Plans are in the works for a new mixed-use apartment building in St. Louis’s Tower Grove South neighborhood.
A group of investors wants to turn the car wash at the corner of Connecticut Street and Morganford Road into three-story building with about 26 apartments and 6,000 square feet of ground-floor retail.
Kyle Howerton, who graduated from St. Louis University and now works in real estate in the Los Angeles region, said he grew attached to the area along Morganford Road when he was in school. The neighborhood hasn’t attracted as much interest as Forest Park Southeast or the Central West End, and he said the car wash seemed like a good opportunity for redevelopment.
“We’re really excited about the project,†Howerton said. “We think it’s really great for the neighborhood… We hope to keep Morganford growing, and growing in the right way.â€
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St. Louis-based JEMA Studio is the architect, and , dubbed "MOFO," on its website. JEMA plans to use "solid and perforated corten steel panels, iron spot brick, and wood panels" in order to create "a proportion and rhythm reminiscent of historical south St. Louis buildings and streetscapes."
In addition to adding more space for another restaurant or two along the commercial strip, Howerton said he hopes to attract a new neighborhood amenity, such as a bank or credit union, to the commercial space.Â
Also part of the project team is Rob Maltby, who works in real estate locally, and Michael Anderson, who works with Howerton in Southern California.
Howerton spent a lot of time talking up St. Louis to Anderson, and after bringing Anderson to the Amsterdam Tavern across the street on a visit back to St. Louis, he sold the Southern California native on an investment in the neighborhood.
“We thought, hey, this is a great spot for a potential project,†Howerton said.
The group is still working out details with the city, but Howerton said they hope to break ground on the project in the fall. They haven’t decided yet whether to seek tax abatement or other development incentives.
Also in the neighborhood, downtown craft brewery Alpha Brewing Co. announced earlier this month it would open a new location just down the street at Morganford Road and Fyler Avenue. And just northeast of Tower Grove Park, could take the place of the old YMCA on South Grand Boulevard.
