickup of mail from homes and businesses.
• Mail addressed to Post Office Boxes will continue to be delivered on Saturday.
• Post Offices will remain open on Saturdays. No Post Office will be closed as a result of the change to five-day delivery.
• Express Mail will continue to be delivered seven days a week.
• Outgoing mail may still be dropped off at a Post Office or in a collection box on Saturday, and will be canceled and processed on Monday.
• Bulk mail acceptance that now takes place on Saturday and Sunday will continue.

The Postal Service does not take this change lightly and woud not propose it if six-day service could be supported by current volumes. However, there is no longer enough mail to sustain six days of delivery. Ten years ago the average household received five pieces of mail every day. Today it receives four pieces, and by 2020 that number will fall to three. Reducing street delivery to five days will help rebalance postal operations with the needs of today’s customers. It also will save about $3 billion a year, including reductions in energy use and carbon emissions. (USPS Five-Day Plan)

Postal delivery is the subject of the poll this week. I ask what should be done to solve the crisis. I rarely send/receive mail anymore so if it were up to me it would be delivered once a week and cost more. The poll is in the right sidebar.

– Steve Patterson

All-Star Arch Remains on Corner, Paint Chipping Off

The 2009 MLB All-Star game was a great event, generating positive reviews for St. Louis and pumping money into our local economy. But it’s been two and a half years since the game happened. We are happily in the 2011 World Series now so it’s times to move on.

At Tucker & Washington an Arch used to promote the 2009 All-Star game remains. These were supposed to be sold at auction to raise money. This arch has remained on the corner and it’s starting to show it’s age.

I think it’s time to remove this arch from the public sidewalk.

– Steve Patterson