Read Tim Bryant's article in STL Today (here) about Komen Group's plans for a 6-story mixed-use building at the southeast corner of Euclid and West Pine, above, and renovation of the Optimist International Headquarters at 4490 Lindell, photo below.
In the article, Bryant says the new structure "would have space for street-level stores, second-floor offices, 60 to 70 apartments on the four upper floors and two levels of underground parking. The building’s contemporary design of brick and synthetic stucco is by Trivers Associates."
Komen Group "also plans to seek a $1.5 million TIF for the Optimist project because of what the company said is the expense of renovating the buildings’ facades to modern standards while respecting their architectural heritage."
The article continues: "Alderman Joe Roddy, whose 17th Ward includes the sites of both Koman projects, said he had opposed the previous plan for the Optimist site because it would have provided a city incentive to demolish buildings."
Many preservationists also opposed the earlier plan as they feared losing another example of mid-century modern architecture. Read more about that earlier decision in a West End Word article featured on this blog (here).
It's my understanding that the earlier proposal was not embraced by Park Central Development, the 17th Ward's development organization, in part because there was a sense that the resurgence of the Central West End had reached a point where not every new development project requires subsidies. That's an interesting notion since historically, or since the 1970's, the City of St. Louis has routinely agreed to subsidies of one sort or another for virtually every new development project. Not surprisingly, developers have come to expect that. Perhaps it's time to rethink the formula.