McDonald’s On Lindell Opens With Improved Pedestrian Access
Yesterday a newly constructed McDonald’s opened for business at 4000 Lindell. For nearly one acre site has had a McDonald’s for as long as I’ve lived in St Louis (since 8/1990).
Like the McDonald’s on South Kingshighway, the old McDonald’s was recently razed. Given the type of construction and lack of basement, this takes hours not weeks & months like it does for fine buildings like the Ambassador Theater or the Century Building.
The tiny old location sat in the center of the 0.95 acre site, surrounded by excessive parking. Street parking often remained empty.
As you can see from the above image, pedestrians wishing to enter the McDonald’s had to take their chances and walk in the auto driveways. Not at all pedestrian friendly. This site is a block from the Western edge of Saint Louis University.
From the Street View we can see the numerous barriers to the pedestrian attempting to get a Big Mac. Again, with such a large site paved with more than enough parking, the on-street parking remains empty
So the access from the West is pretty decent. Thankfully they’ve omitted the drive between the sidewalk and building.
I think over time we will see a pathway worn in the grass. From this point on the public sidewalk the front door is closer than the other pathway. The ADA requires one accessible route which they have. They could have put a sidewalk with a step or two on this side. It would not have been accessible to a wheelchair user but they already had that covered. A sidewalk in the above would have also served as a good edge dividing the planter from the grassy area.
Still, it is a vast improvement. The year-old McDonald’s on South Kingshighway (near Christy) is not so good. There the building is closer to the street (good) but the have a drive between the sidewalk & building (bad). Pedestrians there must use the auto drives to enter/exit. This, however, could easily be rectified by removing the drive in front of the building. From the Lindell example, it really isn’t necessary.
Steve,
I agree with you about the drive across the front, but as much as the Kingshighway location gets my order wrong, its nice to be able to pull a quick u-ey and go in to get it fixed.
Does it have a 1080p flatscreen? We need a luxurious McDonalds.
Where we can watch Sarah Palin on Fox News and eat artery clogging food.
Ba-da ba-ba-ba – I’m not hating it. Could be closer to the street though, using the same set back as the buildings on either side.
I wonder if Lindell happend this way (with no room for a drive across the front), using this year’s standard design, simply because the lot was so shallow and they had to leave enough room in back for the obligatory drive-thru?!
If a new McDonald’s is fodder for your “urban review”, then St. Louis is lamer than I thought.
About as lame as the Cubs.
wow they must have done this pretty fast, i didn’t even notice it torn down.
Jake
jacobmccaig.com