The Richmond Heights Planning and Zonning Commission is set to hold a public hearing on a proposal to raze the building at Clayton and Big Bend, to be replaced with an urgent care facility; the meeting is Aug. 24 at 7 p.m. at city hall.
According to the proposal to the city of Richmond Heights, the property is now under contract for purchase by TAUC Porperties, the owner of Total Access Urgent Care facilities.
The redevelopment would replace the one which now houses Waldbart Florist and Jon Paul Designs — it would “raze the existing derelict building” according to the proposal.
The proposed building has “many nice architectural design features to complement the area,” the proposal says.
See also: Development would replace Waldbart Florist, Jon Paul Designs
From the proposal:
There is power in our voices. Call your council person.
Don’t forget. Don’t think that someone else will call.
Hold your representatives accountable.
So if the new urgent care facility is built, we can choose not to use it.
Exactly. Voting with your feet.
But let’s face it: most probably wouldn’t care that the architecture is horrible if they’re in the market for urgent care.
Of course this was approved — because it was a done deal before the hearing even started. Just a formality to maintain the appearance of being above-board.
Yeah, something is rotten in the state of Denmark, that’s for sure.
Don’t allow this to happen, Richmond Heights. You don’t need more disposable architecture!
Please don’t do this! I’m from Maplewood and grew up here, but just down the street towards Big Bend and Folk. I still live here. My parents used Waldbart Florist, as did I and many, many others in the neighborhood as far back as I can remember. Please take a lesson from Maplewood’s mistakes and the monstrosity that was the K-Mart and parking lot debacle years back. GONE are all the great old beautiful buildings on the north side of downtown Maplewood. The south side, which still has all the original buildings with awesome architecture and old history attached to them, is now prospering with new businesses and patrons beyond our wildest dreams! Oh, what we wouldn’t do to turn back time and undo the mistakes and have all those beautiful old buildings back!
I understand that this is just one corner, and the owner can do as he pleases…but if we keep wiping out old buildings, even one corner at a time, they will ALL be gone one day and “Regret” will be all that is left.
Michele, you are my hero. Too bad no one pays attention until it is too late. The Alex Waldbart building was doomed before the hearing even started. That was just a formality.
So sad…:( Many years from now, people may “get” it, but you can’t undo this. This is not progress. Maplewood thought what they were doing at that time was progress. Old buildings add so much charm to communities, neighborhoods and even street corners and intersections. Also they are valuable to small businesses. This will be a loss.
People have rights to do what they want with their property, fair enough, but the design of that proposed building is disgusting.
This is an absolute TRAVESTY. I cannot believe that the city of Richmond Heights would even consider this!!! What on earth were they thinking??? I am in Maplewood, I hope you guys fight this hard. I will help!
The proposed design mocks the area.
It would be a shame to knock it down, very nice building, seams well maintained reuse would be better option.
It’s private property. They can do what they think is best for their property and so long as the community zoning permits that usage, it should be allowed.
Urgent care facilities are for sick people who do not need to go to an emergency room, where severely injured people need access! They are good for neighborhoods and good jobs. Tear it down and build a beautiful new building!!!!
“…beautiful new building”
I hope this is sarcasm. That urgent care looks like anonymous suburban cr*p you’d see in St. Peters or Wildwood.
I think people are pretty clear on the purpose of urgent care centers. It’s the fact that there is a BRAND NEW urgent care two blocks up the street from this at the corner of Wise and Big Bend, as well as a hospital with an ER less than a mile away, that makes this ludicrous. The only thing we might need less at that location would be a gas station. I don’t hate change. But when you’re dealing with local businesses that have long term relationships with the community, as well as buildings that add historical, unique architectural beauty to a neighborhood, why would you even consider it unless it was something for which that city had a genuine NEED?? If the area was in dire need of a health facility, that’s one thing. But RH is far from undeserved when it comes to that. It’s totally ridiculous.
How about going 2 blocks up the street if you need this sort of care?
EXACTLY! 2 blocks people! either to an actual ER or to 2 blocks to a different urgent care. There is NO reason to put some ugly cookie cutter building up, the building was just rehabbed. Who’s getting a kick back for this?
Seriously Jeff? Ugh!
I agree there are enough emergency or urgent care facilities within the area. Walbart is a wonderful asset. They could have left years ago when they had a fire but rebuilt and stayed. Jon Paul is a somewhat eclectic but great asset for Richmond Heights. This is not a derelict building but rather one that has been maintained and occupied by solid businesses. I’ve not had to deal with an urgent care but wonder if like so many others they would charge as if they were an ER. A real ER is only a couple blocks away and it does a fine job. That I have experienced. I would vote no since it would also probably take away actual tax revenue.
That is what I thought as soon as I read “derelict”. They throw words like that out there when they just want to rip something down. Unfortunately, the building has been sold and as long as zoning permits, it will be torn down and the Urgent Care will go in.
Put the urgent care in the existing structure if you feel it is a must. And stop ruining the look of our once beautiful city.
Another urgent care facility is ridiculous. They have one on Manchester in Rock Hill; now there is one on Big Bend and the care there can only do so much (trust me I have used the Rock Hill one often and the newer one; this is the same group that would come into the “derelict” building). Urgent Care has its place but they will just send you to a hospital or specialist if something is really wrong. The medicine they can provide is limited; trust me, I had to go many rounds with them about their billing until the business person told me they do not file pharmaceutical claims and only have generic medicines on hand, but they charge the patient a fortune for the convenience. We are lucky hospitals are close by. There was a doctor building across from Waldbart that has been vacant; it was ugly to begin with, SO develop that with retail, apartments, whatever OR get new doctors in that site. Personally, I enjoyed the window display at Waldbart, and I hate to see it go.
I agree! Plus, there is already an urgent care facility at Wise and Big Bend. Did we need another urgent care facility barely 2 blocks apart?
I’ll also add that there is a hospital maybe four blocks down. Pretty sure the medical needs are adequately covered for the area already. I don’t mind the building being replaced if they can manage traffic properly during the construction and put in something useful.
There is already an urgent care facility like two blocks away down big bend, so this seems silly to demolish a historic building to build another one. If the building is so far in disrepair that it can’t be repaired, certainly something more useful to the city could go in to that space than yet another urgent care.
Isn’t there an urgent care at Dale and Hanley?