I have discovered that a new retail development is planned at the corner of 9th and Soulard in the Soulard neighborhood. The development, although no renderings have been released, will have 7500SF of retail space and 7 parking spaces. According to the leasing document, there will be rooftop patio options available to tenants. Based on the information given, I can say that this project will be a single floor and will fit in nicely with the surrounding buildings and neighborhood.
I researched this plot of land and I discovered that townhouses and retail space were once planned here. The now defunct blog titled, "St. Louis Neighborhood Development Blog" posted about the plans nearly 4 years ago. Then, the plans showed a 3 floor rowhouse building that would've fit in nicely with the rest of the neighborhood. Red bricks would have adorned the building along with a retail space at the corner of 9th and Soulard. It was originally planned by Alexander Realty of St. Charles. A sketch of this proposal is below.
The current proposal does not include townhouses and the building will only be 1 floor (presumed). The project aims to be a great addition to the corner as this stretch of Soulard (9th Street Corridor) is more of a Main Street with businesses lining it and having a pretty loud crowd over at the neighboring bars and businesses. It is also a block away from the historic Soulard Farmers Market.
The leasing document specifies that construction should begin soon and hints at a Q4 2019 Opening, but the deadline appears to be on track to pushed back since construction hasn't started yet.
The site has been vacant since the 1980s when structures were torn down. It is surprising that this prime lot has been left undeveloped for so long, but the wait will soon be over if this project ever gets underway.
This story will be updated with new renderings and information (developer, architect, cost, potential abatements and TIFs and a timeline) when available.