An interesting thought was put forth at last night's candidate debate, and I wonder what you think about it?
At the debate the question, or shall I say scenario was placed into the discussion reference the Crestwood Court's property.
The gist of the scenario is simple, what if a natural disaster befell Crestwood Courts that completely wiped out the existing center and left only debris in it's wake?
Now take it a bit further and let's say that the owners received a check for $50 Million Dollars in insurance funds to cover the loss. Now, what would the owners do with respect to building a new and different facility?
Better yet, what would YOU do were you the owner to help make the NEW COURT'S a viable and vibrant spot that people would want to come to?
Your turn...........
Tom Ford
NO. 1005
posted by Crestwood Independent at 17:32
48 Comments:
Don't ask Mary, she's so busy with her job, family, PTO and Cub Scouts that the last election she had time to vote was in November 2010!
Don's ask Dan, he is to0 busy following Mary's footsteps.
I would love to see an IKEA.
I would love to see an IKEA.
I would love to see an IKEA.
Ikea could single-handedly save Crestwood. It is true destination shopping and will draw crowds of shoppers from hundreds of miles each day. No combination of upscale bowling alley, movie theater, or restaurant can match that type of draw or revenue power.
I would be sure there were restaurants, an ice cream place, a good theatre, and shops and stores that will bring warm bodies. I like the Ikea idea, along with maybe a pottery barn, or perhaps a williams sonoma. they bring people. Add in a Baskin Robbins, and several good, solid eateries and there's a heck of a start.
and I would do everything in my power to try to get around the board as fast as possible since they will talk it TO DEATH and make me wish I'd gone elsewhere. Miguel will drone on and on until we are all suicidal and no closer to getting businesses in here.
Ikea would single handedly save Crestwood, but Ikea would also save alot of other communities as well, and they are not in the biz of saving has been malls. They want major interstate exposure. I would say a golf course, a new Lindberg High School or Meramac CC would be the most stable development that wold stand the test of time. Retail is dead and gone in Crestwood and we need to get over that to ever move on.
9:26pm, you do realize that there is a Pottery Barn & Williams Sonoma 5.6 miles away from 63126 at Plaza Frontenac right? And their not exactly "bringin in the crowds"
I am concerned that a mall with retail, a movie theater and bowling isn't unique enough to be competitive. Also, has anyone thought of the effects on the existing restaurant and bowling ally in crestwood?
I am concerned that a mall with retail, a movie theater and bowling isn't unique enough to be competitive. Also, has anyone thought of the effects on the existing restaurant and bowling ally in crestwood?
well then, 10:38 poster, what are some of your ideas?
Please keep up the good ideas. I will forward these to the management firm here, and the owners in Chicago as an FYI.
If they want us to trot out a TIF, ECT. they may well want to take them under advisement.
Tom Ford
Not every Ikea sits directly next to an Interstate. Crestwood Mall is only a mere 2 miles from 44 and 270. Unfortunately, if Ikea were to ever consider St. Louis, Fenton would probably have an edge on us with their available 1 million flat acres formerly known as the Chrysler plant. Then again, maybe Fenton can lure the Rams out there to build a new stadium. Regardless, I think the question you've raised is great and great that you'll forward these responses to the city. To me and probably others on here, this is exactly the kind of stuff the Economic Development Committee should be doing.
I dont think they will call Ikea...they don't have their phone number..
Ms. Pernille Lopez
President, IKEA North America
Ikea Corporate Office
496 West Germantown Pike
Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462
Telephone: 610-834-0180
Ms. Pernille Lopez
President, IKEA North America
Ikea Corporate Office
496 West Germantown Pike
Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462
Telephone: 610-834-0180
I think maybe also a good idea would be Trader Joe's and/or Whole Foods. There aren't any of those near here and I have never been in one that wasn't packed.
That's long distance.....You think we are made of money?
Oberweis would also make a great addition to the community
Oberweis would also make a great addition to the community
10:25 & 11:05am - Not trying to be offensive but do you ever get out of Crestwood? You do realize those retailers are already in Brentwood & Kirkwood? Crestwood can't even support a Dierberg's.
Whole Foods-5 miles
Trader Joes's-5.75 miles
Oberweis-3.1 miles
I also would love an Ikea as much as the next person but Crestwood would most likely have to give them any and everything they would want, because if we didn't, 20 other muny's are in line to do so. They would need at least 30 arces. Also I would think our lack of interstate visibilty would keep us off their short list, but as a previous poster mentioned, we are 2 miles from 44&270. However, in those 2 miles, are the secondary roads like Sappington, Big Bend, Elm & Watson really able to handle the traffic? What does anyone really know about Ikea? According to their wikipedia page, the founder was involved in Pro-Nazi Swedish movement in the 1940's and in 2010 they were inducted into the Sweatshop Hall of Shame along with Walmart.
