The Albion West End development at the corner of Kingshighway and Lindell in the Central West End will be taking a big step forward on Monday.
The City of St. Louis cultural resources office has recommended that the tower receive preliminary approval subject to final design review by the cultural resources office. Staff says that the building is of “high-quality and an asset to the City of St. Louis and the Central West End neighborhood “.
Since the building was initially revealed back in February, and public meetings were held to discuss the project throughout March, a few changes have been made to the design. The biggest change being made are the setbacks on the Lindell side of the building. Previously, the building was too close to the Lindell sidewalk which would have altered the long-standing setback on the entire length of Lindell from Forest Park to Sarah. The new plans show that the tower has been shifted further south as has the parking garage.
The shift has resulted in a larger Plaza along Lindell. A retail space will be featured at the corner of Lindell and Kingshighway and I will likely be home to a restaurant or coffee shop that’ll then utilize the raised plaza along Lindell. The remainder of the first floor, along Kingshighway, will feature the building’s lobby and a few amenities. Other than the setback changes, the rest of the building plan remains the same.
Albion West End Will include 293 luxury apartment units in a 335ft tall high-rise. The building will be built on the undeveloped parking lot long owned by Koplar Properties just north of One Hundred and just south of the Chase Park Plaza.
Based on previous reports in the local media, the project will no longer seek a tax incentive from the City of St. Louis. This represents a significant change for development in the Central West End neighborhood as most new projects, up to this point, have sought some sort of incentive. The fact that a new high-rise will not be seeking any incentive means that all other developments in the neighborhood that want to seek incentives will likely not get them.
The building will cost around $130 million to construct and it could begin construction later this year. Chicago-based Hartshorne Plunkard architecture is the architect of the project. Chicago-based Albion Residential is the partner developer alongside Koplar Properties. A contractor has not yet been named. New renderings showing the shifted building have not yet been released.
For those wishing to participate in the preservation board meeting, it will be held via Zoom on Monday, May 24 at 4 PM.
The gallery includes additional renderings and diagrams from the agenda document. The first two photos show the change in the site plan (first image being original, second image being revised).
