Continuing with development announcement favorites from 2017, the proposal for an AC Hotel by Marriott on York Avenue in the Central West End Neighborhood struck up some curiosity.
Where the heck is York Avenue? It's a short maybe block and half section of street...more like an alley.
When I first read of this proposal on NextSTL in November, 2017, the author, Greg Johnson, referred to York Avenue as "humble". I concur, and that's the appeal of this project.
York Avenue looking north from Lindell Avenue
If tiny surface parking lots are attracting development proposals of this scale, the neighborhood is certifiably hot. So hot in fact that incentives are not necessary. This one should be built, but not at the expense of our schools, libraries, city services, etc.
A seven-floor, 192-room $40M boutique hotel would be great here.
But, let's be critical of public handouts on this one. The developer knows this is a hot, successful neighborhood. From a November, 2017 St. Louis Post-Dispatch article the developer Andy Holloran was quoted:
“As a “select service” hotel, there’s only about 1,000 square feet of meeting space planned and the ground floor will include a common area with a bar and limited-menu restaurant as well as “European-style” breakfast for guests. The neighborhood is what provides the guest amenities, Holloran said.
“We love our location … being in the heart of the Central West End where our guests can walk to 100 bars and restaurants,” he said.”
So, let's celebrate the fact that tiny surface parking lots are being eaten up with higher use proposals and that developers from outside the region (Montana in this case) are speculating in our great city. And that they recognize the neighborhood as a successful, dense, ritzy area.
Welcome.
