Washington Ave: Parking vs. Traffic vs. Valet

Last summer the Downtown Partnership’s Jim Cloar made a big deal about parking not being allowed on Washington Avenue after they and others failed to post any no-parking signs.

Last month, after pressure from myself and others, the powers that be decided to allow parking in the 1000 and 1100 blocks of Washington Avenue. The one exception, no parking during the rush hours of 7:30am to 8:30am and 4:30pm to 5:30pm. I’m still not convinced we have enough of a rush to keep the area free when folks might be stopping at places like KitchenK for happy hour or local businesses like City Mac. But, I reluctantly accepted the desire to keep traffic moving while we try this out. Seemed like a reasonable compromise.

But today, at 5:10pm, the lanes were not kept open during the required hour for the evening rush. The culprit? Copia’s valet parking.

I fail to see the logic of not allowing parking on the street during the evening rush simply to allow a restaurant to take the very same lane for valet parking. Either we keep all lanes open during rush or we drop the no parking requirement for everyone.

– Steve

Police Ticketing Valet Parking Violators

Walking to The Gelateria tonight I noticed police ticketing vehicles parked on the public street where valet parking signs were posted. This was on the northside of the 1200 block of Washington Avenue, across from places like Wasabi and Lucas Park Grille.

The time was 7:45pm. Of the 17 total spaces eight were empty, coned off to us regular folks. The remaining nine spaces were occupied with four of those having just been ticketed. Keep in mind no evening businesses operate on this side of the street.

If you’ve read my prior posts on this issue you know my view: a business should get two spaces in front of their door for the valet with all cars getting parked on private lots elsewhere. This leaves public spaces to the general public. This is only fair to those businesses that don’t operate valet service.

The city has no ordinance regulating valet parking. It is even questionable if the Street Department has the authority to issue the valet permits they have issued. The Treasury Dept, responsible for parking meters in the city, has indicated they have no policy.

I was tempted to park in one of those eight vacant spaces just so I’d get a ticket. It would give me a good opportunity to challenge the validity of the whole valet thing in court.

But the bigger issue is one of perception. Downtown St. Louis is hoppin’ tonight yet eight public spaces sit empty except for some orange cones. How will people visiting St. Louis from other cities or just from the ‘burbs take the idea of empty spaces but they can’t park there. I think they’ll find it frustrating and it will only compound pre-conceived ideas of downtown parking issues. We are killing ourselves here.

Copia, in the next block east, has wised up a bit. Rather than leave their entire block completely empty, as they have been doing, it looks like they’ve started parking their customer’s cars on the block. Looks much better but I’d still rather see the general downtown visitor get a fair shot at these spaces.

To the “leaders” downtown — I’m not going to drop this topic until it is resolved. Better get busy and earn those big salaries.

– Steve

Resentment Toward the Old Post Office

Today I will visit the Old Post Office building in downtown St. Louis for the very first time. I’ve walked past it many times. I’ve photographed the beautiful exterior from all directions. I’ve also stood next to it while protesting the destruction of the Century Building for a parking garage.

While it is completely unfair of me to resent the Old Post Office for the razing of the Century Building that is exactly how I feel. I know it is not the building’s fault that it’s longtime neighbor was destroyed in a political game more about developer’s fees than actual need.

I don’t think I’ll ever forgive all those involved in the process. This includes the Schnuck’s family, Steve Stogel, the National Trust’s Richard Moe, Mayor Slay and his staff of intimidators, and the Board of Aldermen for allowing the atrocity to take place (in particular Ald Phyllis Young for her silence on the issue in her ward).

The Old Post Office is a stunning building. The new lighting is a spectacular sight to behold. Pity I can’t fully appreciate it. No matter how hard I try I still picture the Century Building, clad in marble, next door as it was for a good hundred years. The area is tainted. I actually try to avoid the area, refusing to look at the mud hole where the Century once stood.

It doesn’t help that some of my recreational reading of late has been from the official transcript for the October 2004 hearing on a Temporary Restraining Order to keep the Century standing. Yeah, I know, why not just read Harry Potter instead.

Below is an excerpt from Landmark’s attorney Matt Ghio cross-examining Downtown Now’s Tom Reeves regarding their planning document for the area:

GHIO: In that section on the Old Post Office Square, is there a statement in there to the effect that any parking for the Old Post Office could be sited one to two blocks away, so that no parking fronts the Old Post Office. Is that or words to the effect in that document? “Yes” or “no”?

REEVES: I don’t know. I’d have to see it.

GHIO: At any time in 2002 or 2003, Mr. Reeves, did any representative of GSA come to you — Downtown Now — and ask you whether or not there were any other parking solutions for the Old Post Office district other than what the developers were proposing?

REEVES: I don’t believe so. I don’t recall.

