9-Mile food truck garden set to bloom July third

Missouri’s first food truck garden, 9 Mile Garden, is set to open on July 3, 2020 at 9375 Gravois Rd. in Affton, Mo.

Developed by Guerrilla Street Food co-founder Brian Hardesty and Seneca Commercial Real Estate, 9 Mile Garden brings a family-focused entertainment district to the St. Louis area; offering local foods and drinks alongside outdoor movies, live music and performances, community events and more.

Previously known as Chapman Ventures, the company redeveloped Affton Plaza and began working on ideas for phase two of the project — which turned into 9 Mile Garden.

The garden plans to host five trucks for lunch, seven trucks for dinner and nine trucks for special events, according to Hardesty. The garden is also equipped with its own bar, The Canteen, who plans to serve 40 taps of local craft beer, wine, small batch cocktails, cold brew coffee, kombucha and more—all on draft.

“It’s such a cool concept and will truly be great for the area.  BEX really overcame the inclement weather challenges of late winter and early spring to get this project completed on time. That meant capitalizing on the good days we had and working overtime and weekends (to deliver on schedule),” said Ethan Bruckerhoff, superintendent for BEX Construction Services, who was responsible for the GC on the structural components of the project.

The full list of participating food trucks includes Balkan Treat Box, FarmTruk, Seoul Taco, Guerrilla Street Food, Doggie Mac’s, Sugarfire 64, Essentially Fries, Wok and Roll, The Saucy Iguana, Ukraft, Truckeria del Valle, Burgers STL, Wayno’s, Blues Fired Pizza, Spud Shack, The Crooked Boot, Honest to Goodness, Sedara Sweets, Zia’s on the Hill, Super Smokers, CJ’s Deli, Tastebudz Express, Heavy Smoke BBQ, Fire & Ice Cream Truck, Truck Norris, Scoops & More, Poptimism, Graze, Smokey’s Q, and Twisted Tacos.

Live bands will play every Friday night and a jumbo outdoor movie screen will show movies every Saturday night during warm weather months. Family-friendly games, such as pickleball and air hockey, board games and theme nights will all be included. The garden grounds and The Canteen can also be rented for private events.

The grounds of the food truck garden will open for lunch on Friday, July 3rd, and continue operating for both lunch and dinner service through the weekend. The grand-opening week will feature several live musical performances and charitable events. The garden and its staff will follow health and safety guidelines set by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and St. Louis County, officials said.

GARDEN HOURS

Lunch: Mon-Sat, 11am-2pm

Dinner: Tue-Sat, 5pm-9pm

Special events every Friday & Saturday night

CANTEEN HOURS

Mon-Thu, 11am-midnight

Fri-Sat, 11am-1am

Other partners on the project include KOLB Contracting and Coralic Architecture.

City Foundry STL gears up for debut, despite official opening date

St. Louis' $220 million mixed-used development, City Foundry STL, is gearing up for their highly-anticipated debut, despite an official opening date.

The 15-acre site includes 122,000 SF of food hall and public market space, 107,000 SF of creative office space and 105,000 SF of retail shops - all rolled into its own midtown destination on Forest Park Ave between Vandeventer and Spring streets.

Steve Smith, CEO of the Lawrence Group, the property's developer, has reinvented the former Century Electric site with inspiration from similar developments - like Chelsea Market in New York City and Krog Street Market in Atlanta. 

Unlike a typical outdoor mall, the majority of vendors in the development are independently-owned, small businesses - as well as a few emerging concepts new to St. Louis - who will make their debut in the nearly 100-year-old foundry structure. The food hall and public market will bring together more than twenty different local chefs, each with their own unique-food-concept "mini restaurants,” as well as the other vendors in the food space.

The collective City Foundry STL team sees the public market as an opportunity to give local chefs, restaurateurs, artisans and more a platform to rebuild from COVID-19.

