Wi-Fi & Armchairs Do Not Make McDonald’s Upscale

McDonald’s is attempting a makeover of its plastic interior and red roofs according to a new story in BusinessWeek:

The dining area will be separated into three sections with distinct personalities. The “linger” zone will offer comfortable armchairs, sofas, and Wi-Fi connections. “The focus is on young adults who want to socialize, hang out, and linger,” says Dixon. Brand consultant Robert Passikoff, president of Brand Keys, a brand consulting firm, says that Starbucks has raised the bar: “A level has been set by Starbucks, which offers the experience of relaxed chairs and a clean environment where people feel comfortable hanging out even if it’s just over a cup of coffee.”

The “grab and go” zone will feature tall counters with bar stools for customers who eat alone; plasma TVs will offer them news and weather reports. And in the “flexible” zone, families will have booths featuring fabric cushions with colorful patterns and flexible seating. The new design allows different music to be targeted to each zone.

It has not been said if the proposed McDonald’s on Grand has all the new elements described above. Even if it does, it won’t compensate for what we see on the outside: excessive parking, noisy drive-thru lane, glaring parking lot lights and continual litter problems. It is understandable that residents adjacent to the proposed site don’t want a McDonald’s as a neighbor.

Some have asked what the big deal is, that it is just moving across the street. Is it really that simple? Of course not. Those who think this is such a great idea most likely don’t live backed up to a drive-thru. The real issue is this section of Grand has been wounded for decades with such establishments. We are now at a make or break point of continuing down that suburban path or re-urbanizing the street. McDonald’s has been around for a while so I can see allowing them to rebuild on their current site but I see no reason for us to allow them to relocate to a different site. If forced to, McDonald’s can make the current site work by adding a retaining wall.

The next Gravois Park Neighborhood Association meeting will be tomorrow, Tuesday May 9, 2006 at 6pm. The meeting is held at the St. Matthew United Church of Christ, 2613 Potomac St. at Jefferson Avenue (map). Look for lively discussion of the McDonald’s issue.

– 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

Hodak’s Seeking to Close Part of Cushing Street

The Benton Park Neighborhood is being asked to support a plan by Hodak’s restaurant (map) to close part of Cushing St. so that the popular eatery can expand its increasing number of parking spaces.

Hodak’s is seeking to close Cushing St. from McNair Ave. to a small street known as Devolsey St. Hodak’s is already surrounded by way too much parking, especially since they (illegally) razed buildings to the east a few years ago for more parking. Yet, that is not good enough. They want more spaces and more control.

As it is Hodak’s parking remains vacant during most hours of the day with a large spike at dinner time. Do we really want to see streets closed and possibly more buildings razed simply for a dinner crowd? Not me.

Granted, Custing St. is not much of a street. Really, it is more of a glorified alley but it does serve a number of adjacent property owners along McNair & Victor as well as some real alleys connecting to the street. It is wide enough to provide access for emergency vehicles for various properties on both sides.

At this time I do not know what position, if any, that Alderwoman Phyllis Young has taken. If you have an opinion please be sure to share it with her and in the comments below.

The Benton Park Neighborhood Association meeting is tonight at The Epiphany United Church of Christ located at 2911 Mc Nair. The first hour, 6:30pm – 7:30pm, is a pot luck dinner and problem property meeting with the main meeting starting at 7:30pm.

[UPDATE 5/3 @ 9:20am – The closure of Cushing would only be “partial”, not going all the way to McNair. It still prevents through traffic.]

– Steve

Ald. Florida Introduces BB39 to Amend Redevelopment Plan

Ald. Florida today introduced Board Bill #39 to amend the Gravois/Meramec/Grand redevelopment plan to allow drive-thru establishments for a single parcel — the one owned currently by Pyramid and proposed for the new McDonald’s.

Funny, Ald. Florida is the same person that said the redevelopment plan only applies if a developer is seeking tax incentives. By her own argument, the no drive-thru clause cannot be enforced on property owners if they are not seeking tax breaks. By her logic then we must believe it is the intention of hers to seek tax breaks such as a TIF or property tax abatement since she is attempting to amend the redevelopment ordinance.

