Rumor: Mississippi Bluffs Project Facing Challenges

Mississippi Bluffs, the high-end condo project planned for the former site of the Doering Mansion & Good Samaritan Home, has hit a snag according to several sources. I’ve heard from numerous people that the planned two levels won’t work out as originally envisioned.

I know nothing specific other than the number of units for the site will be reduced, maybe as much as half. The sad part is the developer said the lovely Doering Mansion couldn’t be saved because that would have reduced the number of units for the project. Well, the fabulous mansion is gone and so is the density that made the project moderately acceptable.

Once I know more I’ll evaluate a revised site plan.

– Steve

Florida Changing The Redevelopment Plan To Allow Drive-Thrus

This post was going to be about the city’s Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority (aka LCRA) amending the Gravois/South Grand/Meramec redevelopment area at their meeting next week on the 25th. But, guess what, the LCRA amended the redevelopment plan at their April 4th meeting. The next step is the Board of Aldermen. The public notice given: an agenda posted of the lobby at 1015 Locust. No notice to property owners within the blighted area or even a posting in the City Journal (whose sole purpose is to provide public notice).

The LCRA Board consists of the following:

Judith Doss (Chair) of St. Louis Hills
Artie Whitmore of the Central West End
Chris Goodson of Lafayette Square (major developer doing projects such as the City Hospital & Eden Lofts)
Larry Williams, Treasurer for the City of St. Louis.

Today I spoke with Chairwoman Judith Doss. I asked her if she was aware of the opposition to the McDonald’s. She was not. Doss indicated they had a letter of support from the Alderwoman and therefore assumed the residents of the area were OK with the change since they did not have a letter of opposition from anyone. When I mentioned that none of us were aware of the April 4th meeting she said our Alderman should have told us. Well, Ald. Craig Schmid who represents the bulk of the Gravois Park neighborhood where the McDonald’s is proposed was unaware the LCRA had amended the redevelopment plan — I gave him a copy of the paperwork! Back to Doss. When I said the Alderwoman intentionally wouldn’t tell anyone about the change and that we don’t frequent the lobby of 1015 Locust (where the LCRA agenda is posted) she said they can’t do anything about that. How convenient.

I’m sure Doss wouldn’t want this kind of development along Hampton near her St. Louis Hills home. Nor would Mr. Whitmore want this in the CWE or heaven forbid we even suggest such a thing near Goodson’s Lafayette Square. Even Florida’s own neighborhood of Tower Grove would not permit such a thing a half a mile to the North. But it seems to be OK in less affluent areas of the city.
… Continue Reading

PubDef Posts McDonald’s Protest Video

Pubdef’s Antonio French has published a short video from Saturday’s protest of a proposed relocation of a McDonald’s. In the video French interviews Rita Ford, President of the Gravois Park Neighborhood Association. Check it out here.

Residents Demand Better Design from Alderwoman & Developer

Local residents took over a section of sidewalk along South Grand today to protest a plan to allow a McDonald’s with drive-thru to relocate to an area that forbids drive-thrus.

Citizens carried signs and chanted sayings like, “I’m not lovin’ it.” At issue is the Keystone Place development that was granted tax breaks in the late 90s but has been virtually abandoned by the developer Pyramid Companies. It has only been recently, now that they want something, that they’ve started building houses again. The 42,000sf site had a two-story Sears store but it was razed as part of this development. The redevelopment plan for the area specifically prohibits, by ordinance, drive-thru establishments. A variance has also been granted by the city.

Gravois Park residents filed an appeal on the variance. That appeal will be heard this Wednesday April 19, 2006 at 1:30pm in Room 208 of St. Louis City Hall. A variance is one thing but a conflicting ordinance is quite another.

So how do politicos get around an ordinance which prohibits something they want to do? Simple, amend the ordinance! I’m told the Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority (LCRA) will take up the issue of amending the redevelopment ordinance for the area to permit drive-thru establishments. That meeting will be at 3pm on Tuesday April, 25, 2006 at 1015 Locust, 12th floor.

For more photos see my Flickr account and PubDef.

– Steve

Reminder: Protest of Ald. Florida’s Drive-Thru Saturday 12:30pm

Tomorrow, Saturday April 15, 32006, will be the protest of the proposed McDonald’s at the corner of Grand & Winnebago (map). Here is a brief recap:

The site in question is part of a larger development area that specifically excluded drive-thru establishments.

Ald. Florida, developer Pyramid Companies and McDonald’s have been crafting this plan for a while even though publicly Ald. Florida assured Gravois Park residents that the McDonald’s would not go on this site.

A City zoning reviewer has granted a variance to permit a drive-thru on the site, causing concerns of neighbors.

Residents have filed an appeal to overturn the variance and are interviewing attorneys.

Tomorrow at 12:30pm is your chance to stand up and be counted. We need everyone to show Ald. Florida, Pyramid, McDonald’s, the Mayor and the rest of the city that we don’t want to live among suburban fast-food establishments. We want the city to act like a city and be urban. That means buildings up to the sidewalk and very limited parking in relation to building area.

If you want to catch up on all my posts on this issue click here. The oldest posts will be at the bottom with the most recent (this post) at the top).

See you tomorrow!

– Steve