Parking in Former CPI Corp Lot Now $5/Day or $65/Month

It was a year ago that CPI Corp shuttered all of its US portrait studios, leaving most of the downtown workforce without a job.  I’ve kept an eye on the company since moving downtown, as I look up from my screen as I type this post I can see the former CPI HQ building outside my window.

The lot was vacant for a while but over the last year more and more area residents began parking there, a nearby restaurant valet used the lot on weekends, etc. It got used, but nobody collected any revenue. CPI Corp had sold their building & lot prior to shutting down so I knew it had to be just a matter of time until the owner decided to collect from everyone using the parking lot.

A a couple of weeks ago St. Louis Parking began putting this flyer on cars, effective Monday April 28th they’d be charging $5/day.

It would’ve been easy to go around the sign, but not if someone parked in the adjacent space. Using my power wheelchair I pushed the sign into the adjacent space then I sent this pic to a few officials, and posted on Twitter & Facebook. Hopefully St. Louis Parking  won’t place this sign on the sidewalk again. One response brought up a very good question:

Off topic, but isn’t there now a rule requiring pay lots to supply an attendant or have a locked fence to prevent car break-ins? Does that not invalidate honor boxes? http://www.stltoday.com/…/article_a546ebc4-a261-11e0…

The link was to a June 2011 Post-Dispatch article: St. Louis to require parking lot attendants, curb downtown break-ins. Three months later the following press release was issued:

Released: 09-19-2011

To reduce car break ins, the City of St. Louis has implemented common-sense regulations for parking lots. These rules are designed to make parking lots safer and more secure.

“Our City –especially Downtown –is the hub of our region’s activity,” said Mayor Francis G. Slay. “Hundreds of thousands of people come to our City for festivals, sporting events, concerts, and other events. They should know that their car will be secure while they are having fun.”

The City of St. Louis and the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD), worked together to create new public parking lot rules. The highlights are:
• Parking lots shall be attended by an employee when in operation; and
• Parking lot attendants shall be educated by the SLMPD; and
• Parking lots shall be secured when not in operation.

The City of St. Louis Building Division will grant waivers to parking lots that have demonstrated they are safe and secure. These waivers will be reviewed periodically.

“Waivers will only be given to specific lots that historically have been safe places to leave a vehicle,” said Frank Oswald, Building Commissioner. “My staff will work with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department to ensure that we are giving waivers to only those lots without problems.”

The SLMPD will coach parking lot attendants on how to spot suspicious activity, and has vowed to be available to quickly respond to parking lot calls for service.

“These attendants will act as an extra pair of eyes for the SLMPD,” said Mayor Slay. “And our hope is that their watchfulness will give the SLMPD a greater chance to catch car clouters in the act, and to make our City even safer.”
The City of St. Louis has implemented new parking lot regulations to reduce break-ins per Building Commissioner’s Order #1001. The Building Division will grant waivers to parking lots that have proven to be safe and secure.

For more information or to apply for a waiver please call the Office of the Building Commissioner at (314) 622-3318.

Since this lot lacks an attendant or any fencing to restrict use to the daytime, I assume it was granted a waiver. Which is interesting because this lot, and the one at 16th & Locust, are well known spots for car break-ins and/or robberies/assaults. I’ve emailed the building commissioner asking about waivers, I haven’t heard back yet.

— Steve Patterson

Institutions & Businesses That Might Help Plan Rejuvenation of North Grand Blvd

In a post last week called Rethinking the North Grand Corridor for Jobs, Economic Opportunity I introduced the idea of a collaborative effort to do a corridor study of North Grand from Delmar to I-70, roughly 2.5 miles.

Today I’ll continue this line of thought by identifying institutions/businesses/amenities on or near Grand that might be helpful in this process.

Here is the list, starting from  Delmar (lower left):

1. Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis
2. Grand Center
3. Cochran VA Hospital
4. Clyde Miller Career Academy (SLPS)
5. Justine Petersen
6. St. Alphonsus Church
7. Chronicle Coffee
8. S. Louis Housing Authority
9. PNC Bank (Page)
10. Save-A-Lot
11. Vashon High School (SLPS)
12. CHIPS Health and Wellness Center
13. Lindell Bank
14. Herbert Hoover Boys & Girls Club
15. ALDI
16. Fairground Park (St. Louis Parks Dept)
17. Beaumont Career & Technical High School (SLPS)
18. St. Louis Public Library, Divoll Branch
19. PNC Bank (Grand @ N. Florissant)
20. Grace Hill Settlement
21. Grace Hill Water Tower Health Center
22. North Grand Water Tower (coronation column)
23. Bissell Water Tower
24. Bissell Mansion

There are likely many more places that can serve as anchors. Grand from Natural Bridge to I-70 is the The Grand Boulevard Vending District, so perhaps this can become an area where retail activity is organized, concentrated, & marketed. Maybe the 2.5 mile length is branded as one district or maybe it it broken up into segments.

