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Ballpark Village Work Actually Underway

March 22, 2013 Downtown, Featured, Planning & Design, Transportation 19 Comments

The groundbreaking for phase one of the long-delayed Ballpark Village project was held six weeks ago today (see post). Suits grabbed shiny shoves and tossed dirt placed neatly in front of the stage.

Years after Busch Stadium II was razed, the ground was broken on 2/8/2013 for Ballpark Village

Years after Busch Stadium II was razed, the ground was broken on 2/8/2013 for Ballpark Village

ABOVE: Site plan for BPV Phase 1 released 2/8/2013

ABOVE: Site plan for BPV Phase 1 released 2/8/2013

And yes, workers have been busy the last six clearing the site and prepping for the infrastructure needed to support all phases of the project. Here are a couple of views from Three Sixty taken on March 15, 2013:

bpv

Initial buildings to be opposite Busch Stadium Gate 5, center above

bpv

Looking west toward the Stadium West garage

ABOVE: The curving 7th Street from Clark Ave to Walnut St will be eliminated

ABOVE: The former International Bowling Hall of Fame (background) and 7th Street from Clark Ave to Walnut St have been removed. Photo from October 2012.

Eighth St will become two-way up to Market Street, leaving just 5 blocks between Market & Washington as one-way southbound. Walnut St will also become two-way between 8th and Memorial Drive, leaving just four blocks from Tucker to 8th was one-way eastbound. Hopefully these scattered blocks won’t remain one-way.

– Steve Patterson

RyleyinSTL

The Wife Unit and I parked at the Stadium West Parkade for the St. Pats run on the weekend and noticed that the work had actually begun as well (shocking!). She generally has little interest in the details of these construction projects but asked what it was that Ballpark Village was going to be. I said, “1/6th disposable beer garden that won’t be serving local beer (and boy do we have some fantastic stuff in the Lou these days), 5/6th “temporary” parking lot with improved water mitigation and a baker’s dozen of small landscaping trees.” Her response, “WTH?! What a waist of everyone’s time. What is the over/under on how long temporary will turn out to be, a decade or two?”
- http://urbanreviewstl.com/ Steve Patterson
  
  You forgot to mention the PBR bar! http://www.kmov.com/news/local/PBR-bar-coming-to-Ballpark-Village-191247271.html
- http://twitter.com/TomLeb T-Leb
  
  The Flying Saucer has 20 out of 80 taps dedicated to local beer.
  - http://twitter.com/Rencelas Jason Stokes
    
    The Flying Saucer isn’t in Ballpark Village. Believe Ryley was referring to the Budweiser Bar that’s opening up there soon.
    - http://twitter.com/TomLeb T-Leb
      
      I know. Not every place has to sell local “craft” beer, Budweiser and others are still made on Pestalozzi. Saucer is only a stones throw from Busch in a beautiful old building.
      - RyleyinSTL
        
        I have nothing against the Flying Saucer, fine establishment, but it has nothing at all to do with the project referenced by Steve. I was referring to the PBR Bar that has been announced as part of the greatly scaled back Ballpark Village. I would assume that as a national chain, and a PBR branded establishment, that this bar will feature PBR (or Miller products, as they actually brew it) much the same way InBev/AB does in their bars.
        
        “Utility” beer like Bud has its place I suppose, but as a beer city the Lou has such amazing beer to showcase, and it just so happens that almost none of it is made at 55 and Arsenal.
      - http://urbanreviewstl.com/ Steve Patterson
        
        This PBR is the Professional Bull Rider’s Association, not the hipster beer.
      - moe
        
        I’m curious to see how popular this becomes. What’s next? Cattle drives down Market Street?
      - JZ71
        
        And Apple is a fruit, not the hipster tech company of choice . . . .
      - http://urbanreviewstl.com/ Steve Patterson
        
        Hipsters hate Apple, they’re more likely to buy a used turntable than an iPod. http://thesocietypages.org/cyborgology/2011/11/25/hipster-rivivalism-authentic-technologies-of-days-gone-past/
      - RyleyinSTL
        
        Ha…shows what I know.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Scott-Jones/1611723632 Scott Jones

Glad this is finally happening. Good that they chose the incremental approach to development. If they’d waited to do it all at once, it would never have started.
- http://twitter.com/TomLeb T-Leb
  
  Agreed, I’m positive about the whole “village” I would love to live in a high rise that overlooks Busch Stadium, I think it would be one of the most desirable places to live in St. Louis.
  - http://twitter.com/Rencelas Jason Stokes
    
    Agreed. My wife and I have discussed at length and would pay a substantial premium for the location in a high rise. Sadly, doesn’t look like it’ll ever be an option.
    - http://twitter.com/TomLeb T-Leb
      
      Why do you think it will never be an option?
  - Eric
    
    It would be “cool”. But maybe quite loud?
    - http://twitter.com/TomLeb T-Leb
      
      Can’t be more loud than living in South StL and hearing the endless motorcycle races on South Broadway and 55 when the weather is nice.
http://www.facebook.com/naffziger Chris Naffziger

Darn, I never got a chance to play softball on the field there.
- http://urbanreviewstl.com/ Steve Patterson
  
  Too late now!

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