Brentwood officials Monday night approved, with three dissenting votes, a six-story apartment building on the corner of Manchester and Hanley roads.
City officials discussed flooding, the color scheme, traffic safety, financing and other issues before passing two bills, approving a zoning change and the site plan.
Tom Kramer wondered if the city could have a say in the color scheme — orange and green is proposed. David Dimmitt said he wasn’t going to dictate what color the building should be. He compared it to free speech. Brandon Wegge said he likes orange; has an orange car. Eventually the bill was amended to revise the color scheme to more neutral colors, to be approved by planning and zoning.
Kramer also said he had heard that the developer would ask for TIF financing and wanted to know if it was possible to have the zoning revert automatically back to planned development, from urban development, if a TIF was applied for. City attorney Kevin O’Keefe said that wouldn’t be allowed under state law.
David Plufka said he wasn’t opposed to the development, but not enthusiastically in favor. He said was persuaded by the city engineer’s assessment there would be minimal impact on traffic and Interim Fire Chief Terry Kurten’s assurance that the department could fight a fire there. Plufka said the corner has never been pastoral, and didn’t understand the logic of those who want it to be green space.
- Roads flood in Brentwood, Maplewood, Rock Hill; power outages too
- The Metro on Manchester: variations from a resident
- Apartment complex closer to approval
- Developer proposes apartment complex to Brentwood P&Z
Steve Lochmoeller said he has a problem with the building being six stories tall. He said he can’t do that to the people who live behind it. He said the only other six-story building between there and Interstate 270 is the Edward Jones Building.
Andy Leahy asked Director of Planning and Development Lisa Koerkenmeier how a flood like what happened on Monday, which flooded the intersection, would affect the building. She said the plans would meet FEMA standards. Kurten said if a flood occurred, the residents would be “sheltered in place.” He said a boat rescue would be used in a medical emergency.
Kathy O’Neill said she looked at it from the viewpoint of a parent of someone living there, and opposed it on traffic and safety issues. She said she thinks there will be much more traffic than expected. She wouldn’t want a child of hers trying to turn left onto Manchester Road, she said.
Outside the meeting, developer Gary Hassenflu, of Garrison Development, said construction should start in three to four months; construction drawings, finalizing permits and financing is next.
He was confident flooding wouldn’t be an issue. “We’ll elevate it above the plane,” he said. “Where it’s lower than the plane we’re not even touching. I heard it barely got wet up there. I don’t think it will be an issue. I understand even in ’93 that didn’t flood. That’s good enough for me.”
About the colors he said, “We’ll get a more neutral tone. We’re easy on that.”
Andy Leahy, Kathy O’Neill and Steve Lochmoeller cast the ‘no’ votes on each bill.
Taste? Whose taste? If it was going into a parcel in Maplewood, it would have green space taken up with an overdone, ugly memorial statue
7 story building, 300 apartment units going in at Hanley and Clayton Road which is just reported in the St Louis Business Journal today. 2 Apartments projects going up in Richmond Heights, 1 in Maplewood and the one in Bentwood. Allot of investment going on which is good for all the cities. Any comments about being low income Priut Igo like or Section 8 are absurd and very backward and you should think before you make comments as our mid county area is very hot for investment but no one wants it in there back yard. http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2016/08/17/new-mixed-use-plan-for-former-schnucks-site-in.html?ana=e_stl_bn_newsalert&u=tXJZQHCWFbrnvQugIkaTWQ05e96936&t=1471463610&j=75469262
Sorry I meant Brentwood
Great points, John. Old Town Clayton homes have apartment buildings five times this height in their backyards (downtown Clayton). Guess what their proximity to these tall, modern structures have done for their home values: that’s right, they’ve skyrocketed. New and stylish residential architecture (like the originally proposed design of The Metro on Manchester before our BOA stripped it of color to appease the town dullards) would do the same for the value of Brentwood homes.
Goiter.
Aren’t you in this business John?
I mean, isn’t commercial development part of your business?
What’s your opinion of TIF’s? Pretty good idea, right?
