New Senior Housing A Bright Spot In East Saint Louis

Like every municipality, East Saint Louis Illinois has had ups and downs, unfortunately, the downs have far outnumbered the ups.  A project is nearing completion now that’ll be a big up, building on other ups (MetroLink light rail, new housing at Emerson Park station) of the last 10-12 years. Jazz at Walter Circle is a green modern transit-oriented senior housing development:

The public-private partnership that financed Jazz @ Walter Circle breaks new ground in closing funding gaps for affordable housing. For the first time, the deal integrates HUD mixed-finance development regulations with NMTC multiuse regulations. Public actors such as the East St. Louis Housing Authority (ESLHA), the city of East St. Louis, the state of Illinois, and HUD collaborated with project developer and owner Eco Jazz, Inc.; the national real estate firm Dudley Ventures; the NMTC firm Hampton Roads Ventures; and a not-for-profit affiliate of the ESLHA to reach a deal. In addition to residential space, Jazz @ Walter Circle will house a community center, office and retail space, a grocery store, and community gardens. The project will be the first LEED Gold certified building in East St. Louis, where 35 percent of the population lives below the federal poverty level.(HUD)

LEED Gold in East St. Louis? Yep! Not only is it green, it is architecturally attractive and has good urban form.

I’ll do a full review once the ribbon has been cut, but so far I’m pretty impressed.

 — Steve Patterson

New Bakery Visible To Pedestrians

It isn’t unusual for local restaurants to bake their own desserts, breads, buns, and rolls. What is unusual is to have the operation visible to pedestrians passing by on the public sidewalk!

If you can’t read the image above, here’s the gist:

1. Moved bakery from Baileys’ Range to make room for more bathrooms.
2. To make fresh-baked muffins & breakfast pastries to sell at Rooster.
3. Plan to function as a small independent baker, selling baked goods (breads, pastries) at Rooster.

Baileys’ Restaurants family includes: Baileys’ Chocolate Bar, Rooster, Bridge Tap House & Wine Bar, Baileys’ Range, the Fifth Wheel at 4 Hands Brewery, and later this year Small Batch:

Bailey’s latest endeavor will be located in the Locust Street Automotive District (a.k.a. Automotive Row), a string of buildings along Locust Street (part of what’s now known as “Midtown Alley”), former home to more than a few early-20th century automotive dealerships.

Bailey’s restaurants all have different vibes and culinary leanings. His latest is no different—and may be his most ambitious.

Small Batch will hone in on “American whiskey and bourbons, both neat and blended with a library of house blended liqueurs, bitters, tonics, and tinctures,” according to Bailey, whose email noted that “beer will also play a prominent role.”

Playing an even more prominent role will be vegetables: look for a 100-percent vegetarian menu at Small Batch, a name that could be extrapolated to connote the increasing but still limited supply of local and heirloom produce that’s in high demand in local culinary circles. (St. Louis Magazine)

I’ve begun going down 11th just so I can get glimpses of the workers creating inside. Much more interesting than some storefront spaces that are now someone’s office.

— Steve Patterson

Pedestrian Killed By Motorist The Grove Two Years Today

Two years ago today the lives of two young men, John Foster Courtney & Justin  Kramarczyk, were forever altered. Foster was struck by a vehicle allegedly driven by Kramarczyk as he walked across Manchester Rd. Foster died of his injuries, Kramarczyk is still awaiting trial.

July 5th, 2011:

A St. Louis man was charged today in a hit-and-run crash early Monday in the city’s Grove neighborhood.

Justin Kramarczyk, 24, of the 1600 block of Washington Avenue, was charged with a felony count of leaving the scene of an accident. Police said additional charges may be pending in the case.

John Foster Courtney, 29, was struck at about 12:30 a.m. Monday as he crossed the street in the 4100 block of Manchester Avenue, in the Grove entertainment district. He died at a hospital at about 11:30 p.m. Monday. (stltoday)

September 7, 2011:

A St. Louis man accused in a fatal hit and run accident on the Fourth of July has been arraigned on more serious manslaughter charges, and ordered by the court to provide access to his cell phone which police confiscated as evidence in the case.

25 year old Justin Kramarczyk was originally charged with leaving the scene of an accident in the death of John Foster Courtney of south St. Louis. The St. Louis Grand Jury indicted Kramarczyk on the more serious felony of involuntary manslaughter last month.

He pleaded not guilty to the upgaded [sic] charge on Tuesday. (KSDK)

On July 6th I saved everything I could find online about both men. A couple of items from Kramarczyk’s public Facebook timeline, since removed, stood out to me as I read it again recently:

Alcohol is a huge problem in the gay community. Perhaps Courtney was too drunk to realize he shouldn’t cross the street? Perhaps Kramarczyk was too drunk to be driving that night? Or both…

I Couldn’t find anything about the charges against Kramarczyk after the September 2011 article  above so I asked Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce, she replied:

“Our records show it is currently set for trial on August 5th. However, this does not mean there will actually be a trial on that date. The case is pretty old, so I would expect a disposition of some kind in the near future.”

Pretty old is right! I’m sure everyone would like to see closure. It’s important to remember these types of “accidents” happen around all areas with bars and busy streets, here’s a 2012 example:

A car that police suspect was involved in a fatal hit-and-run outside Broadway Oyster Bar downtown was found in Madison, Ill., police confirmed Saturday.

(snip)

Amber Wood, 23, of the 2700 block of Accomac Street, was hit and killed while crossing the street about 1:50 a.m. Friday by a car speeding south in the 700 block of South Broadway near Gratiot Street, police said. (stltoday)

I just don’t know how to keep people from crossing streets mid-block.

