CRE project designs 'on point' for future

The evolution of commercial building design over the last few years to include more open space, rich amenities, safety and tech-driven concepts is proving to be a well-thought-out and timely choice, especially when considering the current and future demands and regulations resulting from COVID-19.

Building spaces, notably office and other shared spaces, are in the spotlight now more than ever before, prompting the focus of discussion for the St. Louis CCIM virtual meeting last week.

Tony Kennedy with Colliers International, moderated the meeting; panelists included Larry Chapman, president and CEO of Seneca Commercial Real Estate; Korey Baker, associate director of market development for Compstak; Toby Heddinghaus, president of Gray Design Group; Scott Haley, managing director of US Capital Development and Tim Gaidus, senior project designer at HOK.

“When Seneca embarked on the Edge series of buildings, the focus was on creating an environment that employees want to be a part of, which in turn, helps the companies that become our tenants compete successfully for, and to be able to retain the best and brightest talent. These designs easily adapt to the changing demands of the occupants and are highly compatible with the new COVID-19 paradigm,” said Chapman.

Edge at West Park, located just west of the I-270/Olive Blvd. interchange, provides a flexible, employee-centric environment which maximizes the building’s common areas to provide amenities critical to helping companies recruit and retain the best talent, regardless of market conditions. FM Global, a worldwide insurance company based at Maryville Centre Office Park, is set to move into the top floor of the four-story building in November.

“Edge at West and Forsyth Pointe are two of the more prominent office developments planned in St. Louis County right now. With some uncertainty in the market surrounding COVID-19, it's refreshing to see these projects advancing on schedule. I'm very confident that US Capital Development and Seneca will deliver top quality buildings to the market that adapt to the needs of the users, both in terms of the current pandemic and also their long- term ability to recruit and retain top tier talent, “ said Jim Loft, president of St. Louis CCIM and executive vice president of Gershman Commercial Real Estate.

The recently completed EDGE@BRDG (BioResearch & Development Growth) Park, an innovative 160,000 SF, four-story lab and office building on the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center campus in Creve Coeur, Mo., is now finished and its first lead tenant, Benson Hill Biosystems, one of the fastest growing leaders in the field of plant sciences, has just moved in.

Forsyth Pointe, located on Forsyth Blvd. between Brentwood Blvd. and Meramec Ave., consists of two towers totalling nearly 1million SF of space, half of which will be dedicated for office use and the other half to a 1,250-spot garage. The west tower is slated to have 202,054 SF of space across 14 floors and the east tower to have 255,114 SF of space across 16 floors, two floors of which will be for the underground parking garage. Over 24,000 SF of retail is planned.

Other forward- thinking design elements mentioned that are currently being implemented in building design include:

• Walkable environments- fresh air spaces with plenty of distance

• Wide open staircases

• Refuge areas

• Phone booths

• Huddle rooms

• Roll up (garage) doors

• Touchless automatic door opening

• Restroom doors with no handles

• Plasma filtered air

• More robust cleaning services

• Anti-microbial coatings

• Hand sanitizer stations

• Biometrics instead of touchpoint

• Robotics and automation

• Holograms/virtual reality

The next St. Louis CCIM event is scheduled for September 15th from 11:15 am - 1:00 pm at the St. Louis Club in Clayton, Mo. For more info, please visit https://ccimstl.com/events/.

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.