And how does the claimed hotness of the market have any bearing on people voicing their opinion of the look and ultimate effects of this thing?
You almost sound like you think it’s some kind of sin to oppose this use of the site.
And you’re damned right they don’t want it in their back yards. That’s why they bought their homes in the locations they chose. Would you want a giant cube hovering over your house?
Umm, earth to Ditch: Did they not notice the 500-FOOT ANTENNA looming overhead before they signed their mortgages?
Right, it’s just like having a building full of strangers right behind you who can see into your house & yard. You make it sound like they deserve this for the crime of living near a radio/tv tower. Keep digging.
Ditch said: “You make it sound like they deserve this for the crime of living near a radio/tv tower. Keep digging.”
No, I was just lampooning your dumb insinuation that the next door neighbors settled on this site as if its setting was somehow bucolic. The tasteful structure proposed for this property will serve as a welcome sound wall and relief from the REAL eyesore: the non-stop traffic on Manchester Road.
Hey guys, maybe it’s time to take this to Bread Co?
Yes I am in the real estate business and there was no mention of TIF or any other assistance being asked for by this developer of the city. And since you asked I do not think a TIF is wrong for this site as normally, but not always, it would have a retail component. I love people comments but when they are just uninformed scare tactics against change of any sort, comparing this development to a bad low income housing torn down 40 years ago, that bothers me. I do not like the 6 story either but they were forced to go up out of the flood plane by MSD so the first two floors are parking and there is more green space, trees and a dog park. As far as colors I am OK with any color the owner chooses, as he/she owns the property as I leave that choice up to my wife in our house. Manchester Road in this area of Brentwood is in need attention and a 20M investment is welcome. Better than the Car Star Paint shop with the whole lot as parking as that was the last proposal that inquired about this parcel.
I meant to say I DO THINK TIF is wrong for this site
Thanks for the reply. I think it’s important that you come out & say that this is your business. And people should know that you’re a fixture around Brentwood govt. so there may be a financial component in how you present your views on this or any other real estate deal around here. Also that you are rather heavily involved in local politics. Cards on the table so to speak. And I’m not so sure it’s better. I’ve never seen a 6 story Paint shop, and I don’t believe they block up traffic either.
That Ditch can’t see that an artfully-designed residential structure is not preferable to a fume-spewing paint shop says all you need to know about him. I will not waste any more of my time trying to change his mind.
I predict this building to be tolerable the first three years at max. That is about how long crap construction take to fall apart. And i would like to see the studies done that prove this industrial/commercial location would be a good fit for residential.
I expect the value to go down immediately once residents realizes they can not open their windows because the all day noise pollution, it smells like a fart outside from the creek, nothing is in walking distance, and you might now need flood insurance of your property which is not good for a real estate investment.
Shame on those city employees who have been persuaded to vote in favor for this. How embarrassing. Shame on Brentwood for giving Garrison Development a broken company treading water our City’s tif. You know they are here because they found cheap land and weak gov to puppet around. Sorry but this does not seem like a great spot for a residential building. Doesn’t fit in that area.
Right you are Drew. In 3 years time it will deteriorate to fit in with the rest of the dilapidated mid-century strip malls, abandoned businesses and vacant lots that dotted the landscape along the Manchester corridor which so defines the city of Brentwood.
Very well said.
I bet it will have to go section 8 to attract any residents given it’s horrible location and unappealing E. European design…
YUP….to all the above.
I find it humorous that many are saying this looks like a housing project. This type of structure is common in every major city I’ve been to from Seattle to Houston to Alexandria. I would be willing to bet that the younger renters you have in Brentwood Village will gladly move to a more updated leasing option.
So you have seen this in other cities and what, that makes it not look like a housing project?
I find your opinion humorous. It looks like a low cost housing project with no architectural value. We should call it Brentwood-Igoe.
“Brentwood-Igoe”
Ouch! That ones going to stick.
Very sharp. Very witty.
