Dardenne Prairie In Talks with DPZ for New Town Center
The suburban St. Charles County municipality of Dardenne Prairie is talking with famed New Urbanist firm DPZ to help plan a town center for the mostly bedroom cummunity. Dardenne Prairie Alderman Scott Kolbe recently met with DPZ’s chief Andres Duany at their Miami offices. Kolbe and Mayor Pam Fogarty both need to convince the rest of their Board of Aldermen to fund the initial planning process as well as put out the RFP for a New Urbanist developer. Initial planning cost are expected to exceed $300,000.
Kolbe & Fogarty are focusing on roughly 80 acres at MO-N & Post Rd (map). Without a good town center plan in place this will land will likely develop like the rest of St. Charles County, lines of small to big boxes surrounded by lots of parking.
I’ve visited the area a couple of times as well as talked with Kolbe & Fogarty about their vision. Both seem to be seeking a mixed-use area that can serve as a center point for their municipality. Integrating the old Immaculate Conception church located at the main corner is an important part of their strategy for the area.
If Dardenne Prairie’s Board of Aldermen approves the expenditure the firm of DPZ, the same planners responsible for New Town at St. Charles, would help guide the process leading to an RFP seeking a developer for the project. Construction would be at least three years away at best.
While I don’t spend much time in St. Charles County I would like to see more municipalities take such issues as seriously as Dardenne Prairie’s elected officials. I’d like to see elected officials in the City of St. Louis to consider the old urbanism we’ve got as well as the New Urbanism that we need.
Kudos to Dardenne Prairie’s Scott Kolbe & Pam Fogarty for having the vision to push for such a project in an area where one would not normally think of having a town center. In the interest of full disclosure, I have previously solicited the Dardenne Prairie Board of Alderman to assist in their planning process as a paid consultant.
– Steve
A huge improvement over those pods. Lets see more of this development… hopefully closer to St. Louis City too!
Sure, this is better than most stuff being planned for the western exurbs, but…
The growing popularity of New Urbanist developments in light of the renewal of many neighborhoods in the city of St. Louis is ridiculous.
Developments like these will sink the city’s chances of a population rebound. If the suburbs superficially offer the amenities and qualities of urban areas without the crime and diversity some people fear, why will those choosing the exurbs ever start choosing the city?
I have an idea, lets not develop ever parcel of land in the state. Having an open field is okay, especially in Dardenne Prarie.
“The growing popularity of New Urbanist developments in light of the renewal of many neighborhoods in the city of St. Louis is ridiculous.”
Doug gives Mike a Guinness.
Yes, I completely agree. New Urbanism is common sense with suburban housing stock, and does not compare to the complex systems involved with true urban renewal. Great improvements have been made in St. Louis City, therefore I still believe that the City will be a greater draw than these New Urbanism exurb developments. The City has culture, and those who want cultural exposure will seek the City.
“I have an idea, lets not develop ever parcel of land in the state. Having an open field is okay, especially in Dardenne Prarie.”
Doug gives Sam a Pale Ale.
I agree as well. Development of farm land will only push those who want rural life further west, then 10-15 years the developers follow, and the process continues. Unless August Busch donates more land to Busch Wildlife, developers are going to continue to carve up farm land, with the result being a majority of suburban pods, and a few nicer New Urbanism developments. Either way, we need to look at the impact on the environment, however until nature is a commodity to be traded, I doubt corporations will take any notice. A Sea of vinyl siding, no matter if there is a street grid or not, is the sign of the times for areas West of the Missouri River.
Sure DPZ is good, but isn’t a sole-source contract a questionable decision for the public sector? Aren’t there local firms capable of producing a quality product? Shouldn’t there be an RFP for planning services as well as for development? Or is DP so insecure that they need to buy a “name designer?
A cousin of my wife got married in the Immaculate Conception church at Dardenne Prairie a couple years back. I agree, it’s a beautiful historic structure. Back then, those German farmers sure knew how to build churches well!
The pull-in parking is pretty awkward given the traffic on Post Road these days.
Interesting idea to make the church a centerpiece of a TND, but will they ever have public transit out there, making it a TOD as well? That takes money, and St Charles County voters have rejected transit tax proposals several times.
DPZ is becoming the Starbucks of town design, isn’t there anyone else to go to? Guess we’ll get another precious 19th century small town motif (Golly, gumdrops are only a penny at the general store!)
However I’m glad to see this study is being solicited by the town government as opposed to a developer. When done by developers you often end up with basically an open air mall, made up to look like an urban street (see boulevard st. louis). Hopefully this will have the feel of a real town.
Having lived in other metropolitan areas such as Chicago and Philadelphia, I have lived in suburbs as far away as an hour or more from the downtown area. Still, we suburbanites would still drive downtown for the events that you could only get downtown. While St. Louisans may wring their hands at the sprawling borders, commuters will still brave the drive to see the marquee events that are mainstays of downtown and cannot be replicated anywhere else– Cardinal, Rams, & Blues games to name just a few. For those with more of a dramatic flair– the Muny, Fox, or Rep.
Still, how can you yell when you have the opportunity to connect the disparate dots of suburbanites with some sense of sanity with the rails and eliminate the gridlock of 40? The parking lots we see on 40, 70, and 44 for major events as well as rush hours could be greatly alleviated if we provide a true railway out to the far suburbs like you see in major cities such as New York, Philadelphia, DC, Chicago, etc.
If we have a commuter rail system like the trains you see out east, you will find a greater ease of commuting while workers can find another way other than the bus.
On a final note, if you’ve seen the area they are going to develop, it is currently an overgrown area that is perfect for providing many with jobs, homes, and a place to play. On a final note, if I’m not mistaken, Von Maur is a confirmed store.
The ‘Prarie’ in Dardenne Prarie was gone the same time it was added to the name. If you raised my Grandfather from the dead, and stood him on the farm he grew up on… he’d be lost. The quiet country grave he and my my grandmother picked out will soon be surrounded by sprawl. It is at the new end of Lake St Louis Boulevard & N. Looks like a future Big Box Corner, without good planning. Hadn’t thought of it till now. My Family name is in those church windows. True craftsmen. Not sure how I feel about it being surrounded by… anything. Better be good. Is the ball park to be ‘developed’ as well? Many St Charles and St Louis Amatuer Hall of Famers from the area learned on this diamond, one mentioned above. Any rumor of where they want to move that to if they tear down the Bowling Hall of Fame (for Ballpark Village)?
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