“Our local hospitality industry defines the current culture and uniqueness of our city. It’s also the most vulnerable during this time. Our hope is that City Foundry can be a place for ideas to incubate and grow into a viable business; a place where new concepts will be surrounded by industry leaders to learn from and succeed,” said City Foundry STL asset manager, Will Smith.

Anchor tenants include grocery store Fresh Thyme Farmers Market and Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, which marks its first metro area location.

Other tenants include: 18Rails|The Venue @City Foundry STL, Buenos Aires Cafe, Bullhorn, City Taco Shack, Fassler Hall, Gateway Blend, Good Day, Great Rivers Greenway, Hello Poke, Orion Genomics, Press Waffle Company and Punch Bowl Social.

An on-site hiking-and-biking trail connecting Forest Park to downtown St. Louis is in the works via Great Rivers Greenway, the sponsoring regional agency. Free parking will also be available, with over 1,000 parking spaces on site.

City Foundry STL continues to progress on construction of the overall development. An exact opening timeline will be determined and announced soon, based on recommendations from health officials as well as the comfort level of future customers.

Prospective tenant interest has returned to pre-covid levels, according to the development team, with 95% of office space leased and 65% of the development pre-leased overall.

For more information on leasing, please contact Rob Soete at rob@cityfoundrystl.com.

Centene Community Ice Center's time to shine

It's time to shine for Centene Community Ice Center, the first new indoor ice complex for the St. Louis region in decades.

The $82 million facility, which opened to the public in September 2019, is prepared and excited for the recent spike in the area’s youth hockey programs, driven, in part, by the St. Louis Blues’ “Hockey STL 2020” campaign.

Led by the not-for-profit St. Louis Legacy Ice Foundation as a catalyst for the development of the Maryland Park Lake District, the public-private initiative was launched to help bring much-needed ice skating facilities to the region, provide recreational opportunities and drive economic growth through sports tourism. 

"The Centene Community Ice Center is the result of legacies and countless other efforts to create a collaboration between four state, county and local governmental agencies, five major not-for-profit tenants and the NHL’s St. Louis Blues Hockey Club. A unique and massive collaboration of public funding, private donations, tenant contributions and industrial revenue bonds were pooled to make this vision a reality. And in the end, over 1 million visitors will visit our facility annually bringing over $20 million in economic impact each year,” said Patrick Quinn of the St. Louis Legacy Ice Foundation.

The collaborative effort to create the multipurpose home for the St. Louis Blues and the surrounding community included design-build partners Mike Kress and Tom Proebstle with Generator Studio and John Komlos, Matt Sander and Jeff Cook with ARCO Construction.

In addition to three indoor sheets, the fourth outdoor rink is multipurpose, intended for winter pond hockey and year-round community events. In warmer weather the rink transforms into a covered 4,400-spectator amphitheater operated by Live Nation.

The center houses the new Mercy Medical Sports Performance Center, the Bauer Skills Training Center, a restaurant, a grab-and-go market, concession stands for every rink and separate locker rooms for the public, Lindenwood and the Blues. 

To increase inclusivity, ARCO and Generator ensured the center was accessible for a broad range of abilities with all three fully adaptable indoor ice rinks. St. Louis Blues Sled Hockey, Blues Blind Hockey and the St. Louis Blues Special Hockey, all call the ice center home. 

“At any point in time, our facility could be playing host to 2,500 fans for a college hockey game or international figure skating event in the main arena, while in another arena we are hosting the highest levels of amateur hockey while a learn-to-play session is happening on yet another ice sheet and all the while a live-band plays rink-side for 500+ kids, teens and adults enjoying a public skating on the expansive covered, outdoor rink,” Quinn said.

The multi-sheet facility is home to multiple tenants including the Blues, Lindenwood University men’s and women’s hockey teams, the AAA Blues and the St. Louis Lady Cyclones.