By any grace of God, is it too late to stop this pos from being built? Investors should be called CARPETBAGGERS; rape the city’s value, let the city pay for you, and then laugh on your way out of town. It is plain WRONG.
I agree that it does NOT look like a housing project. I’d be willing to bet most people commenting on how it looks like Section 8 housing are > 50 years old. As a younger person, I think it looks modern and would appeal to most young professionals.
Oh, you mean the people who’ve been paying the taxes to keep Brentwood running since before you were born? Maybe they’re concerned about their investment. Maybe you shouldn’t be quite so smug & dismissive, Nick. Claiming some special status because you lack experience is hubristic and silly.
If Brentwood allowed philistines like Ditch to dictate its architectural standards, we would be cursed with bland, homogeneous architecture. Oh, wait…
Good one. Philistines. Maybe looking at a dictionary would be a good idea before you toss around terms you heard somewhere – “a person who is lacking in or hostile or smugly indifferent to cultural values, intellectual pursuits, aesthetic refinement, etc.”
Where are the cultural values in this crass heap? Aesthetic refinement? Please.
You want gaudy. I hear Vegas is nice.
And just for the record, when they originally pitched this thing, the drawings showed what I (here on this site) called a “barracks”
I don’t mind some flair. I mind ugly.
“…or is contentedly commonplace in ideas and tastes.”
Own it, Ditch.
Hey SFY, you found a dictionary!
You found something that doesn’t remotely apply and you’re acting like you found a gold nugget. On second thought, maybe you’d better quit digging. That hole’s getting pretty deep.
And you took a mail order mindreading course too.
You have no idea whatsoever what my tastes are. You only know that I don’t like weird looking green & orange cubes that don’t fit with anything for miles around. Take a look at that goofy silver silo that SLU has sticking up out of the landscape at Grand & Chouteau. That doesn’t work, and neither does the green monster.
I like classical architecture. This area has plenty. Not whatever gets thrown up that looks new & different for 10 minutes & then just looks cheap & old. I don’t like bland any more than you do. The difference is that I’m not blinded by all things new & shiny. So yeah, good taste & an eye towards the future. You don’t have either.
BR DITCH DIG/ Love your posts—clear and accurate. And for the person who referenced age as a signal of his or her “cultivated taste” you need your diapers changed by someone who knows better. It is Brentwood Igoe “Built in the THORNTON regime”. This is a bad, trashy, invitation to “please spray-tag me”…I would even say ok to a TWO story building—but that would cut into the PROFITS of those who will not be here long, and not be back again.
Did you even read my comment? Where was I smug? Where did I claim a special status? I merely pointed out the fact that the structure appealed to a younger crowd with its design. Someone needs a nap…
Looks like a housing project. I’ll just bet someone is getting rich, or kickbacks, on this project! We the people in this city Do Not Want This!
I do not live in Brentwood but agree with every one of you concerned and disgusted citizens. The only advice I can give you is fight long, fight hard, and fight loudly. Not long ago, a developer tried to put up a similar, tasteless piece of junk near my permanent residence a/k/a/home. (Gee! why there? why not in his neighborhood? especially if it’s such a desirable piece of real estate?! and maybe he’d recommend that his community donate significant TIF funds to the project don’t you think?) Strange that they want to put these atrocities next to our homes instead of theirs! We fought long, we fought hard, we fought loudly, and we addressed the issue of ‘precedent’ (which, incidentally, opens Pandora’s Box for the community-at-large and lets the snakes out (into the flood waters) from now on, Very scary thought! Be wary! and…be sure to remember all of this when you go to the polls! Separate the chaff from the grain, once and for all!
Had this project been operational Monday morning, these residents would have been stuck between Hanley and Brentwood because of flooded streets.
Agree.
