This is Part 1 of a series on politically-workable ways to add housing in Kirkwood and make living here more attainable. This piece covers the topic of minimum lot sizes and lot splitting, while Part 2 covers ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Units). Last August, Webster voters killed the two-family zoning provision that their elected representatives on… Continue reading Attainable Kirkwood Part 1: Minimum Lot Sizes
Update: 05/02/2025 The Kirkwood Apartments are dead after a construction permit expired earlier this spring. Cause of Death (presumably): Stubbornly high interest rates (a policy response to stubbornly high inflation) made the project unprofitable at its current scope. It's a shame that the lot will continue to sit empty and unused, but I doubt we… Continue reading Kirkwood Apartments: Dead on Arrival
The area around Madison and Monroe, for a while now, has seemed to be the hotbed for development in Kirkwood. As far back as 2004, with the construction of the massive Kirkwood Plaza development, all the way through to today with the development of the Hutton, the final of Savoy's three condo developments along Madison,… Continue reading The Birth of Downtown North
Kirkwood has finally settled on a route to extend Grant's Trail to the city's downtown core. To sum it up, I think the city has done a really nice job with the whole process. The route is the right amount of direct, enjoyable, flat, and practical (by which I mean: I think the city and… Continue reading Grant’s Trail and Our Industrial Wasteland
A couple of weeks ago, I reviewed some of the insights that could be gleaned from the failed Proposition 1 vote. This week, I want to offer some ideas to fill the funding hole Prop 1 left. As I said then, Kirkwood still has potholes to fill, bike lanes to stripe, and trails to construct.… Continue reading Leverage The Lots, Balance the Books
Tomorrow Kirkwood will hold an election that has not garnered much interest. But you should vote if you can. Because tomorrow you have a chance to vote to make Kirkwood better. I speak, of course of Prop 1. Prop 1 would institute a one-cent sales tax in a city-wide transportation development district (TDD) for 40… Continue reading Yes on Prop 1: A Brief Overview
Update: 10/02/2022 Okay, after a year of consideration, a couple of updates on this. I still think the Adams/Lockwood corridor is ripe for exploitation, but it probably makes more sense if conceived of as primarily a transit route rather than a multi-use path (although these uses are complimentary, and if we could pursue both simultaneously,… Continue reading Frisco Trail: The Great Collaboration
Update: 10/11/2022 4 Hands has announced that they now plan to open their Kirkwood location in the Spring of 2023, presumably to give themselves a chance to start out on the right foot in warmer weather. The space will have a gorgeous outdoor patio, but the indoor space is more limited. Peacemaker Lobster & Crab,… Continue reading 4 Hands to Downtown Kirkwood: A Ticket to Ride
Update: The rezoning of 250 Commerce failed its first reading before city council last week and seems to have little hope of moving forward in the near term. There's more work to do. Original Story On Thursday night, Kirkwood's newest zoning distinction began its first real test. The R-MM zone (Residential-Missing Middle) created last year,… Continue reading 250 Commerce Ave: A Test for R-MM
Update 05/22/2025 After a very long wait, work finally seems to be underway on 144 W Adams. The lot has been leveled and the site shed is in place. Here’s to hoping things go vertical soon! The site as of May 2025 Update 06/07/2023 The fourth unit is back, and the design has changed as… Continue reading West Adams Missing Middle Set to Rise at Last
