Midtown Strategic Development Plan
Public Meeting Comments
Thursday, June 28th, 2001, 6:30 P.M.
At Saint Louis Cathedral School
4430 Maryland Avenue

Process

216. In planning for a particular community it is of great importance to have dialog and input from those communities immediately adjacent before any plans are complete. What happens here could have profound effects to the immediate neighbors. Past activities in many ways have already caused great concerns and should be heard before the process is even started.

217. Use a microphone at the next meeting.

218. Notify low- and mid-income residents in community.

219. Post frequent updates on website and mail out newsletters twice per month while the planning process is going on. Easy access to internet is only available in 50 percent of U.S. homes and many people here don't have EASY access to internet. (Yeah, yeah, I know people can go to the library and get access, but they won't).

220. We need a community center.

221. Yes. Yes. Yes.

222. Develop Gaslight Square.

223. Many people would feel better about the process if the representation would be broader.

224. Use the same process as used for the Forest Park master plan, with topic-focused meetings that are well publicized.

225. Put more residents from Kennedy's Ward on the Steering Committee.

226. Include the whole CWE in the process, including our neighbors west of Kings Highway!

227. E-mail. Send out updates.

228. We need more meetings like this. This should only be the beginning.

229. We need community centers in this area for Seniors, Youth, Teens.

230. Community Center. Business on Delmar. Building codes enforced.

231. Tell us what BJC, Wash. U., SLU, etc. are planning for the area so far. What do they want to tear down?

232. More not-for-profits that contribute to the area, such as ARC, AHA, ACS, Independence Center, Plan for People, Doorways, Ronald McDonald's, etc. need to be contained / controlled / pay tax equivalents to neighbors. Is the area for institutions or for residents? Residents pay taxes and become involved in improvement. Institutions are primarily concerned with their proximity to BJC.

233. You should recap all these comments and distribute them to the group!

234. Because businesses attract lots of outsiders, there is tremendous foot traffic, which is a perfect cover for crime - lots of car theft, license tag clipping and car break-ins.

235. I think crime is primarily related to the parking issue. Lack of parking drives people into neighborhoods to park. This results in lots of people on foot, so you do not know who belongs and who doesn't. Easy cover for crime.

236. Street trees should be trimmed, especially in spring, summer and fall. The trees are blocking the new street lights that we spent thousands of dollars to install.

237. Upgrade street lighting along both sides of 4200.

238. Upgrade street lighting along both sides of 4200, but keep lighting beautiful-not overbearing.

239. Install speed bumps to control speeding cars, excessive truck traffic to Schnucks and through the neighborhood.

240. Improve the "perception" of our neighborhood being unsafe. A negative perception hurts us as much as high crime rates.

241. Ensure that lighting is working and is in order for all parts of the neighborhood.

242. Add better lighting throughout the area (not in just some parts of the neighborhoods). Also maintain the lighting and work to fix lights that are out immediately, not weeks after the street department is notified.

243. More people need to get involved in their neighborhood association to prevent crime.

244. More people on the sidewalks = safety.

245. This = Mixed-use zoning Also, more long-term programs that target teens. Get them involved in life and do not shut them out because they don't have money, cars or go to the bars.

246. Alleys need better protection from through traffic and illegal parking.

247. Maintain the diversity of residential/retail uses and I'll feel safer walking.

248. Zero (0) tolerance for violent crime.

249. Provide opportunities to increase pedestrian traffic during the day and evenings. That is more effective than High-Tech Security and St. Louis Police.

250. Get police out of the cars and onto the sidewalks via bicycle or walking a beat.

251. Slow down traffic on local streets. Re-think "Stop" signs and stop lights at every intersection, since many people just ignore them. Encourage street parking, medians and other physical efforts to slow traffic.

252. Provide meters - at least six-hour ones in 4200 block of Lindell for businesses that don't provide parking for their employees.

253. Too many "dumpster divers" and pan handlers.

254. Mixed zoning leads to trouble - garbage trucks pick up at 3:00 a.m.!

255. Interaction with "scary" neighbors

256. Fix buildings in severe disrepair especially those that appear to be vacant (4300 block of Laclede, for example).

257. Improve lighting on Taylor between Laclede and Maryland. The trees hide the lights on the street.

258. We need a regular posting of the number, type and location of crimes. I feel the neighborhood businesses try to cover this up. People need to know when cars are stolen from their streets (post on the internet).

259. Yes!!!

260. Trees need to be trimmed and treated for insects. (We have been waiting and waiting for trees that hide the street lights to be trimmed and for some to be cut down.)

261. Ditto on "trimming trees."

262. Why are so many street lights out on such a regular basis?

263. Control of street people going through dumpsters and the long-term mess that results!

264. Increase the number of police on foot patrol.

265. The Steering Committee needs more neighborhood participation.

266. Interest in how streets are blocked.

267. Will there be use of emminent domain?

268. Know your neighbors!

269. Ditto above.

270. Less-or at least no more-gated streets.

271. Better lighting north of Lindell and along Forest Park.

272. Provide more low- and mixed-income housing in the Central West End and more inexpensive places for shopping the area.

273. Will there be tearing down of historic apartment buildings for parking lots?

274. Concerns about safety upon late night parking on streets!

275. Car thieves and people who steal stickers and break into cars are back on the street to continue their illegal activities, according to High-Tech Security personnel.

276. Offer some other nearby public bathroom facilities near the CWE Metrolink station, so "street people" don't use the Metrolink CWE elevator as a "potty!" It's disgusting for visitors who can't climb stairs.

277. Park place - HUD policy on "disabled."

278. Safety for residents of the neighborhood.

279. Security and perception of security is important to bring young families, youth and children into the neighborhood.

280. Need walking patrols-a car passing through with windows closed does not do it.

281. Get rid of loitering youth who are scoping out unlawful opportunities, transient alcohol drinkers who stop, drink and urinate in the alleys, etc. (usually male).

282. Stop drug sales and street robberies. How about "911" phones on every corner??

283. Take the round concrete barriers and replace them with a nice-looking gate (or water fountain, etc.). Panhandlers need to be reduced. Sidewalks on Taylor, between Laclede and Lindell need to be replaced.

284. Dealing with contract or disposal of refuse in dumpsters and sometimes on property (near dumpsters).

285. Neighborhood associations need to place top priority on instant eradication of graffiti and control of trash in parks, rights of way, streets and sidewalks.

286. Repair/replace burned-out street lights.

287. Eliminate panhandlers. Do not allow persons to regularly patrol alleys for used /recycled items out of trash bins.

288. Put an addition onto the Lindell/Shopping Center so that there is inexpensive shopping also.

289. Lindell, near Sarah needs work. Don't make Olive the "great divide" economically - extend middle-income housing north.