Saint Louis Urban Workshop

CET purchased the ground east of the single famili...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 22:21:59 +0000

CET purchased the ground east of the single families and four family. They plan on building a 24 million dollar office/ wet lab building. So the single family homes are off the hook. Only the owner is letting them fall down. It's a shame.

$25 million in Federal financing announced today. ...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 20:45:37 +0000

$25 million in Federal financing announced today. How pathetic. It is as though no one has even looked at the map. They are all trusting the word of one VERY self-interested "heroic" St. Louis entrepreneur.

So you're saying they sounded like Marxists?

noreply@blogger.com (Chris) — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 03:34:13 +0000

So you're saying they sounded like Marxists?

"Panalists sound more like members of the Pol...

noreply@blogger.com (samizdat) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:59:24 +0000

"Panalists sound more like members of the Politburo". This is, truly, an amusing statement.

Does the Danforth Foundation have any money left?

noreply@blogger.com (samizdat) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:52:35 +0000

Does the Danforth Foundation have any money left?

Panalists sound more like members of the Politburo...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:48:24 +0000

Panalists sound more like members of the Politburo.

The discussion topic was a bit more broad, and fra...

noreply@blogger.com (john w.) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 18:03:19 +0000

The discussion topic was a bit more broad, and frankly, sensitive to very easily just stamp atop a night's event title and cover all points. The topic should have more effectively been narrowed to specific St. Louis neighborhoods where gentrification is arguably taking place (the Grove, and certainly Lafayette Square over so many years, for instance), so that there would have been a realistic expectation of a resolution to the night's discussion and that audience would have likely felt more informed by attending the discussion. Regrettably, neither was really achieved, and as a driving member of City Affair I and others will make the necessary adjustments and improvements so that such well-attended events don't leave the audience ultimately disappointed, as many likely were last Thursday. I commend the panelists for making their points strongly, and especially the author of this very blog who stood ground firmly and presented the most cogent commentary on his experience with gentrification in this city. City Affair will improve, but it will because of the early events like this one, that attempt to tackle big issues that will help us see our weaknesses and improve them.

I, too, agree that there is scarcely a gentrification PROBLEM in St. Louis however certain developments like Botanical Heights do occur, and of course the scattering of previous tenants of public housing projects as a result of either failure or Hope VI is not remotely gentrification. I'm not certain that some individuals at the meeting really understood that, despite the definitions given by the moderator at the outset of the discussion. City Affair will improve, and the feedback we received (comment cards, social exchange afterward, etc) will only help us make the necessary improvements. Thanks to Alex for appearing as a panelist last Thursday, and for maintaining one of the better St. Louis urbanism blogs.

Just wanted to note that I attended City Affair. T...

noreply@blogger.com (Marcia) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 05:29:02 +0000

Just wanted to note that I attended City Affair. The discussion didn't seem to be as much on "gentrification" as it was on grievances or "disinvestment", which some had a hard time understanding. So apparently the answer is that gentrification, at least as it is known throughout the rest of the world, isn't an issue in St. Louis. There was not a single utterance of someone having been forces out and their home being sold to a latte sipping, chihuahua owning yuppie. I really thought that gentrification might actually be an issue in parts of St. Louis.

I'd agree, but I imagine that there will be at...

noreply@blogger.com (Marcia) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:55:11 +0000

I'd agree, but I imagine that there will be at least a few at City Affair who think that gentrification is already ruining St. Louis, especially places like The Grove.

gasm and ryan are right. Most of the loop area no...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:06:22 +0000

gasm and ryan are right. Most of the loop area north of delmar and directly on delmar is already students living in WU owned buildings (many are internationals). WU already owns 40-50% of the buildings in this area. This plan will only increase cost of living for students who already pay criminally high tuition, but what does WashU care? They want a monopoly on housing.

They really should just renovate the property they already own if they want to improve housing options. The location in the rendering is commercial and should be used for more shops / restaurants. Who else is for replacing the church's chicken at the corner of skinker and delmar? It's prime location since the recent east loop developments.

Just a thought, and not to be too negative, but my...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:05:52 +0000

Just a thought, and not to be too negative, but my first thought is that I have to wonder how much true gentrification is going on in a city where exisiting housing is being rehabbed slower than it is declining. I don't see families being set out on the street because the flat they live in is being torn down for a luxury highrise.

^Actually, that is a good question. Convincing Dan...