“David Dimmitt said he wasn’t going to dictate what color the building should be. He compared it to free speech.” Free, especially because NO ONE IS LISTENING. “Kathy O’Neill said she looked at it from the viewpoint of a parent of someone living there, and opposed it on traffic and safety issues. She said she thinks there will be much more traffic than expected. She wouldn’t want a child of hers trying to turn left onto Manchester Road, she said.” So how does Alderman Kathy O’Neill about you s’heads TOTALLY IGNORING her comments? In ‘REAL LAW….’ and not clown court, there is something called ‘precident’. I’m just so glad all the preceding FREE SPEECH of neighbors (who will now be hit AGAIN)—werre so efficiently ignored re noise regulations chronically not addressed, and the ongoing traffic issue. WHO IS MAKING THESE IDIOTIC DECISIONS??? my personal fav drawing was the ‘futuristic presentation’. It looked like an accumulation of road kill pressed into cube form. I WANT TO KNOW THE CLOSET ISSUES—WHO IS MAKING THESE (citizen-irrelevant) DECISIONS—-AND HOW MUCH ARE THEY $$$$$$$$ MAKING OFF DECISIONS? And by all means….if you own an orange car, buildings around you should be orange too. I had no idea THE MAYOR—-had no problem with this. Puppy, YOU are back on my list as needing a “shock-collar” around your neck. This incentive will allow you be “reminded” in increasing volts that YOU ARE NOT KING. And puppy, what is your gravy on this? Honest to the Lord, you are ******* up BIG TIME. 6 story including orange buildings in a high pedestrian and vehicle traffic area as an intro to B’wd? i pray the building, 3/4 complete, is over one of the well known cavernous areas. The weight will cause it to collapse into itself and sink. Yeah…i need to get to Confession—but i already know what my penance will be, every time I pass the Ronald McDonald Orange Hair Clown building. Silly me…i thought the idiocy was over. Responding agitators, have at it; I just don’t care WHAT you think. This is a bad decision.
My apologies to the many who are more refined in expressing dissention. I am aware of how rude and viperous I can be when something SO wrong is under planning, as is this project. Is there any hope of stopping this as not desirable by the citizens? Thank you.
Unhinged much, Maureen?
Making a left turn onto Manchester from Hanley road seems a non issue when you realize there are traffic lights there now.
Would there still be traffic lights? Or are these going to be replaced with stop signs?
Wut?
Maybe next time, take a look at a map.
I don’t understand why a TIF is needed. These people are in business. If they can’t afford to build, then don’t. Brentwood should not have to subsidize this project.
Somebody in-house is making money off of this. And if B’wd can afford a TIF, then they can afford the property outright, and do something decent.
I think it looks like a housing project too!
Yes it does.
Is this site in the 100 year Flood Plain?
I don’t think you can build in a designated Flood Plain.
“Eventually the bill was amended to revise the color scheme to more neutral colors…”
Translation: Make way for more Brentwood beige! “Strip that sucker of ALL color! And let’s make gosh-darned certain that nothin’ EVER gets built in Brentwood that just might stand out a little, or would possibly distinguish us from a strip mall development in lower Arnold!”
Our backward BOA: They never fail to disappoint.
You’re comment is too late. WE ARE ALREADY looking like a strip mall whether beige or orange…
In this case, “stand out” equals “eye-bleeding ugly”.
A goiter stands out. Do you want one?
I hope the future residents all work in West County as making a left onto Manchester in the morning will be impossible…
Well, the obvious solution is to throw another traffic light in there. We need one every 300 yards or so, right? Personally, I like stopping 5 times on Hanley between Manchester & 40. Turned my 1 minute drive to the highway into a 6 minute drive. Gives me lots more time to think.
As a MW resident who has been following this story, I am pretty excited about it. Im looking forward to the potential it creates for building along manchester from big bend to hanley.
” Im looking forward to the potential it creates for building along manchester from big bend to hanley.”
Why? So it can look like Hanley @ 40?
So what’s left of the residential areas can be loomed over by crappy commercial buildings?
What, exactly, needs to be built that doesn’t already exist within a 2 mile radius of any point in Brentwood or Maplewood?
You want to build for buildings sake.
Oh, B’wd D.D.–keep posting. You speak for a lot of other people.
It looks like a housing project in Moscow
Comments are closed.