Historical September 1983 report or notice. Original dates, prices and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
Hello again, I hope everyone had a pleasant summer. Laurel & Pershing.
There is good news concerning a long-standing neighborhood eyesore.
City Equity Corp. has a contract to purchase the two vacant buildings on the northeast corner of Laurel and Pershing, which I blighted under Chapter 353 last year. Plans call for totally rehabbing the structures to create 24 or 25 new rental units at a cost of over $1 million.
City Equity Corp. is one of the top developers around town and has been active in several other areas in the West End.
If you would like to see a sample of their work, take a drive around the Enright and Taylor area where they have recently completed several condos.
The developers hope to present their plans to the Skin kerDeBaliviere Community Council and the Board of Washington Heights Neighbors later this month.
A formal public hearing must also be conducted by the Board of Alderman before the plan will be approved. Forest Park.
In the next few weeks, I plan to introduce legislation to the Board which, if approved, adopts a Master Plan for Forest Park.
This Master Plan is a broadly based set of recommendations for conserving and enhancing our most important park.
The plan is intended to guide improvements in the park for the foreseeable future.
In this role it has two functions: to define concepts for the future use of the park and to propose specific changes which can make the park more responsive to the needs of St. Louisans.
The plan is based on the premise that Forest Park successfully meets most of the many demands that are made upon it.
The park must be nurtured, maintained, and protected so that future generations, as well as ourselves, can enjoy it.
However, there are a number of areas where it could provide even better service.
The plan proposes to update, reinforce, and partially reorganize a facility which is fundamentally sound and needs only to be carefully and thoughtfully modified.
The plan includes five major recommendations: 1. Reinforce and improve the “core” or central area of the park which contains the most important and popular facilities. 2. Accept limited responsibility for external problems when and if they can be compatible with park functions and environments. 3. Restructure and improve the passive areas of the park to encourage more unstructured use. 4. Restrict and define future development In the park. 5. Create, a loop road traffic circulation system to move traffic efficiently within and through the park; and more importantly, to reclaim park land by closing unnecessary roads.
The plan was completed after extensive analysis of the historic and existing uses of Forest Park which provided an important perspective on which to base the master planning work.
The process included citizen participation on three levels: traditional public hearings, constant review by an advisory task force appointed by the mayor, and a series of workshops where groups of people representing many points of view provided a consensus for the direction of the planning. I am sure you will be hearing more about the plan in coming weeks. Hopefully, The Paper has space available to provide you with a more detailed analysis of the proposal. Questions? I would like to try a “question and answer” format in this column next month.
So if you have a question that others in the neighborhood could benefit from, please drop me a note before Friday, Sept. 9.
Dan McGuire, 6185 Westminster, St. Louis, Mo. 63112.
Original photograph caption
Alderman Dan McGuire. Original portrait, The Paper, September 1983, page 5. Photographer not credited.
Originally published in The Paper, September 1983.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1983_09.pdf, printed page(s) 5; PDF page(s) 5.
