This past weekend we got good news (about the North-South MetroLink expansion) that quickly turned into bad news. The good news is that the expansion is moving ahead: The Bi-State Development Board of Commissioners approved a resolution authorizing the BSD team to plan, design and develop the Jefferson alignment of the extension utilizing $7.4 million… Continue reading N-S MetroLink: Devil In The Details
Now that the dust has (finally) settled on the first round of voting in the St. Louis aldermanic primary, I want to take some time to advocate for a policy change that the City should implement but which the entire region would benefit from. That policy is the legalization of Transit Oriented Development (TOD) through… Continue reading To Unlock Promise of MetroLink, TOD is Key
Noticeably absent from my series on attainable housing in Kirkwood was Transportation Oriented Development (TOD). Transportation Oriented Development is the idea that it makes the most sense to add housing around places that have access to public transit. That way you can reap the benefits of additional housing without absorbing as much of the costs… Continue reading Kirkwood TOD: Cutting the Gordian Knot
Last Thursday Kirkwood agreed to its second consolidation of services with a neighboring municipality in the past two months. These examples were small and I doubt anyone will really notice anything has changed but I do think they're worth celebrating. I also think they offer some important insight for how bigger, more significant consolidation can… Continue reading Kirkwood Sets the Example on Consolidation
I've long contended that Webster Groves and Kirkwood are natural rivals. That Webster certainly had it's advantages: A more distinguished cultural scene facilitated by Webster University and especially its very legitimate Repertory Theatre, and a more distinguished culinary scene featuring four restaurants on Ian Froeb's STL100 (including two in the top ten: #5 Olive +… Continue reading Arms Race: Webster Groves Takes a Step Kirkwood Must Match
I've long been a big fan of the sort of baseline liberal agenda the County Council and County Exec Sam Page have been able to implement on a number of fronts: paid maternity leave, the elimination of salary compensation history in the application process for county jobs, a $15 minimum wage for all county employees,… Continue reading St. Louis County Should Lead on Zoning
Story Update (02/11/2020) On January 26th, 2020, the story below was finalized and published. Today, sixteen days after that original story, things have continued to evolve. The predicted minimum wage hike to $15 for county employees was put into motion and the biggest question marks regarding the future of the St. Louis County Police Department,… Continue reading The State of the County
The city-county question has dominated local discussion of fragmentation and subsequent consolidation. Recently, the implications of this conversation has come into more focus. The most likely route to consolidation between the city and county is for St. Louis City to re enter St. Louis County as its 89th municipality [Editors note: I've had to reduce… Continue reading Potential Partners in the Consolidation Game
