Update 12/11/2024: We learned new details about the origins of this proposal and which way the council is leaning at last week's public hearing. Here's the latest. When Director of Planning Jonathan Raiche presented to the council, you could tell he was a little pissed. I don't think it's too much of a stretch to… Continue reading Foregoing Sidewalks Won’t Make Kirkwood Affordable
I've written 95 stories since I started Kirkwood Gadfly back in 2017. Of those 100 stories, my three stories covering the Jefferson RFP responses the city rejected rank 2, 3, and 8 in terms of numbers of views. Why? Well, my theory goes a little something like this: Kirkwood residents have repeatedly indicated that their… Continue reading Council Passes on $60m Investment & 362 Parking Spaces from NOVUS
I've long made the case that in order for Kirkwood to get the most out of its significant development in the Grant's Trail extension, they should clear the way for the private sector to invest in the land alongside it. That mostly means loosening zoning restrictions for what uses are allowed on adjacent land, but… Continue reading Present & Future Development Along Grant’s Trail
A few weeks back, we received word that East-West Gateway's has granted STP (Surface Transportation Program) funding for Phase 1B of the Grant's Trail Extension to Downtown Kirkwood. This is the second of four legs to be funded, with the first leg —running from Argonne to the corner of Fillmore and Monroe— having received TAP… Continue reading Grant’s Trail: Halfway Home, It’s Time for B-GT
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
Over the past three years, Kirkwood has notched numerous successes in adding to its housing stock. 38 new homes were approved on a one block long stretch of Madison, 24 new town-homes are coming to South Kirkwood along Big Bend, a massive parcel that once held a mansion will now hold three, a much needed… Continue reading Why Our Missing Middle Stays Missing
On Saturday, June 6th, I participated in the Kirkwood Teachers of Color-organized, Black Lives Matter Peace Walk. Early in the week leading up to the event, it seemed like the walk would be a somewhat controversial and divisive event for a pretty quiet, wealthy suburb; one likely attended by no more than a couple hundred… Continue reading Our Zoning is Racist: a multi-family housing story
On Thursday February 27th, Kirkwood City Council will hold a public hearing on the proposed changes to our zoning code. Those changes cover four-ish main areas: Single-family lot coverage, multi-family density and height, signage, and bicycle parking. Lots of things will be tweaked but it appears that very little will change. All streets inside circle… Continue reading Height, ADUs & Kirkwood’s Backwards Vision
Update (12/7/19) As the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center moves towards completion, (scheduled for May) exciting news regarding traffic calming infrastructure at its intersection emerges. Generic rendering of a raised intersection! First brought to my attention via the Safer Streets for Kirkwood facebook page and corroborated by the city's website, a raised intersection is coming to… Continue reading Performing Arts Center: Is this Acting?