With a strong emphasis on being a community asset, the majority of available ice time at Centene Community Ice Center will be dedicated to residents, youth, high school and college teams. 

Centene Ice also offers public skating and lessons, various hockey programs for kids, youth and adults and may be rented out for special events. For more information, you may visit their website at www.legacyice.org.

Kadean Construction kicks off $2.3 million warehouse expansion

G.H. Tool & Mold, a division of Tooling Tech Group (TTG), has begun construction on a $2.3 million expansion at 423 W-W Industrial Park Dr. in Washington, Mo.

General contractor Kadean Construction recently broke ground on the metal warehouse project, adding 21,000 SF of space to the existing 40,000 SF-facility. The original space will remain the bread-and-butter of the company, who manufactures tooling for the die cast and aerospace industries.

"The addition will house two, 60-ton bridge cranes, which are used for moving materials in the manufacturing area within the building," said Scott Rakonick, senior project manager for Kadean Construction.

The addition will also include a large, double-column bridge mill with a 70,000-pound capacity.

"The Kadean team has been a pleasure to work with and our project is running right on schedule so far. They are a very knowledgeable group and are running the project very efficiently," said Dave Graves, president of G.H. Tool & Mold.

Other project partners include Washington Engineering & Architecture, Inc. and Varco Pruden Buildings.

The project is expected to be complete in the third quarter of 2020 and bring on approximately 25 more employees over the next five years.

Phase two renovations begin on Congregation Temple Israel

Congregation Temple Israel, a reform synagogue located at 1 Rabbi Alvan D Rubin Dr. in St. Louis, Mo., has started phase two of their three-phase renovation.

“This project is going to be really transformational. It’s a complete 40,000 SF interior remodel of the education building that will be ready just in time for school to start in late August,” said Barry Spiegelglass, co-owner of Spiegelglass Construction, the general contractor on the project.

Phase one renovations, which were completed in 2017, included $1.28 million of safety, security, accessibility and energy efficiency improvements; including updated light fixtures in the parking lot, security upgrades, pool playground repair, main office refresh, enhancement to the fire suppression system, installation of a new waterline and a complete renovation of the existing restrooms.

Phase two renovations include approximately $3.4 million of improvements including a new entrance canopy, new ADA accessible ramp, exterior paint, relocating and renovating administrative suite and creating two prototype classrooms.

The renovations will bring the building up to date with the latest in energy efficiency, sensory sensitivity and technology-based learning.

“It’s essential that we have flexible classroom and play spaces. Our facility must be reimagined and built to reflect the educational and social needs of children in the modern world,” said Leslie Wolf, director of family education for Congregation Temple Israel.

The $2 miilion third phase will include renovations of the remainder of the ECC classrooms and the K-12 classrooms as well as an addition of a new infant suite. Phase three will occur when funds are secured and could be as soon as 2021.

“There are so many families that have fond memories in this building that now see their children or their grandchildren attend. Our goal is to highlight the best aspects of the existing structure while enhancing the interior learning environment to make an impact for generations to come,” said Sue Pruchnicki, principal at Bond Architects, who designed phases two and three.

Other partners on the project include AALCO Wrecking Company, Inc., Sheet Metal Contractors, Inc., Akron Electric, Inc., Budget Glass and Flooring Systems Inc.

“It will look like an entirely different building and we can’t wait to see the reactions from the kids and their parents when they see it for the first time,” said Spiegelglass.

Fashion retailers enter COVID-19 tailspin

Fashion retailer J. Crew Group Inc., along with subsidiary, Madewell, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this week in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis.

In an agreement with its lenders, J. Crew will restructure its debt to convert $1.65 billion of debt into equity and will receive $400 million in debtor-in-possession financing from lenders including Anchorage Capital Group L.L.C., GSO Capital Partners and Davidson Kempner Capital Management LP.

