144 West Adams

Update 06/07/2023

The fourth unit is back, and the design has changed as the project makes its way back before the Architectural Review Board this week.

Update 10/17/2020

144 W. Adams is back on the agenda with a new look and one fewer unit. Where the previous plans called for four units and room for eight cars, the site plan on Thursday’s P&Z agenda now calls for just three accompanied by six parking spots. The extra space that has been created with these revisions will go towards significantly expanded square footage in each of the units. One condominium will occupy space on both the second and third floor summing to a massive total of 4,362 sqft with the other two single-floor units occupying 2,939 sqft a piece, one on the second floor and the other on the third.

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The project’s design has also changed. Where before 144 W Adams seemed destined for an approximation of the Madison/Barclay’s semi-contemporary designs, it has now shifted to a more traditional style, likely to be rendered in red brick. By far the most striking feature, however, is the the significant outdoor space planned for the roof, complete with irrigated planters.

While I think I prefer the new design and am glad the project is back after seemingly going dormant, this is unfortunately a step backwards rather than an improvement. Anytime the number of proposed units is reduced, it’s disappointing, but even more concerning is the pattern that has started to emerge recently: Where more affordable housing seems to struggle every step of the way in the approval process, luxury housing seems to sail through. Luxury housing is not bad in and of itself and I’m glad to see more urban options for it begin to come online in Downtown Kirkwood. But we must couple 4,362sqft condos middle class options, options for the kinds of people that Kirkwood has always been home to and who are beginning to get priced out. Lucky enough, we will get the opportunity to do just that, as this week also brings us the latest chapter in another project: The long awaited city council public hearing for the Kirkwood Flats is scheduled for Thursday.

So say ‘yes’ to 144 W Adams. Say yes even if you, like me, wish it had ground-floor retail and more units and less parking. Say yes to 4,000+ sqft condos and yes to luxury housing in our downtown. And be prepared to say yes to 170 apartments on an underutilized lot just down the street from where you live too. Because there are always tradeoffs, and no project is perfect, and sometimes it’s annoying, but you can make the world a better place by saying yes anyway and allowing a few more people to come live in Kirkwood and come say yes right alongside us.

Original Story 02/07/2020

A plan for a new three story condominium complex is in the works for 144 W. Adams. While that sentence is very exciting, the current plan for the missing-middle housing project is less ambitious than it would imply. Even so, though, the density-adding hits just. keep. on. coming.

Existing Site

The building that currently occupies the site, built in 1970, was up until this past June, the longtime home of Richard Hartig’s optometry practice. Hartig is also the one behind the current development proposal. In addition to the existing building, the eastern portion of the property is comprised of a seven car surface parking lot with curb-cut access to Adams.

Design

As I hinted at the beginning, project is not as ambitious as I’d like it to be. Those three stories would accommodate only four units. The bottom floor would be composed entirely of four, two-car garages. Floors number two and three would host two 2,698 SF units apiece. While the elimination of the surface lot is a positive, the curb-cut would, unfortunately, persist to give access to those 1st floor garages. The Adams curb-cut would simply shift around to a curb-cut along Clay while pedestrian access to the building’s stairs would be oriented towards Adams.

While ground-floor street-front activation is completely lacking, the inclusion of balconies and the improved street wall achieved through added height and more continuous fronting along Adams will add some improvements to the pedestrian experience.

Approval Prospects

This project will get done. It was only just this week introduced to the P&Z Committee and still has to navigate their whole process before moving on to City Council’s whole process… but I am confident this project will get done. The only question is what it will look like when it does.

Kirkwood’s master plan also calls for any future development on this parcel to contain ground floor retail, a stipulation that this project doesn’t currently meet. While an exception to this stipulation seems likely to be granted —after all, the Gibbons building (see below) is right next door —and struggled to fill its leases for a while there— a first floor dedicated entirely to cars seems to be asking a little much. Eight cars for four units is a lot of cars. I would be extremely excited to see a revision to single car garages for each unit and the addition of a single ground floor condo unit or retail space to help that street-front activation.

Bottom Line

This is a project that could finally contribute to the “missing middle” housing of Kirkwood. It was this very missing middle: duplexes, triplexes and 4-plexes, that was identified as a point of emphasis in DPZ’s analysis. The project is fine-grained, improves the street wall, eliminates surface parking and increases density. It is better than the status quo. But it is also not as good as it could be. At the end of the day, we need to decide if living in Downtown Kirkwood is a sort of cute gimmick or a real push towards viable urbanism. I know we’re not there yet. Even living in the heart of downtown still requires a car for the vast majority of our residents. But if DTK living is to be anything more than a vertically oriented version of Des Peres, we have to design like it. We can’t just spin the tires. One car per unit has to be enough for downtown. It just has to be. Street-level activation has to be required. It just must.