Sidewalk Reserved for Circuit Attorney’s Office

Walking along 14th Street between Market and Walnut, across from the Kiel Opera House/Scottrade Center one finds an unusual sight, cars parked on a sidewalk. This is not, by the way, some fluke I happened to catch. No, this is routine parking for city employees, mostly those in the Circuit Attorney’s office. I have driven past this numberous times and not really noticed but recently Ecology of Absence did a post on this subject so while I was down there today I snapped a few pictures (ok, 24 in total).

Above you can begin to see cars along the sidewalk, taking up more than half its width. Vehicles are also parked in the right turn lane. The adjacent Municipal Courts building (left in above image) is currently vacant and awaiting renovation into a hotel.

In total six vehicles were parked along this stretch of sidewalk, all displaying a notice on their dash indicating “official business.” All were from the Circuit Attorney’s office except for a couple which were from the Sheriff’s office and one from the St. Louis Redevelopment Authority. The SUV above was my favorite, the owner did a great job of centering the vehicle so as to make it hard for someone using a wheelchair or mobility scooter to get by.

Above is an example of the type of authorization shown on the dashboard of these vehicles. I can see allowing some liberty on the streets when out on official business but not as a license to park on the sitewalk.

This is the best shot, the sign reads, “Reserved Parking Circuit Attorney’s Office Only. Tow-Away Zone.” So you or I should not park on the sidewalk or we might get towed for preventing other vehicles from parking on the sidewalk. All this across the street from the home of the St. Louis Blues and a block from a major transit hub, what must visitors to our city think of us?

I sent an email to Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce before 3pm this afternoon asking for any comment on this issue, at this time I have not heard back from her.

[UPDATE 1/8/07 @ 3pm: St. Louis’ KMOV Channel 4 is doing a story on this issue on their 6pm news (1/8/07).  See follow-up post.]

Valet Parking, An Update From Ald. Krewson

As a follow up to my post from earlier today, I received a phone call from Ald. Lyda Krewson (D-28th Ward).  Krewson, as I’ve noted in prior posts, has been dealing with valet parking issues in her ward primarily around the intersection of Euclid & Maryland.  I actually received an email from Krewson last night, before the post, asking me to call her (which I did this morning but she was already in sesssion at the Board of Alderman).  The point here is she was calling me to update me, not just reacting.  Much appreciated Ald. Krewson!!!

So what is the update?  Krewson and new Director of Streets Todd Waeltermann have talked, emailed and met in person to discuss the issue of valet parking.  They have been discussing the various issues such as length of valet area, cones or no cones, signage and such.  The goal, she says, is to develop a written policy within the Streets Department that will eventually be adopted as the city’s ordinance on valet parking.

While nothing is yet finalized it sounds to me like both Krewson and Waeltermann are in agreement as to the issues and solutions.  Here are a few of the areas discussed, but again no final language has been drafted at this point so don’t hold it as the gospel:

• Valet company & business owner must sign an application form.
• Valet zone to be created with signs indicating end points for the valet service.
• Valet zone shall be no wider than the business seeking the application unless an immediately adjacent business also indicates their approval by signing the application.
• Cones may be allowed “at the curb” to help identify the valet zone.

There were a number of other points but I don’t have all the details in writing, plus it is all a draft at this point.  I suggested that after the policy is enacted we actually live with it for 6-9 months before adopting it in ordinance form.  This would give us time to see if loopholes have been found or if other tweaks are required.
Ald. Krewson’s attention to detail and follow up on this issue have been impressive.  It helps that her constituents in the Central West End have been contacting her about their compliants of aggressive valets.  All in all I was very pleased with the solutions Ald. Krewson and Mr. Waeltermann have developed.  Once they have something ready for public commentary I will pass it along for everyone’s feedback.

Have You Heard of the ‘Market Street Interconnect Project’?

I had not heard the phrase “Market Street Interconnect Project” until I was reviewing board bills for introduction tomorrow at the Board of Aldermen. From Board Bill 338 to be introduced by Lewis Reed (D-6th Ward):

An Ordinance, recommended and approved by the Board of Public Service of the City of St. Louis (the “Board of Public Service”), establishing a public works and improvement project for the design and construction of the Market Street Interconnect Project between Compton Avenue and Tucker Boulevard (the “Market Street Interconnect Project”); and authorizing and directing the City of St. Louis (the “City”) by and through its Board of Public Service to let contracts and provide for the design, construction, materials, and equipment for the Market Street Interconnect Project, authorizing the Board of Public Service to employ labor and consultants, pay salaries, fees and wages, acquire real property interests, and to enter into supplemental agreements with the Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission, Federal Highway Administration, utilities, and other governmental agencies for the Market Street Interconnect Project all in accordance with the federal Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (23 U.S.C. 110, et seq.)