It should also be noted, the LCRA board’s idea of public notice is an agenda in the lobby of 1015 Locust. No agenda online. No use of the City Journal, a publication created solely for the purpose of meeting public notice requirements. The LCRA is the board that voted on April 4th to allow the change.

The bill has had its first reading and has been assigned to the Housing, Urban Design and Zoning committee (HUDZ). The aldermen on the committee will, no doubt, rubber stamp this legislation without batting an eye if the public remains silent. I urge everyone reading this post to contact every single member of the HUDZ committee.

Here is the list:

Fred Wessels, Jr. Chair, 13th Ward
Craig Schmid, Vice-Chair, 20th Ward
Freeman Bosley, Sr., 3rd Ward
Jeffrey Boyd, 22nd Ward
Gregory Carter, 27th Ward
Stephen Conway, 8th Ward
Dionne Flowers, 2nd Ward
April Ford-Griffin, 5th Ward
Kathleen Hanrahan, 23rd Ward
Bernice Jones King, 21st Ward
Lyda Krewson, 28th Ward
Michael McMillan, 19th Ward and candidate for License Collector
Kenneth Ortman, 9th Ward (Ald. Ortman “prefers not to be contacted via email.” Hmm. So call him at 314-622-3287
Lewis Reed, 6th Ward
Matt Villa, 11th Ward
Phillis Young, 7th Ward

The main points:

Look for a committee meeting next week with a hearing around the same time. No date has been set but this committee often meets at 10am on Wednesdays.

– Steve

McDonald’s Proposal the Result of Engineers

Today I decided to look into the firm behind the McDonald’s “design” for South Grand. No surprise the firm, Core States Engineering, specializes in fast-food restaurants, big box stores and large-scale gas stations. They are engineers, not architects or planners.

From Core States Engineering’s website:

We are extremely proud of our close working relationships with Fortune 500 corporations on national development programs. Clients such as Amerada Hess, Circle K, Sam’s Club, Kmart, Phillips 66, Kroger, Tosco/Circle K, 7-Eleven Corp., Tesoro Petroleum, and Wal-Mart Realty all turn to Core States for their retail development needs.

Wow, what a client list. We all know how sensitive these businesses are when it comes to building in pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods…

Reading through their site I found nothing about making projects fit into the context or trying to be pedestrian-friendly. I did find their engineering approach enlightening:

Our site engineering design team incorporates the clients’ marketing goals into the existing site geometry and topography while working with the municipal authorities to obtain site plan approval as fast and efficiently as possible. Each site has its own set of challenges to overcome… challenges derived from zoning ordinances, site topography, soils conditions, environmental issues, and availability of utilities. Identifying these challenges and presenting options early in the site development saves time and money for the client.

Our professional engineers and design staff have the technical expertise and professional experience to design cost-effective developments and obtain municipal approvals quickly. We have testified before hundreds of zoning boards and planning boards, and know how to plan for questions and concerns that arise at these public hearings. Our success in obtaining board approvals comes from extensive preparations for these meetings, including preparation of in-depth site investigation reports and meetings with civic groups and municipal authorities to identify issues and concerns prior to public hearing.

Interesting, I don’t recall seeing any of these “in-depth site investigation reports” or any discussion with them prior to the public hearings? I’m guessing Ald. Florida assured everyone involved that she could handle the residents.

This firm is headquartered in Atlanta with seven additional branch offices in North America (list), including one in our suburb of Crestwood. If they are such a big and great engineering company why is it they cannot figure out a way to build a new McDonald’s on the current site? They brag about working with existing site geometry and topography yet I hear claims that it can’t be done. I think we need to ask them why it is impossible to rebuild a McDonald’s at the current location at 3737 S. Grand.

You can contact the St. Louis branch office by phone at (314) 843-4320 or email at pbennett@core-eng.com and the main office toll-free at 866-865-1785 or via email at info@core-eng.com