“The significant deleveraging contemplated by this agreement, coupled with J. Crew Group’s strategy to strengthen its robust e-commerce platforms to drive continued growth in its direct-to-consumer segment, will position the company for future success,” said Kevin Ulrich, CEO of Anchorage Capital Group.

The preppy clothing retailer has four St. Louis-area locations, including Saint Louis Galleria, Plaza Frontenac, and two outlet stores in Chesterfield.

Neiman Marcus is also battling against the effects of COVID-19. The debt-laden, Dallas-based company shut all 43 of its sites, including the Plaza Frontenac location, roughly two dozen Last Call stores and its two Bergdorf Goodman stores in New York.

The luxury retailer is in the final stages of negotiating a loan with its creditors totaling hundreds of millions of dollars, which would sustain some of its operations during bankruptcy proceedings, according to Reuters, and has furloughed many of its roughly 14,000 employees.

“I think the Neiman situation is an example of what’s really going on in retail right now. These companies first were facing major liquidity issues, now they’re facing what it’s going to look like to open and then what are (their) sales going to be like,” said former Saks Fifth Avenue CEO, Steve Sadove.

Other retail stores with St. Louis locations that are struggling under the weight of the COVID-19 crisis include:

-Pier 1 – Filed for Chapter 11 in February 2020

-Art Van Furniture – Filed for Chapter 11 in March 2020

-Macy’s – Closing stores and cutting corporate staff

-Forever 21- Filed for Chapter 11 in 2019

-JC Penney- Contemplating a bankruptcy filing -Reuters

-Nordstrom – Borrowing against some of its real estate to stay afloat

-Sears – Filed Bankruptcy in 2018; Has lost $12 billion since its last profitable year in 2010.

“These stores are looking at reopening with issues like buyers not wanting to buy inventory that’s been sitting for three months. I think we could see 23% of mall stores not reopen. There could be 400-500 US malls fail over the next year, post-corona virus,” said retail expert, Jan Kniffen, CEO of J Rogers Kniffen WWE, LLC.

The retail graveyard is filled with companies that emerged from bankruptcy with plans to continue to operate but soon went out of business. These include Payless Shoes, Gymboree, American Apparel and RadioShack.

Retail stores awaken in the midst of COVID-19 shutdowns

Simon Property Group, the largest shopping mall operator in the United States, plans to reopen 49 malls and outlet centers starting Friday through Monday for the first time since their March 18th shutdown.

Three of the malls are located in Missouri and will open on Monday, May 4, including St. Louis Premium Outlet in Chesterfield, Battlefield Mall in Springfield and Osage Beach Outlet Marketplace in Osage Beach.

Best Buy also recently announced reopening plans, which include allowing customers to schedule in-store consultations in about 200 of its U.S. stores beginning in May. During the pandemic, the big-box retailer temporarily shut stores and switched to a curb-side pickup model.

According to a study done by Coresight Research, 45% of consumers expect to avoid shopping centers and malls even after the lockdown ends, citing more people will avoid malls than movie theaters or public transportation.

However, the pandemic has not slowed down area retailers; who are renewing their leases - and in some cases - even opening new stores.

In Hazelwood, Mo., a new Dollar Tree is opening this summer in the Village Square Center. The low-cost retailer will occupy approximately 11,000 SF of the once defunct shopping center located at Lindburgh Blvd and Interstate 270.

New York based, Somera Road Inc., bought the dilapidated, mixed-use shopping center in December 2018 and has invested more than $1 million in renovations.

"Dollar stores are continuing to open new locations in this challenging market. The affordability of their product makes them resistant to market downturns. We were thrilled to recently sign Dollar Tree to a long-term lease at our (Village Square) property," said Michael Ervolina, senior associate at Somera Road.

Other occupants include Concentra Urgent Care, Axes Physical Therapy and Millstone Weber, who all signed new lease agreements with Village Square.