It looks as though the design & construction of the project is estimated at $1.55 million with the city’s 20% match being $310,000, the balance coming from federal transportation money. I’ve read through the entire bill and nowhere does it actually state what the project is. I can tell it involves Market Street from Tucker (aka 12th) to Compton (basically end of Market) but beyond that I have no clue.

Along the route is the 22nd Street Interchange, just West of Union Station. From MoDot:

The I-64 at 22nd Street Interchange is the key entry into the St. Louis Central Business District (CDB). It will stimulate development of vacant land and reuse of older, underutilized buildings. The current interchange configuration consists of high-speed ramps, which take up a significant amount of state owned land that could be made available for higher density uses compatible with surrounding activities and supported by transportation infrastructure. The location of the interchange area is in the Locust Business District, a Special Taxing District and political subdivision of the State of Missouri, which is in the process of carrying out initiatives to revitalize the residential and business opportunities in the area and improve the economic well being of the area.

Reworking this old space-consuming interchange should be a top priority for the city, and a natural fit while looking at anything along Market Street. A competition is also being planned for the tired Gateway Mall area so I don’t know how the Market Street Interconnect Project fits in with those intentions. I certainly known the length of Market from Jefferson to Compton, adjacent to A.G. Edwards is depressing and unwelcoming. I suppose we’ll know more about this once the design is complete and they ask for public input.

Rumor: Schnuck’s to Open in Former St. Louis Centre

The rumor is Schnuck’s will be opening some sort of grocery store in Pyramid’s St. Louis Centre project, which is to be renamed 600 Washington. It has been many years since Schnuck’s was even close to downtown, after shuttering their store on Cass in 2000.

An earlier rumor had Schnuck’s locating a store directly behind the Syndicate in the base of the parking garage in which Schnuck’s development company Desco is a partner. That would be the parking garage that replaced the historic marble-clad Century Building that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. And Desco is the same group that is developing the sprawl-centric Loughborough Commons in South St. Louis.

Recently developer Craig Heller announced that his City Grocers was moving across the street into a significantly larger space in the Syndicate Building. So the question becomes can we support two downtown grocers? Frankly, I don’t think we can. City Grocers is now established and the newer space will allow them to carry more products and help serve the daily needs of loft dwellers. However, Schnuck’s buying power may allow them to undercut City Grocers across the board.

The battle may not be over price but instead over location and perception. With numerous lofts around City Grocers and further to the West, will people venture over to 6th and Washington for Schnuck’s? Also, will Schnuck’s seem too ordinary for the loft crowd? Will Schnuck’s that is focused on 60,000+ square feet stores be able to design a smaller format store? If they can pull off a nice small format store, I’d like to see it be considered in other areas of the region, especially near transit stations. For example, a smaller Schnuck’s might do well at the new Forsyth MetroLink station on the border of University City & Clayton without completely sabotaging their larger store on Clayton Road in Richmond Heights.

Back to downtown and St. Louis Centre. If Schnuck’s does open in the former St. Louis Centre (again, this is still just a rumor at this point), this might help me get more on-street parking along Washington all the way to the Eads Bridge. Once the pedestrian walkway over Washington Avenue to the former Dillard’s is removed the vista will be opened again but the street will look very wide and vacant. Having 4-5 spaces which are say 30-45 minute limits would be a good way for someone to quickly stop in to buy a few things. This will also make the area look more lively, a key factor in impressing conventioneers in the area.

I Know One Candidate I Am Not Endorsing

A little over a month ago I stated I was going to wait until the end of January, after campaign reports were filed, to make any endorsements for candidates in upcoming elections. While that will remain the case I did not mention anything about ruling out candidates from consideration.

After witnessing the 6th ward executive meeting from two tables away last night I can say this, there is no way in hell that I’d endorse Patrick Cacchione for alderman. He is clearly an integral part of the factional ward system I seek to destroy. This is the very system that has been holding back our city for decades. Why do we allow our city to be run this way?

Kacie Starr Triplett is young and optimistic, both good and bad qualities. The third candidate in this race is Christian Saller, someone completely removed from the ward process, a huge bonus in my view. What would be great is if Triplett and Saller both completely blew off the 6th ward democratic good-ole-boy clique — don’t even show up at the meetings. Ignore them completely. Don’t build up the importance of this petty little group. Boycott the 6th Ward Democrats! And for everyone else out there, if you are handed a sample ballot on election day just think about why those names are on that list. Is your ward “open” like the 6th or is it closed where the officiers of the tiny factional ward group determines who you should vote for?

In the end I may not make any endorsements at all, I might find reason enough to write-off every last candidate in the upcoming election. To one degree or another they all play the ward game. We’ll see what happens over the next couple of months but at the moment I can scratch one name off my list: Patrick Cacchione.