Returned To The City: Mercedes-Benz Dealership

After nearly a two decade absence (see Last Downtown St. Louis Auto Dealership Closed in 1995), a Mercedes-Benz dealership is once again located within the City of St. Louis.  Two more exist in the region, one in St. Louis County and one in St. Charles County. None in the Metro East.

Mercedes-Benz of St. Louis opened recently at Hampton Ave. & Clayton Ave., I stopped by for a visit earlier this month.

Before we take a closer look at the finished dealership, we need to revisit the before and during.

For nearly 20 years this dealership, then called TriStar Imports, was located in suburban Ellisville at 16360 Truman Rd Ellisville, Missouri 63011.  Their old location is listed for $4.5 million. The far west county demographics just weren’t what they hoped they’d be.

Welcome back!

— Steve Patterson

Negative Changes In The Last Ten Years

A week from today is the 10th anniversary of this blog. All month long I’ve looked back over the last decade, a week ago I posted about Some Positive Changes In The Last Ten Years.

So today I want to share negative changes from each calendar year I’ve published this blog:

• 2004: Kirkwood Station Plaza, another great idea with questionable execution
• 2005: Rare Lustron Home Razed by Developer on a Saturday
• 2006: Pyramid’s Sullivan Place Senior Housing An Anti-Urban Monstrosity
• 2007: Poor Design Alert: New ADA Ramp Blocks Sidewalk
• 2008: Halliday St. Illegal Parking Pad Fiasco Ends, Portion of Street Likely Given Away
• 2009: Downtown Gets Yet Another Plaza
• 2010: New shopping center in Des Peres not reachable by pedestrians, many to blame
• 2011: Rock Hill to Trade Namesake for Gas Station & Convenience Store
• 2012: Harris-Stowe State University Campus Disconnected From Adjacent City
• 2013: SLU’s Sculpture Garden Not Accessible To All
• 2014: Neglected Castle Ballroom to be Razed

Thanks to those who’ve used the PayPal donation button at the top of the right sidebar.

— Steve Patterson

Some Positive Changes In The Last Ten Years

In the last decade of blogging I’ve posted about the positive change that’s taken place in our region, it was fun looking back at the headlines of thousands of posts.

For today I’ve selected a positive post from each calendar year of this blog:

• 2004: Urban Places in St. Louis I am Thankful for
• 2005: Discover the Potential of Ivanhoe Street
• 2006: Locust St. Now Two-Way West of 14th!
• 2007: Tower Grove Farmers’ Market Kickoff Celebration, May 12th
• 2008: Fountain Park Residents Come Together In Park
• 2009: New Dog Park Opens in South St. Louis Neighborhood
• 2010: North 14th Street Finally Reopened To Vehicle Traffic
• 2011: Leather Trades Brings Art & Life To 16th & Locust
• 2012: MX Rises From Former St. Louis Centre, Pi Now Open
• 2013: Old Gas Station, New Use
• 2014: Rehabbed Corner Storefront Now A Bright Spot In Fox Park Neighborhood

Here’s one example, the former St. Louis Centre mall:

Lots more great things happened in the city & region. Next Friday I’ll list some of the bad things from this same period.

— Steve Patterson

Training St. Louis Youth

Getting a job isn’t easy, this is especially true for many from low income neighborhoods:

Millions of young adults in this country are facing social and economic injustice. Despite talent and motivation, they lack access to higher education and careers that provide them with a living wage. At the same time, our economy needs help. U.S. businesses are calling for more and better-trained talent to compete on the global stage, but there will not be enough skilled workers to meet that demand. (Year Up)

Year Up is an interesting program I learned about watching 60 Minutes, see Jobs Program Aids Fortune 500 and Underprivileged Youth. Year Up started in NYC, but now operates in 11 regions throughout the US, the closest is Chicago. Someone needs to bring this program to St. Louis.

Closer to home:

Gov. Jay Nixon today applauded Centene Corporation’s plans to build a new claims processing center and create up to 200 jobs in Ferguson, Missouri. To facilitate the company’s expansion, Gov. Nixon’s administration is partnering with St. Louis Community College to provide targeted job training resources through the Missouri Works Training program. (Gov Nixon)

I too applaud Centene’s decision, but as a region we need to be proactive, not reactive. The Year Up program is one program that might make a huge difference in the St. Louis region. It wouldn’t be immediate, it would take a generation. Our people & our companies could do better.

— Steve Patterson

Readers: St. Louis County Needs To Act Like One, Not Compete Within

Nearly half the readers that voted in last week’s non-scietific poll picked the two answers that suggest creating a level playing field, a rising tide lifts all boats view.  By contrast, just under 16% took the ‘I got mine screw everyone else’ approach. Here are the results:

Q: Chesterfield is unhappy with the St. Louis County sales tax sharing system, what’s the solution? (pick 2)

1. Consolidate all STL County municipalities into one 36 [25%]
2. All sales tax into pool, distribute by population 32 [22.22%]
3. Eliminate the sales tax pool, let municipalities sink or swim 23 [15.97%]
4. Restrict municipal use of TIF financing 22 [15.28%]
5. 3/4 cent earnings tax so county is less reliant on sales & property taxes 12 [8.33%]
6. Leave it as is 8 [5.56%]
7. Other: 7 [4.86%]
   1. Turn 64/40 to blvd
   2. f*ck stl county (edited)
   3. send them to st charles
   4. Simplify the system. The 1% countywide tax gets pooled, the rest doesn’t.
   5. relook at POS & pool cities – times change!
   6. Make it easier for munis to dissolve/merge, but not necessarily into one
   7. Let them go. Might be just the thing to encourage incorporating STL.
8. Unsure/No Answer 4 [2.78%]

Less than 6% said to leave it as is, which suggests to me St. Louis County needs to have a productive dialog about taxation policy and acting together as a county, not just 90 separate municipalities plus unincorporated areas. Who in St. Louis County could lead such an effort to reach a consensus? Chesterfield Mayor Nation isn’t the right person, he’s already resorted to childish threats of taking his marbles across the river to St. Charles County.

A former elected official from an affluent suburb recently suggested to me that St. Louis County should institute a 0.75% earnings tax to reduce dependance on sales taxes. Get the city to reduce its earnings tax from 1% down to a matching 0.75%, then pool all the earnings tax revenue and distribute by population. This would put St. Louis City & County on a level playing field, where collectively we’d be stronger. Certainly worth examining.

— Steve Patterson