Yes, I leave Crestwood, Mr. Pleasant, but the distance over there is far enough that the south area here could support it. Dierberg's won't fly in Crestwood because of Schnuck's.
So, I see here we don't need the board of aldermen to pick apart any potential businesses, the citizens will do it for them. At this point, a business is a business.
11:37 poster: are you indicating that if a store is anywhere in the metro St. Louis area, it cannot come to Crestwood? We have more than enough people in the area to supprt many of the suggestions on here. Perhaps you are new to the area, but we are very region oriented. Brentwood's retail establishments have little or nothing to do with South County's, and vice versa. That's why you hear people refer to "my" Schnuck's, or "my" Shop n Save. They tend to not travel out of their area to shop.
I'm thinking a Miss Sheri's with a attached bingo hall..
'what if a natural disaster befell Crestwood Courts that completely wiped out the existing center and left only debris in it's wake?'
I thought that already happended....
Did I Miss something?
Many people in Crestwood like to live in close proximity to where there are a variety of places to shop, bank, and maintain their lifestyle.
With the price of gas,however, people would be wise to shop close to home.
Some suggestions regarding a diversified business corridor on this blog sound great in theory; At the present time, however, with the unstable economy, there are probably not too many companies or entrepaneurs who want to expand their business investments to Crestwood or anywhere.
This shift in the economy is felt by many cities not just Crestwood. Everybody seems to have had a hardtime.
I like some of the ideas made from comments on this blog, and those persons who are on the Econm. Dev. Committee should take note of them.
Anonymous - who stated a Miss Sheri's and a Bingo Parlor is a good idea, should know that his smart mouth speaks volumes as to what type of person he or she really is. Further, chances are in real life he/she is probably not happy or well liked at all.
It is a shame that Anonymous is so down on Crestwood that he has to take cheap shots at the over the age of 65 crowd. My suggestion would to him would be to leave town and never come back. Heck, why suffer - just leave. We old-timers really don't care much for those who apparently are young and gratify themselves with hatefulness to the over the hill gang.
I am just saying......
I don't think it is fair to blame the demise of the city on the economy. Many surrounding cities (Kirkwood, Sunset hills and Shrewsbury to name a few) are continuing to develop. Maybe the question to as is "why not Crestwood?" Maybe the city of Crestwood comes across as anti-business. If so what can we do to change this?
one way to do this is, as citizens, refuse to accept the wall of resistance businesses face from the board. Vote out those who tend to make potential businesses run for cover, starting with Miguel. Bring in fresh blood who have never served, and do not vote for anyone who has served in the past. They are, I feel, part of the problem.
Yes you are so right. Let's get rid of Miguel and any board member who dare question anything!
Let's get board members who rubber-stamp whatever the staff says!
In fact...why do we even have a board? Let's just get the staff a checkbook and they can spend, spend, spend!!!
The residents don't need representation. This city should be run for its employees and employees only!
"I'm thinking a Miss Sheri's with a attached bingo hall.."
Did that idea come from the Economic Development Board whenever they met last time? ...wonder when that was?
There is a ring of truth in the Miss Sheri Idea... 30% (of the Crestwood)population is over 65..and has limited disposable income.Crestwood faces the problem a lot of communities does ..an aging population. Without new younger families moving in (or staying) Crestwood will continue it's decline.
Restauraunts won't work unless the patrons have money to spend.
The key is to convince younger families or single professionals that Crestwood is a good place to live.
(Miss Sheri's does have a good liver and Onions on Wednesday by the way..)
Sure there are older residents who live in Crestwood - I am one of them. But how do we attract younger people. It has already been stated by the Bloomberg report that Crestwood is one of the safest places to raise a family.
Further Miss Sheri's is OK with me but Anonymous seems to want to throw it in our face that we old timers should be forced to go elsewhere to live and has nothing but tongue-in-cheek inunendos and cheap shots to say. But that's OK because someday he/she will be in the same position and will remember that sooner or later, everybody gets their day back.
Getting old is not for sissys and what goes around comes around. We pay our taxes and support our churches and our city and school district and do so on a fixed income.
That is all I am saying and as far as voting, we do that too and maybe even make better choices because we are from the over 65 crowd.