It passes through four city neighborhoods:

1. College Hill
2. Fairground
3. JeffVanderLou
4. Grand Center

It primarily passes through two wards: 3 & 19. Two more wards have a few blocks each: 2 & 4. And a few more wards are very close to North Grand: 5, 18, & 21.

Metro is a big part too with eight MetroBus lines in the area:

• 70 (Grand)
• 4 (Natural Bridge)
• 30 (Soulard)
• 32 (ML King-Chouteau)
• 41 (Lee)
• 74 (Florissant)
• 94 (Page)
• 97 (Delmar)

So I’ve identified most of the players that could be involved in coming together to closely examine North Grand, developing a master plan, a marketing plan, etc.

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An Urbanist Look at the Lewis & Clark Branch Library

For quite a while now I’ve seen the posts about saving St. Louis County’s  1963 Lewis & Clark Branch, located at 9909 Lewis & Clark Blvd.

Here are some examples of the posts:

• October 2013
  • 6 Reasons Why to Save the Lewis & Clark Library
• February 2014
  • Why save the Lewis and Clark Branch Library?
  • Take a Second to Support Lewis and Clark Library Patrons By Signing This Petition
• March 2014
  • Support Grows to Save Lewis & Clark Library
  • Controversy Brews Over Plans To Change Lewis & Clark Library Branch

I hadn’t written about this subject before because I’d never been to the Lewis & Clark branch, but that changed Friday. I took the #40 (Broadway) MetroBus to the Riverview Transit Center, then the #27 (No County Shuttle) directly to the library. I spent some time inside both levels, and outside.

Here is an incomplete list of arguments for both sides:

Arguments in support of replacement:

• Over 50 years old, old plumbing & electrical. etc.
• Poor relationship to neighborhood, main street
• Windows are inefficient
• Doesn’t meet ADA guidelines
•  Can remain open while new building is built

Arguments in support of renovating/adding on

• Only branch in St. Louis County considered architecturally significant
• Designed by Frederick Dunn
• Design still looks good, fresh
• Reusing the existing structure more sustainable than dumping it into a landfill
• This part of St. Louis County has few structures on which residents can take pride.

Based on my observations, the library is too small by today’s standards. It seemed busy during my morning visit, much more space is needed.  ModernSTL proposed a pretty predictable addition, which copies the original design. Good additions to historic buildings don’t mimic or repeat the original. That said, the idea is right. New entry connecting old & new wings.

I do like the idea of turning the entry toward Lewis & Clark Blvd(367), and getting St. Louis County/MoDOT to put a public sidewalk along the west side of 367 from Chambers Rd to Berwyn Dr, roughly 3/10 of a mile. This would connect users of the #61 MetroBus route on Chambers Rd to the library site. Currently only a shoulder exists.  Better pedestrian connection in the area should be considered and planned for regardless if a new building is built or the existing structure gets a needed addition.

I don’t think the St. Louis County Library board has given any thought toward renovating this historic structure, which is a real pity.  We need leadership that considers retention of historic structures, especially when it is their only one!

— Steve Patterson

Poll: Current Thoughts on the Environment

St. Louis is celebrating Earth Day in Forest Park today:

25 Years of Earth Day in 2014

Join us in Forest Park on Sunday, April 27 for the St. Louis Earth Day Festival from 11am to 6pm, rain or shine.

Don’t miss the Recycling Extravaganza at STLCC on the same day as the Festival (10am-4pm).

I was wondering how readers felt about the environment, and efforts such as Earth Day. The poll this week has six answers representing a wide range plus an unsure answer. The poll is in the right sidebar.

— Steve Patterson

A Roadside Stand on Gravois

A little roadside stand occupies the NE corner of Gravois Rd & Mackenzie Rd (map). St. Louis County property records indicate the building only occupies 702 sq ft.

These buildings all date from the early age of the automobile, when a family might have one car. Parking was just off the roadway, not the gigantic parking lots of today. By today’s standards these buildings are urban, too close to the street. Yet the relationship is poor in terms of road/sidewalk/building. The idea of how to retrofit this intersection to be more walkable is an appealing challenge.

— Steve Patterson