— Steve Patterson

Readers: Fixed-Rail Best Way To Improve Public Transit In North & South St. Louis

For the last couple of months I’ve posted development opportunities along the proposed St. Louis Streetcar.  Like our 20 year-old light rail line, this streetcar would also serve the central corridor.  I live in the CC now, and I did when I first moved to St. Louis, but I lived in north or south St. Louis for 16 of my nearly 23 years in St. Louis. I lived in north St. Louis when MetroLink opened in 1993, and south St. Louis when the Shrewsbury extension opened.  I rarely used MetroLink during those years, mostly just the occasional trip to/from the airport.

Though I’ll enjoy the modern streetcar line, if it happens, I know it must be expanded beyond the central corridor into north & south St. Louis, within a few years time. Many readers seemed to agree based on the results of the poll last week.

Nearly half (48.98%) picked answers involving fixed rail, while 45.3% picked answers running through city neighborhoods.

Q: Best way to improve public transit in North & South St. Louis? Pick up to 3

1. In-street modern streetcar lines serving city neighborhoods 70 [28.57%]
2. In-street light rail lines running through the city to connect to the county 50 [20.41%]
3. Bus rapid transit (BRT) lines serving city neighborhoods 41 [16.73%]
4. Run existing buses more frequently 41 [16.73%]
5. Bigger articulated buses for the busiest routes 24 [9.8%]
6. Reduce/eliminate fares 7 [2.86%]
7. Buses that go from diesel in the county to electric via overhead wires in the city 6 [2.45%]
8. Nothing, doesn’t need improving 3 [1.22%]
9. Other: 3 [1.22%]

I’m not a fan of running in-street light rail through the city to reach park & ride lots in St. Louis County. The stops would be spaced so far apart it wouldn’t do much to help city residents, unless you happened to live around one of the few stations. Sorry, I don’t view north & south St. Louis as places county residents should have to get through quickly to reach a game downtown. Transit infrastructure should serve the meeds of the neighborhood it runs through.

A few years ago a friend suggested we run MetroLink down south of Busch Stadium, through the Soulard neighborhood. Really? You want light rail in a dense old neighborhood? Low-floor light rail vehicles w/platforms would consume much of the 12th Street right-of-way, our current high-floor vehicles would require more room. Side streets would need to be cut off to reduce the number of crossing points. In short, light rail in neighborhoods would be a disaster.

Modern streetcars, or decked out BRT (bus rapid transit) is the way to better serve city neighborhoods.

— Steve Patterson

Lots of Entrepreneurship Happening in St. Louis’ Railway Exchange Building

Historically cities have  been incubators for entrepreneurs, bringing people together to exchange their goods. Many well-known early St. Louisans became wealthy selling goods/services to the growing city and country. Then population shifted to the suburbs, manufacturing jobs went oversees, and big corporations took the place of mom & pop businesses, online ordering with overnight delivery made going to stores quaint, etc.

May Department Stores, founded in 1877, moved to St. Louis from Denver in 1905, operated out of the upper floors of the Railway Exchange Building — over Famous-Barr. When May was acquired by Cincinnati-based Federated Department Stores in 2005, the Famous-Barr became a Macy’s and the number of employees in the upstairs offices shrank considerably. The Railway Exchange Building was sold to a developer, Macy’s consolidated to 3 floors from 7 or 8, but it is closing next month. Knowing all this you might think nothing is happening in the Railway Exchange — but you’d be very wrong!

The 12th & 13th floors are the T-REx business incubator.

T-REx is a coworking space and technology incubator located in the heart of downtown St. Louis, Missouri. We’ve taken 60,000 sq/ft in the historic Railway Exchange Building and converted it into a hub for the St. Louis startup scene — now home to a growing community of entrepreneurs, developers, designers, mentors, educators and more.

T-REx now has 70+ business, with more coming.

Arch Grants seeks to create a more robust startup culture and infrastructure in St. Louis. To increase employment growth and establish St. Louis as a place where entrepreneurs want to start and grow their businesses, Arch Grants offers startups funding in the form of grants and supports the startups as they remain or transition to downtown St. Louis. The Arch Grants Business Plan Competition helps to shape the image of St. Louis among aspiring entrepreneurs and others looking to have a formative role in building a new entrepreneurial climate in St. Louis.

Through the Business Plan Competition, Arch Grants selects promising startups to receive $50,000. Typically, taking venture capital forces an aspiring entrepreneur to sacrifice a significant stake in their company in exchange for funds. This process is often limited to ventures with access to the startup hotbeds like Silicon Valley, New York, and Boston. Arch Grants provides entrepreneurs with the opportunity to start a business with non-dilutive capital. In addition, Arch Grants supports the growth of winning companies by providing access to business networking and mentoring, free legal and accounting services, collaboration with local universities, and discounts on housing and affordable office space. After receiving an initial Arch Grant, startups have the opportunity to secure a second round of up to $100,000 in funding along with direct access to St. Louis-based angel investors.

To provide winners with the best chance of success, Arch Grants partners with comparable economic development endeavors in St. Louis that currently support business growth in the city including Innovation Venture Mentoring Service, St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association, Regional Business Council, Washington University, St. Louis University, University of Missouri at St. Louis, Webster University, and Harris Stowe University. (Arch Grants)

I met a couple of recent Arch Grant winners during my visit to T-REx last week; Andrew Couch and Gilda Campos moved their startup from San Diego to St. Louis after receiving a grant.

Couch & Campos rented a nearby apartment and walk to work, they don’t have a car. They said the decision to relocate was easy because of the enthusiasm of St. Louis to attract young businesses, they’d never have such an opportunity with venture capitalists on the West Coast.

Apparently other cities have spent big bucks to set up incubators of this size, but here they just had to repaint.  Some of these companies will fail, some will stagnate, but others will prosper. Let’s just hope the latter stay in St. Louis as they expand.

— Steve Patterson