It would be nice if Crestwood could have something that simulates a downtown area. I would like to have someplace in this town that would allow me to walk around, window shop, get some lunch/dinner/drinks, see some live music without having to drive to different parts of town to do it. My idea would be to put in a largish parking structure and a collection of 3 to 4 story buildings with ground floor retail/ dining/entertainment establishments and loft style apartments on the upper floors. If you priced the loft reasonably, you could attract young professionals and their incomes to the area. That location has better access to I44 and I270 than similar developments in Kirkwood.
1:10- I could't agree more! Fantastic idea! I have often thought that is what Crestwood is missing in a sense of community. I love the feel Kirkwood &Webster have with their downtowns, but I could never live there due to their sub par school districts compared to Lindbergh. It could look as fake as a Disney lot and I would love to have a "downtown" area! The Watson Rd. strip mall circuit does nothing for us.
@ Anon 1:25 Thanks for your enthusiastic reply.
The other key in my mind is to build a bike/pedestrian trail connector to Grant's Trail through Watson Industrial Park. There is a stream of traffic flowing through Crestwood every sunny day and there are almost no businesses in the city that are easily accessible from the trail.
A connecting trail is a great idea! The Feds love giving out grant money for that kind of stuff. That is the kind of development that would actully increase our property values and would make me more inclined to be more "for" giving away TIF's to develop Crestwood Court if walking trails that connected the neighborhoods & Grant's Trail were included.
Last three post are repeating some of the ideas the mayor before Roy tried to get into place on Watson where the Creston center, we all saw how that idea worked out.
Don't need another trail, got one now. And if the current trail cant support the restaurants we have had at the Sappington Barn, what makes any one think the trail could support one in Watson Industrial Park?
At the Trail at Watson, you have the beloved and "much improved" I might add, Creston Center look at the the way those shops are blooming! Then just west of that you have Applebees which is loaded with hikers and biker from the Trail.
Let's be honest the idea to transform the intersection of Grant and Watson was the best idea for Crestwood in the last 12 years, and our past mayor ran against that and we the voters gave him 6 years in office to really screw things up, which he did. 6 years ago, the Westfield company had done surveys of what would be best for Crestwood, at their expense. But the day the most recent former mayor was elected, was the 6 week count down to their selling the property. Wonder why?
Here it is 7 years later and the corner of Watson and Grant is still 99% empty parking lot, and we still have members of the BOA who supported the recently defeated mayor, to the point they voted against the wining mayor out of spite. So much so that Alderman Foot is trying to effect the election for Aldermen in Ward 2 and 4 behind the scenes.
". So much so that Alderman Foot is trying to effect the election for Aldermen in Ward 2 and 4 behind the scenes."
I believe your right there, but to what end does he do this?
". So much so that Alderman Foot is trying to effect the election for Aldermen in Ward 2 and 4 behind the scenes."
I believe your right there, but to what end does he do this?
To keep the new mayor from putting in the people he wants into the committees openings for a start.
If your right the word despicable comes to mind.
what evdidence do you have that Foote is in fact doing this? That's a heck of an accusation to make with no proof.
To all: I am going to shut down any more references to any Alderman as it relates to the coming election.
However, if you have proof and are willing to SIGN YOUR NAME, that is a different story. Please be advised that I will delete any further references to this or any other comments on this subject as soon as I see them.
Tom Ford
Oh! Tom!d
What is wrong with speculation about John Foote?
Most people know his views and support of Robinson.
John has not even bothered to attend the last four board of aldermen meetings.
10:26 PM Blogger: "speculating" minus your real name and some proof is not going to be allowed.
We do indeed ALL know his views, how could we not when he strides back and forth on the Dias attempting to champion his now infamous "bridge to nowhere?"
That "fact" we all know, that he is doing something else from the sidelines, we don't know, ergo speculation, ergo need proof.
Now as to the last four board meetings, well if you count the two special sessions recently held, it's six.
I understand he is very Ill and that's why I have not commented on his absences. If it continues however he needs to resign and allow Mayor Schlink to name his replacement for the good of the Ward Four residents.
Tom Ford
6:36 I agree with Tom on this. No real name but willing to Jump Someone's Case? Not a good idea.
Being an alderman can be a brutal job and when it comes to poking your finger at people or name calling, (like someone told me more than once) if you can't take the heat get out of the kitchen. But if you want to be true to your convictions you should really give your name especially when you speak of others.
It sounds like John Foote has some people upset - but right or wrong - let it be. When he became an alderman he obviously felt that he wanted to help the city. And agree or disagree - being an aldermen is a thankless and unrelenting job.
As I undertand it from a reliable source, John is very, very sick.
So - I respectfully request you continue your bantor until after John is able to debate anyone; and further it would not hurt if you pray for his return to health and wish him well.
it is my hope that Mr. Foote recovers and feels well very soon. I hope he is getting many prayers for restored good health.
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