Urban League senior apartments, community center break ground in Dellwood

Last week, KAI joined the Urban League of Metropolitan Saint Louis to break ground on the organization’s new senior apartments and community center located at 9947 West Florissant in the City of Dellwood in North St. Louis County.

KAI is providing design-build services on the 40,000-square-foot facility which is expected to be complete by December 2022.

The $10 million, three-story building will include 44 resident units (40 one-bedroom units and four two-bedroom units), plus a community room on the main level for 12-15 people and a resident lounge with a kitchenette and restrooms. The main level will also include a private manager’s office, reception area, workroom and shared access to the community room.

At a time when the shortage of affordable housing in communities around the United States regularly makes the headlines, another less visible housing crisis is also intensifying, according to KAI CEO Michael Kennedy, Jr.

The number of elderly people with ‘worst case housing needs’—defined as renters with low incomes who do not receive government housing assistance and pay more than one-half of their income for rent, live in severely inadequate conditions, or both—is increasing rapidly. Nearly 10 million households with an occupant over age 65 spends more than 30 percent of their income on housing; roughly 5 million of those households spend more than 50 percent.

“The growth in the population of Americans aged 65 or older is projected to reach nearly 73 million in 2030, and more than 83 million in 2050, which means that senior households increasingly will be renters,” Kennedy said.

“Resources for housing and supporting our aging population are scarce in relation to the scope of the problem. To the Urban League and its board members and donors, the Missouri Housing Development Commission and Michael Gardner and his team at Gardner Capital, St. Louis thanks you; this community thanks you; and I thank you for partnering with KAI to bring seniors in this community this much needed project,” Kennedy said.

The Urban League of Metropolitan Saint Louis’ mission is to empower African Americans and others throughout the region in securing economic self-reliance, social equality and civil rights. The organization is committed to investing in the continued redevelopment of the West Florissant Corridor through Dellwood and Ferguson.

The goal of the development is to give seniors in Dellwood not only the opportunity to live in a brand new building but to also have easy access to many services and programs offered by the organization, including the popular Senior Empowerment Series.

Presenters at the groundbreaking ceremony also included Urban League president & CEO Michael P. McMillan; St. Louis County Executive, Sam Page; St. Louis County Council Chair, Rita Heard Days; City of Dellwood Mayor, Reggie Jones; and Missouri State Senator, Brian Williams.

Green Street, HDA to HQ in new $20 million Bar K facility

Following the acquisition of HDA Architects by Green Street St. Louis (“Green Street”), the firms plan to combine offices this fall as part of the $20 million Bar K redevelopment at 4565 McRee Avenue in St. Louis, Mo.

The 64,000 SF redevelopment will include Kansas City-based Bar K’s first St. Louis dog park and entertainment facility featuring extensive indoor and outdoor areas for supervised dog play adjacent to bar, restaurant and event space.

Green Street and HDA’s combined offices will occupy approximately 31,000 SF on the first floor and mezzanine level of the building to house approximately 50 employees.

“We can’t wait to bring the Bar K experience to the people and dogs of St. Louis,” said Leib Dodell, the company’s co-founder. “The facility is going to be paradise for dog lovers, and we couldn’t be happier that Green Street and HDA will be part of our new community.”

In addition, Bar K will create a dog adoption and pet education facility in partnership with St. Louis-based Purina-owned pet-adoption site Petfinder.com, as well as Stay@Bar K, a 6,700 SF daycare and grooming facility in collaboration with St. Louis-based Kennelwood.

The development is the first of two phases planned for the McRee area. Green Street is considering its options for the redevelopment of the adjacent six acres at 4591 McRee Avenue.

Bar K is being designed by Arcturis with construction managed by Green Street Construction. HDA is designing the office component with interiors by O’Toole Design and Green Street Building Group managing construction. Civil engineering is being performed by Stock & Associates Consulting Engineers, Inc. with environmental consulting by ATON Environmental.

Emerald Capital Strategic Advisors assisted Green Street in sourcing and closing $18M in New Markets Tax Credit Allocation to support the project. Green Street also utilized other forms of non-traditional capital such as Opportunity Zones Investments to allow the project to move forward.

The dog park, grooming salon and daycare will create nearly 200 jobs and construction on the project will create 150 jobs.

Holland Construction begins Mill Creek Flats in Midtown

Holland Construction Services has begun work on the new Mill Creek Flats Luxury Apartments in historic Midtown St. Louis.

The $25 million project is the third and final phase of the Steelcote Square development by Pier Property Group.

