State Rep. Mike Daus Sets The Record Straight

State Representative Mike Daus has sent a letter to the City’s Board of Adjustment regarding the McDonald’s controversy. A letter he wrote in October supporting Pyramid’s proposed senior housing project was characterized in February’s conditional use zoning hearing as supporting the McDonald’s drive-thru. Here is the text of Daus’ letter from yesterday:

I have to wonder how his letter, and similar letters from Sen. Coleman and Mayor Slay, got interpreted as supporting the drive-thru. First, these three letters got submitted for the hearing via Scott Nixon of Pyramid Companies, not Ald. Jennifer Florida. In re-reading some of the documents I received on a Sunshine Law request I see what he wrote:

In relation to the conditional use permit application for the above referenced address, attached are copies of support letters for Pyramid’s development at the corner of Grand and Chippewa.

So Nixon, of Pyramid, made it clear in his letter these letters were in support of a project that was not the topic of the hearing (view Nixon’s letter). Still, in the hearing, no attempt was made by anyone from Pyramid or Ald. Jennifer Florida to correct the record when the person conducting the hearing, Ms. Madga Vargo, indicated during the drive-thru hearing she had letters of support from these elected officials.

Several options exist. Ms. Vargo assumed the letters were in support of the drive-thru simply because the letters were in the file. Of course, that would mean she failed to read the letters as none of them actually mention McDonald’s. Or, if you a believer in conspiracy theories, it was all part of strategy to make it look good on record with the hopes nobody would dig below the surface. You can listen to Ms. Vargo mention letters in support and opposition to the McDonald’s.

While I cannot document it, yet, I believe that Florida, Pyramid and the city’s zoning staff were all in cahoots with each other and the February 16th hearing was simply a formality.

– Steve

Why Not Bury Part of Highway 40?

Bringing in guys from Boston’s Big Dig might have been a mistake as myself and others are thinking how can we bury part of our highway. I’m going to be brief:

The suburban areas were largely built after the highway so in those cases neighborhoods were not severed like older areas of the city.

We have an opportunity to reconnect older neighborhoods that were cut off from each other when the highway was constructed.

The highway currently is recessed below grade between Taylor & Boyle and will be after reconstruction.

Forest Park Southeast is about to lose nearby park space to BJC.

The solution is to bury/create a lid over I-64/Hwy 40 for the short distance between Taylor and Boyle. The resulting land on top of the highway should be new park space to offset the 12 acres that BJC is taking from Forest Park. Playground equipment, tennis courts and racquetball courts displaced from the small piece of Forest Park should get rebuilt here, at BJC’s expense. Regardless of the highway situation, BJC should not be allowed to remove the existing facilities until the replacement facilities are constructed and operational.

MoDot has a detailed drawing of their proposed reconstruction here. Looks like they are planning additional ramps at Tower Grove.

Sure it will cost more but I think the city deserves to get more than just a faster exit out of the city. Give us back our city in the process!

– Steve

KDHX Radio Programs Available Online

Monday’s Collateral Damage and The Wire programs are now available online in streaming & podcast versions.

Antonio French, of PubDef Weekly and St. Louis Schools Watch, and myself were guests of hosts DJ Wilson and Fred Hessel on Collateral Damage.

Following us in the studio was President of the Board of Aldermen Jim Shrewsbury with The Wire hosts Amanda Doyle and Thomas Crone. They touched on many subjects including our dusty old zoning code, the McDonald’s controversy, BJC/Forest Park, aldermanic courtesy, and young people getting into politics. Shrewsbury also talks about his new website while giving recognition to Antonio and myself.

KDHX’s pledge drive begins this Thursday. Call in on Monday during Collateral Damage to make a pledge to help support public radio!

Surviving I-64 Reconstruction

Yesterday I attended a luncheon organized by the Downtown St. Louis Partnership. Not one of my favorite organizations but the topic and speakers looked interesting so I forked over the $35 fee.

The topic was I-64 Reconstruction: Getting Prepared. Guests were Marc Cutler, a Senior VP with Cambridge Systematics and Rick Dimino, President of Boston’s Artery Business Committee. Both were brought in to help advise our region on how to get us through the reconstruction of I-64. Their experience: The Big Dig.

They are part of a team looking at ways to address traffic during the construction process. This includes looking at traffic along the construction route, north-south crossings over the construction zone, and other arterial roads that will handle much of the normal traffic.

Other topics briefly discussed were ways the public deals with construction. This was basically three shifts in behavior: time shifting, mode shifting or destination shifting.

With time shifting the idea would be adjust work schedules so that not everyone is commuting at the same times of the day. With mode shifting the idea is to get commuters out of the car and into transit or cycling. Destination shifting is something we’ll hopefully minimize as we don’t want people avoiding destinations. However, minimizing trips can be a good thing.

Working to keep bus service going will be a major challenge as 17 bus lines either use the highway or cross the highway. As the speakers pointed out, the last thing you want to do during a major highway reconstruction project is reduce transit service.

I spoke with Rick Dimino following the meeting and he indicated he was surprised that we were not including transit along I-64 as part of the reconstruction. He also acknowledged how at the end of Boston’s Big Dig they are going to be able to weave the city back together after being severed by their 1950’s highway. A goal that will not be accomplished by our project.

I really enjoyed talking with Dimino as I think he really gets urbanity. He said early designs for the original Boston highway avoided the center of town. Had the original designs been followed the highway would have been built elsewhere and they never would have had The Big Dig project.

The consultant team is expected to have detailed findings by May 16th and a technical report in June.

I’m still not convinced we need to rebuild I-64. I like the idea of looking at how our existing streets can be better utilized by traffic and how mass transit can play a bigger role in our future. While I am very supportive of the route chosen for the Cross-County MetroLink that is set to open later this year, I do think setting aside a right-of-way along I-64 from the new line out West would be very wise. Sadly, we are going to spend hundreds of millions of dollars and not give ourselves that option.

– Steve

Official: Cleveland High School To Close!

Back in March I reported a rumor that Cleveland High School was to be torn down. People questioned this, saying it was not possible. Well, today it got a little closer to the truth.

PubDef Weekly’s Antonio French has confirmed school Superintendent Creg Williams is looking at moving classes to another school and possibly selling the building. At this point the fate of the building is unknown.

Photo courtesy of Built St. Louis.

– Steve