It appears that Mr. Reeves was not very familiar with the plan of his own organization, including the simple fact it recommended placing parking structures away from the Old Post Office:

The historic character of the area, the continuity of building faces on the street, and the need to enhance street level activity argues for careful siting of parking resources on other blocks not fronting the Old Post Office unless the parking is located below grade. The parking demands from the land use program are substantial. (Source: 1mb PDF)

The other issue is alternatives. Numerous concepts were presented, including putting structured parking within the existing Century and adjacent Syndicate Trust building. It basically boiled down to the developers would make more money from the complex financing package if they built a new garage for the Missouri Development Finance Board.

Our urban planning decisions are not based on sound principals but what pays the most.

When I enter the building today I hope I can see past all the recent political history and enjoy the magnificent interior. I just don’t know if that will ever be possible.

– Steve

Street Department Issues Valet Permits to Copia & Lucas Park Grille

We have no valet parking ordinance in the city but the city’s Street Department has issued numerous permits to at least two high-end restaurants. Lucas Park Grille holds roughly six permits for numerous parking spaces in the 1200 & 1300 blocks of Washington Avenue for Thursday-Saturday evenings, including spaces on the opposite side of the street.

Copia, in the 1100 block of Washington Avenue, has a permit for their entire side of the block. Their permit also applies to Thursday-Saturday nights. For the record, Copia began blocking the street and valet parking during the “rush hour” when parking is not permitted on the street. Funny, we can’t park during the 4:30-5:30pm hour but they can take the lane for their own private use. Double standard deluxe.

What is interesting is the permits for both restaurants were issued on the same date: January 30, 2006. Coincidence?

The city’s Treasury office, which controls parking meters, said on Monday they have no policy on valet parking. Who has authority, Streets or Treasury?

What is the big deal you ask?

Other businesses are trying to become established on these blocks. Guests of residents also need places to park. Two restaurants that have parking lots available for their use should not be taking away parking spaces that could be used by the general public.

At 10pm tonight about six to eight spaces near LPG were empty because they’ve got them coned off. The block with Copia was completely empty except for the cones. It just doesn’t look good for the area to have empty spaces at 10pm on a Friday night.

The answer is obvious — give them the space in front of their own business and require any cars they park to go into private off-street lots. Anything more is unfair to adjacent businesses and detrimental to the overall health of the street.

– Steve

Convention Plaza, A 60 Foot Wide Street to Nowhere

Before delving into the street known as Convention Plaza I need to give you some background…

Grand Opening festivities for St. Louis’ new Cervantes Convention Center, named after former mayor Alphonso J. Cervantes, were held in July 1977. The original facility, costing $34 million, was much smaller than the one we have today. Eight and Martin Luther King Drive were closed to create a contiguous four block area bounded by Cole on the north, 7th on the east, 9th on west and Delmar on the south. Delmar between Broadway and 14th Street was renamed Convention Plaza to reflect its new role as the entry to the Cervantes Convention Center.

Six years later the city was ready to consider an expansion of the facility and in July 1989 ground was broken on the expansion to the south. This expansion required the closing of two blocks of Convention Plaza and Lucas Avenue. In May 1993 the south expansion was complete the complex was renamed America’s Center. The expanded facility now fronted on Washington Avenue as we see it today. Combined with the Edward Jones Dome (formerly TWA dome) the entire complex now occupies 12 city blocks.

For nearly 17 years now Convention Plaza, the once busy street in front of the convention center, has been a road to nowhere. For all these years the street heads east toward the blank side of America’s Center.

The photo at right shows Convention Plaza between 9th & 11th Streets. The vertical street in the center is 10th Street while the big object on the far right is the convention center.

Convention Plaza is wide —- 60 feet from curb to curb. It includes four driving lanes plus a center turn lane. No parking is permitted on the street. This is a lot of potential volume for a street that doesn’t do much or go anywhere to speak of.

10th Street is one-way heading south and 11th is one-way heading north. 9th is one-way northbound from Convention Plaza north and two-way south of Convention Plaza. Here is a Google Map of the area.

None of the buildings adjacent to the street have entrances facing Convention Plaza. To the west the old Globe-Democrat building has loading docks and parking garage entrances. All in all this three block section looks pretty dismal.

By contrast 10th Street (one-way southbound) is a mere 30 feet wide curb to curb between the two big surface parking lots. Here the street has one row of on-street parking and two travel lanes. 10th Street’s two travel lane receive traffic from I-70 into downtown while Convention Plaza gets the occasional car by comparison.

Oddly this area, part of the 7th Ward,
wasn’t included in the recent Downtown Access, Circulation and Traffic Study. An area left behind.

Ideally I’d like to see new construction on the blocks where we now have all the unsightly surface parking. This could create new uses for Convention Plaza.

In the meantime the city should be allowing parking on this unnecessarily wide street. We are losing money by not having parking meters in this area. We are not getting all the revenue we should plus it makes an area two short blocks from our emerging Washington Avenue look desolate.

And while we are at it we should the name of these five blocks (9th to 14th) back to Delmar.

– Steve