Ballpark Village - Centene project on the rocks

In the realm of über development projects in St. Louis, the Ballpark Village project next to Busch Stadium is probably the most prominent. The St. Louis Cardinals are required to develop the land and have been working with developer, Cordish, for what’s seemingly been an eternity. Last September, Clayton-based health care company Centene Corporation announced that they would be relocating their headquarters to the Village site. The pic to the right is the rumored design proposal. Development nerds, like myself, city-wide rejoiced.

Six months later, the picture isn’t looking as rosie. What was once a “sure thing” could be in danger. Most of this is only rumor at this point, but KMOX reported on the situation this morning and it doesn’t sound that great. Apparently Centene is bumping heads with Cordish on various aspects of the project. KMOX is claiming that the fate of the project might be determine in the next few weeks. You can listen to the report yourself here.

This report along with Mayor Slay’s blog entry on the matter in January, lends some credence to the belief that Cordish is rubbing everyone the wrong way. Lets just hope they can work something out. Not only are the residential and commercial components of this project a big deal, but we could really use an influx of new jobs Downtown. I was really hoping Centene’s move Downtown was a sign of things to come. Here’s to hoping.

To keep up on all the rumors and gossip, check out this thread on Urban St. Louis.

Shock City Music Works in South St. Louis

If things keep going well, Benton Park could have a prominent new business in the near future. This project at 2200 Gravois has been under development for over two years, but it appears to finally be coming along. Two former members of the hard rock band Gravity Kills (you remember them don’t you?) among others, have been working on bringing this project to life since early 2006.

Plans for the $9.8 million project call for 16 apartments as well a significant amount of commercial space over 40,000 sq ft. The commercial anchor will be Shock City Music Works, which will focus on musical artist development and have a recording studio. This project, designed by the Lawrence Group, is being partially funded through $4.4 million in federal and state tax credits, brownfield credits and tax increment financing (TIF) from St. Louis.

The pictures above are mock ups of the interior and exterior of what the music studio will look like. For more pictures and info, check out the excellent Urban St. Louis web forum. I’ll try to post some pictures of the project when the weather warms up a bit more.

St. Louis City Neighborhoods

The sheer number and variety of distinctive neighborhoods in the City of St. Louis can be tough to keep track of. With 79 unique neighborhoods, each with their own characteristics and investment opportunities, they all tend to run into one another. If you have ever wanted to know more about these neighborhoods, but didn’t know how, here are a few resources you might want to check out:

• The City’s neighborhood website has a clickable map of the entire city with specifics on each neighborhood. Great if you are looking for detail.

• If you’d like a printable neighborhood key to keep track of things offline, check out this neighborhood map (PDF) I put together.

• Another good resource for keeping tabs of neighborhood boundaries and names is Yahoo Maps. They added a color coded system to their maps a couple of weeks ago that shows the boundaries and names of neighborhoods. Using Yahoo to lookup property locations is a great way to figure out what neighborhood a particular property is located in.

• Reader Seth Teel has also brought my attention to a Google map with the neighborhoods broken down. Apparently this was posted on the St. Louis Rehabber’s Club listserve. Check it out.

Security lighting

Keeping your tenants and properties secure is an important part of running a successful investment. If your tenants feel unsafe, they will be less likely to remain at the property after their initial lease. If your property isn’t secured, you just might find your copper plumbing or AC condenser miss one day. Its a major concern.

Security systems are often used as a method to address this problem, but there is a more affordable, and in some ways more affective method: motion-sensor security lights. With a few strategically placed lights, you can really improve the security of your properties.

Your tenants will be happy because the building will be well lit when they enter and exit their unit. The property, as well as the tenants will be more secure because the motion sensors will activate when somebody enters the premises. A potnential burglar or robber is going to think twice before camping out behind a property that is well lit.

The next time you have a warm weekend free and are looking for something to do, head down to your local hardware store and pick a few of these up. They are well worth the investment.

Panhandling in St. Louis City to be restricted

You are correct, man-with-sign, but not for long. At least in some situations. It looks like action is about to be taken to curb aggressive panhandling in the City of St. Louis. All I can say is that its about time. According to the St. Louis Post Dispatch, City Alderman just passed the bill addressing this issue, which has been kicked around the past few months. As the Post puts it:

“Under the proposal, panhandling would be allowed only during daylight hours. It would be banned at all hours at bus or MetroLink stops, around ATMs or an entrance to a bank, within 30 feet of a public doorway or at any sidewalk cafe, school or crosswalk.” Sounds like a good start.

The only thing left to do is get Mayor Slay’s signature on the bill. Seeing as he has already said that he would sign it on his blog, I think its safe to say that its a done deal.

You can read the whole article hear: article

Fancy radiators

Forced-air heat systems are really becoming the norm of our current era in this country. While they are not as efficient as some other forms of heat, the fact that a building can be cooled through the same ductwork system is very appealing. However, there are times when a forced-air furnace is not an option. In those cases, your best bet is usually to stick with radiator heating. Bulky, ugly radiators.

Thankfully you do have options. While radiators have been going the way of the dodo in the U.S, they have remained a popular choice in many places in Europe. With this demand, industrious European companies have created a plethora of unique radiator options. I was shocked at the variety of styles and sizes available. You can literally find something for any situation.

Unfortunately, locating these radiators in the U.S. can be a little more challenging. So far, I haven’t found any local dealers that carry the product. Of course, I haven’t done a ton of research on this yet either. I have come across a couple of interesting web dealers though:

Bisque Exports (United Kingdom)
Runtal Radiators (United States)

Personally, I am rather partial to the designs and variety offered by Bisque. Even though they are a British company, their website says they will ship internationally. Orders would probably be easier through Runtal though. They designs are a little less inspired, but they easily beat standard style radiators in the aesthetics department.

There are probably tons of other similar companies out there as well. If these radiators look like a good option for you, a little research would probably turn something up. If you do find any other dealers, please share in the comments section.

Hideous roadside landscaping

Not to be too repetitive in my rants (see Ugly roadside trashcans), but the landscaping around the interstate highways in St. Louis City is just god awful. Whether you’re on Interstate 44, 55, 70 or 64-40, there is so much missed potential. For example, the picture above shows the state of Highway 44 between Jefferson and Grand. Those aren’t planted trees and shrubs, they are overgrow weeds and brush. And you don’t want to see what the fence looks like. This is the heart of our urban area here; can’t we do more?

Obviously, the roadsides can’t be a lush garden from one end of the metro area to another. Grass with an occasional tree or flower bed is and should remain the norm. Costs would just be too prohibitive to do too much more. We should also address the fencing that borders the highway system. Bent, buckled and rusted chain-link fencing overgrown with weeds doesn’t really give people a sense of pride in the area. It just seems like there is no effort to beautify the area. Just maintain the inadequate current infrastructure.

With clever planning and a slightly increased budget, eyesores link the highway stretch displayed above could become assets. If the goals were modest and improvements were gradually made over a 10-year period, I see no reason why things couldn’t realistically be improved. Is anyone aware of any current efforts on this front?

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