Crestwood Court Developers: Shelf Life of Entertainment-Focused Proposal, Mall Are Short
The mall as it's been known will shutter for good in a few months. It's about the same amount of time Centrum gives before they walk away from their current redevelopment proposal.
Crestwood residents gathered at the Whitecliff gymnasium Wednesday night to participate in a Q&A with the owners of Crestwood Court.
Over the past several months Centrum Partners has engaged the Board of Aldermen to move forward with The District at Crestwood, an entertainment-focused alternative to the outdated mall. Wednesday was the first time that Centrum representatives have come before the community following the board's rejection of a project planner in December.
The downtime has agitated some residents, whether it's because they want to see some activity on the "crumbling" property, or because they question the viability of the new concept.
There are no changes to what was proposed in 2012, which includes an upscale movie theater and bowling alley, restaurants, and live entertainment elements, Centrum consultant Vic Pildes told the crowd Wednesday. They believe the entertainment concept is still capable of making the site, at Watson and Sappington roads, a destination.
Read more: Developers Promise a “New Kind of Mall” for Crestwood
When asked what point developers would walk away from the proposal and pursue interests outside of Crestwood if the project doesn't advance, Partner Sol Barket said the moment could come in the next few months.
"The shelf life is over," Barket said.
(Mayor Jeff Schlink said during a February board meeting that the developers would likely wait until new board members have been voted in this April before they're back in front of aldermen.)
'A few months' is the same amount of time estimated for the shuttering of the mall. The Crestwood Post Office closed in January. Sears' lease is up in the next six months, Pildes said, however no date has been set for closing.
Patch will provide updates on Wednesday's town hall, including concerns from residents and comments from Crestwood officials, in Friday's morning newsletter. Sign up to get updates delivered straight to your inbox.
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Stephen D
9:57 am on Thursday, March 21, 2013
Let me understand this. Is Centrum going to just give up ownership of the property or threatening to just disappear and let it deteriorate? If the latter, I imagine there could be some criminal charges levied. On the other hand, if they want to spend the money to create this "entertainment destination", which I believe is a farce, let them. Improvements to the property will be made before Centrum goes bust with the project and disappears. Why not consider a mix of say, a new hotel, some condos along with a theater, restaurants. Or just make a park out of it.
JM Studio
9:20 pm on Sunday, May 5, 2013
Centrum's plans show a HUGE missed opportunity for smart growth/great streets/traditional urban planning to create a viable, pleasant, walkable town center that Crestwood sorely needs. Look into St. Louis "great Streets", google New Urbanism, get involved and create a real town center. Centrum is just planning yet another suburban sprawl anachronistic shopping center. People in your town need to speak up before it is too late. Don't assume that a developer knows more than you do about what your town really needs. Looking at the plan you can tell they are obviously in it for the lowest investment and biggest short term bang for their buck without a real interest in the long term future of Crestwood. Either that or they are just plain ignorant about good urban design.