The six-story apartment building will include 105 apartments, a two-story structured parking garage, 10,000 SF of retail space and amenities such as a fitness center, pet spa, rooftop pool and green space. The project was designed by the architectural firm, Trivers.

According to Holland project manager, Clayton Herring, the structure will include 5 floors of wood-framing on top of a concrete podium which includes the garage and retail space. The building will also feature an exterior façade of corrugated metal, which will give the structure a distinct appearance that varies throughout the day.

“The development is unique for a lot of reasons but primarily because of the smart utilization of space in an urban area. We’re also constructing a brand new building which will sit adjacent to two historic ones and will tie the entire development together. We are very happy to be part of the collaborative effort between the developer, the architect and our team to ensure that this building will have some very exceptional features for its residents and commercial tenants while also being cost-effective,” Herring said.

This is the second multifamily project for the Pier Property Group - Holland Construction duo, who are also building the Flats at Dorsett Ridge. The new $45 million, 218-unit luxury apartment complex in Maryland Heights is expected to be complete later this year.

“Holland has unparalleled experience and expertise when it comes to multi-family and wood-frame structures, especially within the St. Louis area. Not only are they experts from a construction standpoint, they also have worked with the City of St. Louis and are very familiar with the codes and regulations,” said Michael Hamburg, owner of Pier Property Group.

The Mill Creek Flats Development is expected to be complete by Spring 2022. For more information about the project, you may visit www.millcreekflats-stl.com/.

The Opus Group embarks on 13.5-acre industrial site in Earth City

Castle Contracting has begun earthwork and site utilities installation on a 13.5-acre, two-building industrial development for The Opus Group in Earth City, Mo.

The St. Louis suburb site offers easy access to I-70 and Highway 141 and will include two warehouses - one speculative - the other for Johnstone Supply's new office headquarters and distribution center.

Johnstone Supply, an HVAC equipment and parts supplier, plans to occupy four acres of the site to support the company's plans to centralize operations, further establish its presence in the St. Louis area and hire additional employees.

Opus' custom-designed, 10,000-SF office space will feature a working lab and training center where the company will provide hands-on certification training for St. Louis County mechanical licensees. The distribution center will occupy the remaining 35,000 SF.

The remaining 9.5 acres will include an 111,000-SF speculative industrial building, built to accommodate multiple tenants. The spec building will feature 32-foot clear height, 27 dock positions (including two drive-in positions) and clerestory windows to maximize natural light and wall space.   

Completion of the speculative industrial building is scheduled for May 2021; the Johnstone Supply headquarters is set for a February 2021 completion date.

Restaurant and gym to anchor next phase of The Junction in Wentzville

Junction House, an upscale, full-service restaurant and bar will anchor the next phase of The Junction, an 18-acre Mia Rosa Holdings development located at the intersection of Lodora Drive and I-70 in the heart of Wentzville, Mo.

The 9,400 SF multi-level eating and drinking establishment restaurant with a twist on casual sports dining includes a main restaurant area, a large covered outdoor patio, and a 1,500 SF open-air rooftop suitable for both public use and private events. All three areas of the restaurant will be equipped with a full-service bar and seating for dining.

F45, a new fitness gym, will occupy the remaining 3,000 SF of retail space in the new building and will be located adjacent to Junction House.

The Junction House concept was developed by local entrepreneur and restaurateur, Keith Horneker, along with a group of five other St. Louisans with more than twenty years of combined experience in the local food and beverage industry.

“Our vision is to redefine casual sports dining through handcrafted foods and signature mixed drinks to be enjoyed in an atmosphere like none other in the very fast growing Wentzville area,” Horneker said.

“We will offer more of an upscale type menu showcasing a wide variety of unconventional burgers and flatbreads along with traditional bar cuisine such as sandwiches and pizzas and an assortment of pastas and entrees that are attributed to my Italian heritage.”

The new restaurant and gym will join Holiday Inn Express, which opened last year, Junction Apartments, set to open in May 2020, Sugarfire Smoke House, which opened a few months ago, multiple sand volleyball courts and 10,000 SF of retail space with open availability for additional tenants.

“It’s a really exciting time to be developing in this area, and we’re very excited to finally be able to bring our vision to life and do so in a great city such as Wentzville,” said Horneker, a Wentzville area resident.

Both the restaurant and the gym are scheduled for completion in August 2020.

Sullivan Bank is providing $4.3 million in construction financing for the project. Other project partners include LayneCo Construction Services, Gray Design Group and Patrick Wittenbrink of Carmody MacDonald P.C.