urbanSTL

New developer takes helm of Noah's Ark



By Rachel Kaatmann

Saturday, July 28, 2007 10:46 AM CDT



With Tuesday night's approval from the St. Charles City Council, developer Greg Whittaker has turned over the $395 million Plaza at Noah's Ark development to Peoria, Ill.-based Cullinan Properties.



Council members voted 8-0 in favor of a bill reassigning the development agreement with Whittaker to Cullinan. Council members Laurie Feldman, Ward 3, and Michael Weller, Ward 5, were absent.



The move also transfers to Cullinan a $55 million tax increment financing subsidy approved earlier this year by city officials.



The development is to be constructed on the former site of the Noah's Ark restaurant and hotel, at South Fifth Street and Interstate 70.



The change in developer will mean small design changes for the new-urbanism development, but the same development agreement will stay intact.



Jeff Giebelhausen, president of Cullinan, told the council he plans to make only "tweakings to make it better for the regular market."



"We think it's right on target," he said. "We are not seeking any major modifications."



Those changes include:



> Reducing the height of a residential tower to about 13 floors instead of 18. The bottom three floors would house retail offices.



> Reducing the number of floors in the hotel to nine or 10 instead of 13.



> Reducing the number of parking decks from six to five, with one of the parking decks beginning on the second level to provide more retail space.



> Moving the movie theater planned as part of the project to the second floor to provide more retail space.



> Most buildings would be about five stories, except for the hotel and residential portions.



> Eliminating a cut-through road in the development to provide a pedestrian walkway.



Plans include about 345,000 square feet of retail space, 133,000 square feet of office space and now about 788 condominiums.



Giebelhausen said Whittaker approached his company about developing one of the major blocks of land on the site, but plans evolved.



"We didn't think we would do it right unless we were involved with all seven blocks (of land)," he said.



Councilman Dave Beckering, Ward 7, voted for the bill even though he said he was disappointed Whittaker had turned over the project.



"I am very disappointed (he's) walking away from this," said Beckering, who was elected in April. "The $55 million TIF was supported probably because of Mr. Whittaker."



Whittaker is the developer of The New Town at St. Charles, a new-urbanism development north of Highway 370.



Giebelhausen said demolition of the former Noah's Ark restaurant and single-family homes could begin as soon as Labor Day.



A general timetable includes demolition on the 26.8-acre site to occur during late summer to early spring, with the hotel fully cleared by late January; beginning site construction in spring 2008; and completion of the project by summer 2010.

ST. CHARLES — The Streets of St. Charles, which would be among the region's largest mixed-use developments of homes and businesses, is stalled. And city officials are unhappy.



Work halted soon after the mayor, City Council members, civic boosters and the developer gathered Nov. 17 under a heated tent to cheer the project at a ceremonial groundbreaking. The development is supposed to rise where the Noah's Ark restaurant once stood, along Interstate 70.



Now the developer, Cullinan Properties, of Peoria, Ill., has submitted a new plan officials say is drastically different from the $385 million New Urbanist design envisioned for at least three years.



Council member Laurie Feldman said she doubts she can back the new plan. "I supported this whole project because of its New Urbanism approach to development," said Feldman, whose 3rd Ward includes the 27-acre site. "New Urbanism is supposed to hide parking under buildings or underground. In New Urbanism, you're not supposed to see parking. I saw parking."



Bruce Evans, the city's community development director, said the new plan eliminates high-rise buildings, reduces green space and calls for less-dense residential development.



"It just doesn't follow New Urbanism," Evans said. "In my opinion, it is radically different than what they originally planned."



The City Council wants to meet with Cullinan executives Tuesday to discuss the project, which is to benefit from $55 million in tax-increment financing.



The development agreement between the city and Cullinan has various deadlines to complete infrastructure before the company gets TIF money. The council could extend, alter or even cancel the agreement, said Evans, adding that Cullinan needs to act soon or it will begin missing deadlines.

STLToday wrote:
Revised plan for site now in controversy

st. charles, development, bulldozer, st. louis post-dispatch

A bulldozer sits on undeveloped land where Noah's Ark once stood and where the now-stalled Streets of St. Charles project of apartments and stores is planned to be built. (By Christian Gooden/P-D)

BY TIM BRYANT

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

05/04/2009



ST. CHARLES — The Streets of St. Charles, which would be among the region's largest mixed-use developments of homes and businesses, is stalled. And city officials are unhappy.



Work halted soon after the mayor, City Council members, civic boosters and the developer gathered Nov. 17 under a heated tent to cheer the project at a ceremonial groundbreaking. The development is supposed to rise where the Noah's Ark restaurant once stood, along Interstate 70.



Now the developer, Cullinan Properties, of Peoria, Ill., has submitted a new plan officials say is drastically different from the $385 million New Urbanist design envisioned for at least three years.



Council member Laurie Feldman said she doubts she can back the new plan. "I supported this whole project because of its New Urbanism approach to development," said Feldman, whose 3rd Ward includes the 27-acre site. [/b]"New Urbanism is supposed to hide parking under buildings or underground. In New Urbanism, you're not supposed to see parking. I saw parking."[/b]

Roger Wyoming wrote:The "Streets of Saint Charles" sounds like a really boring cop show.