The OPUS Group, which recently proposed a new apartment building in Downtown St. Louis, has proposed an 8-story apartment building on Delmar in the University City portion of the Delmar Loop. The site sits between Leland and near Kingsland and Delmar and Loop South.
According to a U-City Planning Document, the new building at 6630 Delmar will replace the old Commerce Bank Building, parking lot, and former Craft Alliance building with an 8-story, 189-unit apartment building. All of those parcels will be merged as a result of this development. The entire development will be made up of Studios through 4 Bedroom apartment units and is geared towards students of the nearby Washington University (which is only a 10 minute walk away via the Ackert Walkway). The total number of beds in the building will total 476 and parking will total 400 spaces (366 garage and 34 surface). The ground floor will feature 5700sf of retail space, which helps add street life to the Delmar Loop corridor.
As for amenities, the building will include a 3500sf community plaza, two amenity decks, state of the art fitness center, spa, clubroom/game room, study areas, lounge, computer lab, outdoor area with pool, grilling stations, and more.
According to a report commissioned by OPUS and delivered to the City of University City, the project will have an overall net positive impact on the City. The project will contribute to the municipality's tax base in a big way (showing yearly property taxes going from $5,992 this year to $57,355 after year 20). Additional tax revenue in the form of housing is of big benefit, especially now as businesses have been hammered hard by the coronavirus pandemic. As many know, the Delmar Loop, while it has housing, is mostly made up of restaurants, shops, bars and clubs.
University City will review the proposal on January 27th as a "working session" with the Plan Commission. The plans shown in this post are specified as "conceptual", so expect the building's design to change. If all goes well, OPUS intends to begin construction in July 2021 and wrap up construction by May 2023. According to the planning document, the building will be built with steel framing, which will warrant a crane. A cost is not provided in the planning document.
OPUS Group serves in all aspects of this building's development (developer, builder and architect).
Additional renderings and floor plans are below...