Hearing on Relocating South Grand McDonalds

Nearly a year ago I did a post about McDonalds possibly moving across Grand to the former Sears site.

In this time we’ve seen some activity at the new home development Keystone Place but not enough for my satisfaction. I can’t imagine a new McDonalds helping matters.

As I stated a year ago, I think a new McDonalds should be built as an out parcel on the former National. That entire city block is under-utilized and suffering from too many open parking. Building a corner McDonalds would actually be an improvement.

Here is a map of the intersection of Grand & Chippewa. To the North one block at Winnebego is the former Sears site.

A conditional use hearing on the McDonalds will be held on February 16, 2005 in Room 208 of City Hall, 8:30am. The former Sears site is 3708 S. Grand.

– Steve

Hearing on St. Aloysius Wednesday Morning

The Housing, Urban Design and Zoning committee of the St. Louis Board of Alderman is having a public meeting/hearing on Wednesday at 10am. St. Aloysius is among many items on the agenda. The bill before the committee is a bill for the redevelopment, not about tearing down the buildings (the bill already assumes that much).

Here is the info on the meeting:

01/25/2006

Meeting Type: Committee Meeting
Sponsor: Housing, Urban Development and Zoning
Time: 10:00am – 11:00am
Location:Kennedy Room (Room 208)
Message: B.B. #312 – Young, An ordinance to change the zoning of City Block
387.05.

B.B. #326 – Villa, An ordinance establishing a Planned Unit Development
District as the “Mississippi Bluffs Planned Unit Development District”.

B.B. #328 – Roddy, An ordinance establishing a Planned Development District
In City Block 3884 to be known as the “Park East Lofts”.

B.B. #354 – Hanrahan, An ordinance to change the zoning in City Block 4982.

B.B. #358 – Krewson, An ordinance establishing a Planned Unit for City Block
3894 to be known as “Lindell Condominiums”.

B.B. #361 – Vollmer, An ordinance establishing a Planned Unit for City Block
4054.11 to be known as “Magnolia Square Subdivision”.

B.B. #369 – Roddy, An ordinance approving a Redevelopment Plan for the
Cortex West Redevelopment Area.

Belleville’s Liese Lumber Using Biodiesel in Delivery Trucks

Local lumberyard Liese Lumber has taken a bold & progressive step — it is now running it’s 14 delivery trucks on 11% biodiesel. I spoke with owner Tom Lippert by phone today and he said the reasons were twofold. First, the cost of the fuel is less than regular diesel (the soybean-based biodiesel is subsidized by the state of Illinois). The second reason is his staff saves time by not going to filling stations — they have the biodiesel fuel delivered to them and kept in a storage tank. They’ve been running the biodiesel since July 2005.

Liese Lumber has two locations in Belleville IL, one at 319 E. Main and another at 2200 S. Belt. Liese Lumber mainly services contractors but they are also open for consumer business. But their hours of 7am to 5pm Monday — Friday are not consumer friendly.

Thankfully the biodiesel in their trucks is friendly both to the environment, helps local soybean farmers and helps reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Congrats to Liese Lumber for taking this important first step.

Next time I’m buying something from a company that will need to be delivered I’m going to ask if they use biodiesel in their delivery trucks. The more we ask the more we can impact our own future.

– Steve

Learn Plastering at Upcoming Seminar

All of us with old urban houses seem to have the need to know how to plaster (I’ve always been better at hiring than doing). If you want to learn the skill of plastering check out a new class offered by The Urban Studio in the increasingly dynamic Old North St. Louis neighborhood.

The two-day class will be held January 28th & 29th. Click here for more information.

– Steve

‘BEHOLDER’ Is Interesting Story of Power & Corruption

Recently I watched a new independent film, Heart of the Beholder: This American Dream Became a Holy Nightmare. It is the tale of a family that owned a chain of video stores that refused to remove certain films deemed indecent by a small by powerful group of zealots. These zealots blackmail a prosecutor into closing down the video stores, ruining the lives of this family. In the end the prosecutor gets his just rewards. It is an interesting story that everyone should see, especially those living in St. Louis.

I had not lived in St. Louis long when the story of St. Louis Circuit Attorney George Peach being arrested for soliciting an undercover police officer. That was in 1992. Yes, this movie is based on events that happened here in the St. Louis area in the 1980s and early 1990s.

First I want to say the picture is not anti-religious. In does not make light of or disparage Christians but does look at those who are a bit too self-righteous.

One of the movies the group picketing the video stores wanted to remove is one of my all-time favorites, Blazing Saddles. Mel Brooks’ movies are many things but they are not morally offensive.

The movie is not being shown in theaters because they are having a hard time getting a distribution deal. I leant my copy to a friend and she watched it twice just to pick up all the details. You can order a copy by clicking on the image at right.

– Steve