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News Briefs
Central West End
Proposed bill would clear way for rehab of Rossino’s building
The building at 4065 West Pine Blvd., which was once the Melrose apartments and also housed decades-old Rossino’s Italian restaurant in the basement, may be redeveloped into a 36-unit apartment building.
Earlier in June, 17th Ward Alderman Joseph Roddy introduced a bill that would deem the building blighted, or one that is dilapidated and doesn’t meet housing codes. If approved, the developer Rothschild Development would be eligible for tax abatement on the project.
“It’s well deserved,” said Dan Krasnoff, executive director of the Central West End Midtown Development.
“It’s a major eyesore” on Sarah Street between Laclede Avenue and West Pine, which is an area in transition, he said. The Scottish Arms and Terrene restaurants and 6 North Coffee Company have opened on that strip in the past few years. Vacant buildings are a drag on the area’s property values, he said.
The Rothschild group bought the building more than a year ago, when the owner, also the owner of Rossino’s, wanted to get out of the restaurant business, said Pete Rothschild, the project developer.
Despite attempts to rent the business, he said the group soon found out that the basement establishment was not accessible to people with disabilities. So the group dug out the floors in the basement to give the apartments planned for the building 9-foot ceilings.
Rothschild said the apartments will be mostly two-bedroom spaces, each with two bathrooms. Plans for the property include a full gut rehab and high-end appliances. A gated parking lot will have 54 spaces available in it.
Downtown
LIVE on the Levee to relocate away from flooding riverWith the Mississippi River flooded this year, city of St. Louis organizers announced that the LIVE on the Levee concerts will be held at the Soldiers’ Memorial in downtown St. Louis.
“As residents of a river city, we are this year reminded that we can celebrate on her banks at her convenience,” said Fair Saint Louis Foundation Chairman John Stupp in a June 18 statement.
The five-weekend concert series, from July 4 to August 2, is typically held on Leonor K. Sullivan Boulevard, which runs between the Arch and the river. However, the street is under water, organizers said, and the river is not expected to go down until mid-July.
Soldiers’ Memorial is bounded by Tucker Boulevard on the east, Market Street on the south, Olive Street on the north and 15th Street on the west.
Concertgoers can still expect to see fireworks and find food-and-beverage vendors and activities for kids. The series begins July 4th with Drake Bell and Joss Stone, followed by Anthony Hamilton on July 5th. For a full schedule, visit www.celebratestlouis.org.
City of St. Louis
Police department to purchase more TasersThe St. Louis Metropolitan Police Board has approved Chief Joe Mokwa’s request to more than double the department’s Taser total to 151, a $95,000 expense.
The city police department announced on June 18 that it will put one of the electroshock weapons in almost every marked car.
Tasers are designed to incapacitate a person by firing two barbed darts that carry 50,000 volts of electricity through wires tethered to the gun.
Tasers are seen as a safer alternative to regular firearms, but their use does not come without safety concerns. There have been at least six deaths involving the use of Tasers in the St. Louis area in the past four years.
The city’s police department currently has 62 Tasers, but not all are in use.
One is being repaired and another is in the lab. Of concern are two that have gone missing; a police investigation has been unable to identify who is responsible for the loss. With the purchase of additional Tasers, a new process to better track who has access to the Tasers will be put in place, Van Ross said.
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