Majority of Readers Excited About IKEA St. Louis Opening Soon

In the recent Sunday Poll a solid majority (68.63%) indicated — no surprise — positive feelings about IKEA opening soon. Those who were neutral outweighed the negative, 19.61% vs 11.76%.

I’ve shopped at 7 different IKEA stores over the last 25 years, always while traveling. This will be a new experience being able to go anytime I want. As rumors of the store were circling a few years ago I said, as a big box, it belonged in suburbia. I still feel that way. It lowers the bar for the redevelopment of the area. I can only hope that so many others want to locate in close proximity that everything about the IKEA is more urban than the IKEA itself.

Here are the results:

Q: How do you feel about IKEA St. Louis opening in 45 days:

1. Excited 18 [35.29%]
2. TIE 10 19.61%
   1. Somewhat excited
   2. Meh (Neutral)
3. Very excited 7 [13.73%]
4. TIE 3 [5.88%]
   1. Disinterested
   2. Very disinterested
5. TIE 0 [0%]
   1. Somewhat disinterested
   2. Unsure/No Answer

Follow the various pre-Grand Opening events here.

— Steve Patterson

Homeless Need Housing Longer Than Overnight

Over the years many have said us downtown loft dwellers don’t want to see the homeless, which is why we want to close Larry Rice’s overnight emergency shelter NLEC. This view many be valid for some of my neighbors, but it doesn’t apply to me or most no doubt, it is heart-wrenching to see people sleeping in doorways, carrying all their possessions in a trash bag. What the solution?

Overnight shelters, like NLEC, do provide a cot, a sandwich, and perhaps a shower — for 12 hours. The next morning they’re sent back out into the streets. The cycle repeats without getting to the root problems that caused the person to become homeless. To me keeping the homeless just above water is cruel.

The homeless can’t do it on their own, none of the world’s deities are going to help either. It’s entirely up to us — baloney sandwiches and an overnight cot aren’t enough.

Only from the stability of a small apartment can they hope to get substance issues under control, learn to prepare meals, be able to get/hold a job. This is unlikely on the street.

Emergency overnight shelters are still necessary when the weather is extreme, but only as a short-term solution. The total cost per person is less when they’re in an apartment vs on the street.

Everyone benefits — except those whose business model is based on hundreds remaining on the streets.

— Steve Patterson

Former Harbor Light Emergency Shelter Now 58 Apartments

It’s Friday so I like to end the week with some good news. This morning the Salvation Army will cut the ribbon on their 3010 Washington Apartments project:

For more than a century, the property at 3010 Washington Boulevard has been synonymous with transforming lives of those in the greatest need in St. Louis.
Today, The Salvation Army will provide a pathway of hope, deterring homelessness for individuals with special needs in the St. Louis area with the development of 3010 Apartments.

Joining the Veterans’ Residence as a part of the Midtown project, 3010 Apartments houses 58 one-bedroom units universally designed for individuals with a variety of special needs. Each apartment features a full bathroom, kitchen and living/dining area.

The facility itself also includes amenities such as a computer lab, laundry and 24-hour security. Listed on the National Register of Historical Places and located near culture hub Grand Center, the 3010 Apartments will provide residents with a safe space to incorporate and build lifelong skills.

It’s nice to see a previously-shaddy emergency shelter becoming renovated apartments for the homeless.

A home, now matter how small, is better than a temporary cot without security or privacy. I’m looking forward to touring this facility today.

— Steve Patterson

Thankfully Biondi Wasn’t Allowed To Immediately Raze The Pevely Building

A few years ago Saint Louis University was determined to raze the Pevely Dairy building at Chouteau & Grand (see Pevely Dairy Fate to be Decided Today, or Not?). The city said they could raze the building — once they apply for a building permit for the medical building they intended to build to the South — the site of the Pevely Dairy was to be lawn and driveway. Many of us who fought against demolition felt defeated, eventually they’d submit plans for an awful new building set far back from the road and the historic warehouse would come down.

However, their project didn’t go forward! Thankfully the city’s Preservation Board had the good sense to require a real project before allowing the demolition. See SLU May Pass on Pevely Site for New Medical Facility.

So now it’s three years later, Biondi is no longer SLU’s president.  Maybe I missed it, but I haven’t see any news about the fate of the building and the acres of vacant land to the south. I’d love to see it get a new use as part of a larger project. I’d also like to see the big red letters spelling PEVELY returned to the rooftop sign. Pevely Hall?

— Steve Patterson

Good News Friday (#GNF): Improved Pedestrian Crossing On Olive

It’s Friday so that means a post with good news. Today’s good news is that the area of Midtown known as Grand Center is beginning to implement some of the improvements from their master plan. The blocks between Grand & Spring are very long — too long. They’d painted crosswalks at midpoints years ago, but these crossing points didn’t work for those of us in wheelchairs. Even the able-bodied could face difficulties with parked cars, motorists not stopping, etc.

So last month I was happy to see a new crossing on Olive between the Nine Network (KETC) and St. Louis Public Radio (KWMU)

In April 2010, while visiting the Pulitzer, I photographed the problem in Grand Center: paint but no ADA ramps, cars able to block the crosswalk. The following was very common in Grand Center so I’m very glad to see it getting addressed!

Pushing the ramps out into the parking lane puts pedestrians where they can look both directions and where motorists can see pedestrians entering the crosswalk so they can stop to let them cross. Tomorrow will be a nice day so get out and take a walk. See you Sunday with a new poll.

— Steve Patterson