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Kastner) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 18:54:31 +0000

^Actually, that is a good question. Convincing Danforth to come out publicly for the plan would be a good starting point. He has earned quite a bit of clout with City Garden and has been the single biggest proponent for change at the Arch grounds for years. Wonder what he thinks of this idea?

StephenO-- Have you been asleep for the last 15 ye...

noreply@blogger.com (STLgasm) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:03:24 +0000

StephenO-- Have you been asleep for the last 15 years? Hundreds of students ALREADY live in The Loop, and in all neighborhoods surrounding it. The Loop is a great urban neighborhood. Occasionally shit happens (as it does in any large city), but crime does not define the area. By all accounts, The Loop is a very successful urban neighborhood where people WANT to live.

@ Stephen O., I think it's pretty likely stude...

noreply@blogger.com (Ryan) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:54:40 +0000

@ Stephen O., I think it's pretty likely students are willing to live in the area--I know many grad students, at least, who live between Delmar and Vernon already. I lived in WashU-owned housing on Enright for a couple of years just north of the rendering above.

It would be really great, but WashU has made promi...

noreply@blogger.com (Matt Kastner) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:34:55 +0000

It would be really great, but WashU has made promises in Forest Park Southeast that have yet to ripen. I'm cautiously skeptical, but it would really spruce up the strip.

Are students really going to voluntarily live in a...

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen O.) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:13:55 +0000

Are students really going to voluntarily live in a dangerous area? And pay $1K's to do it? Maybe they're not as smart as they think they are.

I think WU has the power and vision to really add ...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 19:41:43 +0000

I think WU has the power and vision to really add to the Delmar Loop. With about 10,000 students in the area, this could be a GREAT university setting. The street is already great, but things like a CVS and a better food market could be added if there were more density. I say bring it on.

By the way, the corner in the rendering is the NW corner of Delmar and Eastgate.

MetroLink in truth is MetroStink. As a user of ma...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 12:30:51 +0000

MetroLink in truth is MetroStink. As a user of mass transit in other cities for over 20 years, LouLocals are clueless on what makes for successful alternatives. The Lou Metro is all about supporting greater use of private motorized vehicles as it continues to utilize precious revenues to build parking lots, many which provide FREE spaces. In addition, Metro has burdened its balance sheet by building an Extension to nowhere and thus the reliability of bus routes is always in questioned... the trust is broken.

Of course the suburban drunks should support Metro & BPV, little difference as both are built on fantasies. Support true independence, disarm Metro & MoDoT otherwise everyone will want and need MOre subsidies.

Is Danforth listening? If he was prepared to help...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 21:54:01 +0000

Is Danforth listening? If he was prepared to help pay for a lid with expensive ventilation systems, here is a comparable solution with greater economic development return.

Go to work for WashU-BJC and get the largest disco...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 13:17:00 +0000

Go to work for WashU-BJC and get the largest discounts available... the suckers are the one paying the marketed "monthly discount". Otherwise take it for free as many do by sharing passes when being checked. The Extension was not designed to be efficient or useful (except for WaU-BJC) and the finances of MetroLink will continue to worsen. Sad but true.

I'm not sure about that, but they may need to ...

noreply@blogger.com (john w.) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:32:56 +0000

I'm not sure about that, but they may need to be ready to. According to one volunteer, some contact is being made with local media outlets for press, but as far as involvement it's likely still being formulated.

That's right. It's going to take a lot of ...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 05:12:16 +0000

That's right. It's going to take a lot of interested people to get an idea like this heard. Will City to River be giving any guidance as to how people can be involved?

...and that is because the financial backing of th...

noreply@blogger.com (john w.) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 02:12:12 +0000

...and that is because the financial backing of the TIFs from the city is not there (at least, not yet).

-"Let's hope that City to River is the gr...

noreply@blogger.com (john w.) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 23:04:19 +0000

-"Let's hope that City to River is the group that can move the conversation in the right direction at the highest levels."

Since they propose no specific design solution besides the highway removal, but rather hope to influence those that will ultimately propose design solutions in the competition, They will depend on people like us to remain involved and bring attention to the issue. There is no doubt about that.

The P-D adds a bit more detail today. The professo...

noreply@blogger.com (Damian) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 16:27:52 +0000

The P-D adds a bit more detail today. The professor had "no opinion" on whether the city had followed "proper procedure" in approving the TIF. Is this the crux of the lawsuit? The P-D story also makes the point that Alex should have made in this post, that the TIF isn't giving Paul McKee anything until he builds something that generates increased tax revenue.