It’s important to note, most retailers are adhering to CDC guidelines upon reopening. Simon Property Group, for example, has implemented CDC recommendations and precautions including:

·     Handing out CDC-approved masks and hand-sanitizing packets (at no cost to shoppers)

·     Mandating all employees to wear masks and wash their hands frequently

·     Taking customer temperatures using infrared thermometers

·     Encouraging social distancing in restrooms (tape will be placed over every other sink and urinal)

·     Directing traffic flow with decals on the floor

·     Limiting food court seating

·     Closing children’s play areas

·     and closing public drinking fountains.

Operating hours will be limited to 11a.m - 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday, as well as 12 p.m. - 6 p.m. on Sunday to allow for cleaning and sanitization, according to a Simon Property Group company memo.

Mission Rock Residential rolls into Soulard

Hamilton Zanze, a San Francisco-based real estate investment firm and new owner of Soulard Icehouse and Steelyard Apartments, has named Mission Rock Residential as the new property manager of the two communities --now jointly operating as Steelyard Apartments.

“Steelyard and IceHouse provided an attractive opportunity to buy a new property in the up-and-coming neighborhood of Soulard. The property features a robust amenities package, prime location near downtown St. Louis and offers residents the quality of life provided by the city’s energetic urban core," said David Nelson, Hamilton Zanze’s managing director of acquisitions.

Developed by Lux Living, the now combined Class-A, mid-rise community offers a mix of luxury studios, one-, two- and three-bedroom units averaging 784 SF in size. Amenities include, Nest thermostats, keyless entry locks and package delivery lockers.

Shared community amenities include a rooftop deck, a saltwater pool with sun deck, a pet park and spa, a karaoke lounge, two state-of-the-art fitness centers and more - all located in close proximity to the Mississippi River, providing views of the river and the famed Gateway Arch.

“By combining these two apartment communities under one consistent name, Mission Rock hopes to establish cohesiveness and a strong sense of community with its residents between the two buildings. The impressive amenities and historic roots make us confident that current and future residents will continue to experience tremendous benefits in this already-desirable neighborhood in St. Louis," said Patricia Hutchison, president of Mission Rock Residential.

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About Soulard: One of the oldest communities in the city, Soulard today is a largely residential neighborhood with many businesses including restaurants, bars and the North American headquarters of Anheuser-Busch.

In a recent Brookings Institution study of 70 older industrial cities, St. Louis ranked among the strongest economies that are making progress on the road toward renewal and reinvention.

New construction has also expanded steadily in the market thanks to the continued growth of the region’s remote workforce.

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.

Chesterfield's $80 million Wildhorse development progressing

Construction continues on the $80 million Wildhorse development located at the southwest corner of Chesterfield Parkway and Wild Horse Creek Road in Chesterfield, Mo.

General contractor, Brinkmann Constructors, kicked off Phase One of the 22-acre, mixed-use development in August 2019, breaking ground on The Pearl at Wild Horse Creek apartment complex and the first retail component, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, an upscale steakhouse chain.

Steel is erected and over half-way complete on wood for level one of the apartment complex, according to Brinkmann Constructors.

The 4-level, 200-unit apartment complex includes 24,500 SF of retail and restaurant space above structured parking. One- and two-bedroom units range from 650 SF to 1,244 SF. Amenities include a dog park, swimming pool, fitness center, two courtyards, clubhouse, library and Wi-Fi. On-site parking includes 418 combined spaces of structured and surface-lot parking.

Phase Two is set to begin later this year and includes AC Hotel by Marriott, a 128-room luxury hotel and conference center, along with 12,500 SF of retail space, leased by Pace Properties.

The Pearl at Wild Horse Creek apartment complex is projected to open in January 2021, with the hotel and restaurant to follow.

NorthMarq arranged $54.5 million in debt and joint venture equity financing for project developers, Tegethoff Development (formerly Pearl Companies) and Great Lakes Capital.

Other project partners include architect, TR,i Architects and investment firm, Reinsurance Group.