The evolution of the Grove has reached a point to where new residential construction is going to have to be denser than other recent housing developments. Space has become more limited with average pricing fairly expensive. These two factors have lead to developers choosing smaller and smaller lots of land and, in doing so, have lead them to propose dense developments that really transform the neighborhood South of Manchester.
The latest proposal is “the Grove Townhomes”. This development, designed by JEMA, will occupy the site of a former proposal to build two apartment buildings at the corner of Newstead and Vista. JEMA calls these houses St. Louis’ version of Copenhagen Denmark’s “Potato Houses”.
Copenhagen’s houses are built in rows and line the streets in that city’s "Potato Row" neighborhood. They got their name from the former Potato Fields that they were built on top of. Once built for workers in the 1870s, these homes have now become highly sought after due to their design, price and location. For St. Louis, the same three reasons apply, but in today’s design and living standards.
These townhouses are bound to be unapologetically modern with a simple design both in the front, and in the private alley. Three different colors make up the facades of the buildings (dark gray, gray and light gray). Meanwhile, large windows let in light on two sides of the small townhouses to make up for the loss of windows on the other two sides that neighbor the other homes with the exception of 4 units (end units). Each townhouse will have a unique cantilevered second floor deck along the alley. Beneath that deck lies a green area for residents, a backdoor and a garden. A connection to a parking garage is also there. The alley itself is designed in a way to be eco-friendly by allowing grass to grow up through the pavers.
On the Vista facing sides, each of the townhomes will include their own private garden. Each of those gardens are fenced in and make for a great oasis when things are planted there. One of the second floor bedrooms, facing Newstead, includes a Juliet style balcony.
The houses’ designs are meant to compliment the neighboring Core @ South Newstead development. That development includes single family homes that are fairly modern and start at $300,000. They are being marketed by Dielmann/Sotheby’s. Further down Vista, and throughout this part of the Grove, Rise Community Development wrapped up Phase 1 of their Adams Grove affordable housing development. The affordable housing is spread out in modern buildings designed by Trivers. Due to the rapid rate at which Phase 1 filled up, Rise is expected to get rolling on Phase 2 soon.
As for pricing of “the Grove Townhomes, it remains up in the air. They are expected to be market rate but could fluctuate in price based on what types of materials the eventual homeowner may or may not want. Each unit will be 3 Bedrooms, 2.5 Bathrooms and include a basement. Between this development, Core and Adams Grove, tons of new residential space will have been added to the Grove South of Manchester but East of Newstead. Of course other residential developments are happening around here, but there’s too many to list!
You can see two other renderings of this project below