Maryland School Town Homes Plans Evolve
Enhanced garden space, underground
utilities, ample parking, state-of-the-art storm-water rain garden and nearly
200 trees will highlight the new neighborhood plans.
Interest in the
Maryland School Town Homes project continues to grow as developers Bruce Korn
and Larry Schiffer, and architect Gyo Obata stand poised to unveil the next
phase of their proposal for the former Maryland School property. Over the past few months, plans have evolved
to incorporate ideas solicited from supportive residents, the business
community and Clayton city officials; all with an eye toward ensuring that the
finished product is one in which all parties can take pride. Next week,
developers will continue through the approval process and present this latest plan
to the Planning and Zoning and Architectural Review Board.
“We’ve always
believed this is an innovative project that will bring new energy, support and
revenue to Clayton restaurants, shops, services and businesses. It will help
our local economy,” said Bruce Korn, project developer and co-owner. “What
we’ve done is solicited and incorporated other ideas. It’s an even better project now. We’re
excited about the current plans and the positive influence this development
will have on the community.”
Over the last
several months, the project modifications have largely been focused on
enhancing the greenspace, ensuring ample parking, and expanding the
setbacks. The plans currently include 35
single-family townhomes down from the proposed 45; underground utilities; added greenspace in
the form of an open lawn and seating garden area; the addition of 171 trees, up
from 106 trees; additional sidewalks and front yard plantings along
Westmoreland; and a brick-faced retaining wall along Maryland Ave. The site
also includes a rain garden/bio-detention basin and various architectural
enhancements.
“This project
is both state-of-the-art and very environmentally friendly,” explains Korn. “We
couldn’t be more excited as we move ahead.” This proposal, if approved, will
mean an immediate injection of millions of dollars to Clayton schools and
substantial tax revenue to the Clayton community for years to come. The project
aims to replace The Maryland School, which is in a significant state of
disrepair and has not been used as an active Clayton school in 30 years.
Now that the project
studies (parking, storm water and traffic) are completed, the appropriate
modifications have been made and questions have been addressed in the current
proposal. Members of the Maryland School
Town Homes development team have been speaking with Clayton residents over the
past week to update them on the new plans and answer any questions they may
have about the project.
A complete
review of the plans as well as images can be found at the project’s website at http://marylandschooltownhomes.com/. With these changes, the support of
residents, business owners and city leaders has continued to grow.
Susan
C. Ryan
SC Ryan Consulting, LLC
314-304-6800 phone
314-983-0998 fax
@SCRyanSTL
