Kirkwood Pulse • December 13, 2025
Autogenerated on Saturday, December 13, 2025 at 12:06 UTC • 6 stories from the last 36 hours.
Kirkwood Pulse • December 13, 2025
project_status: Revived by new developer TriStar Properties after previous project was declared dead location: 300 N. Kirkwood Rd project_details: apartments: 60 retail_space_sqft: 2940 parking_spaces: 111 stories: 4 architectural_firm: Stock & Associates commercial_space_changes: previous: restaurant_sqft: 2000 retail_sqft: 2000 office_sqft: 1300 total_sqft: 5300 new: commercial_spaces_sqft: -: 1900 -: 1000 clubhouse_sqft: 1900 bedroom_mix: Likely mostly one and two-bedroom units; previous plan included 14 three-bedroom units site_plan_modification: One small modification needed for pedestrian access between Adams and Washington approval_outlook: Near lock for City Council approval aesthetics_and_walkability: design_critique: Little improvement over previous design; lacks commercial activation along Adams Street facades: Mostly parking garage screening on Adams (South), East, and North facades architectural_guidelines: Uses broken-up massing approach which may result in incoherent appearance recommendation: Council should consider re-legalizing modest single-stair buildings to preserve historic character historic_preservation: Developer intends to rehabilitate historic stone wall from Pitman Elementary School project_naming: No settled name yet; hope to use 'Pitman Place' to preserve local sense of place context: Kirkwood has invested heavily in making the city more walkable with infrastructure improvements like curb bump-outs and bike lanes, but speeding remains a major issue. speed_study: date: May 2024 locations_studied: 75 key_metric: 85th percentile speed findings: exceeding_threshold: 55 threshold_definition: 85th percentile speed more than 5 mph over the limit indicates need for intervention recommendations: -: lower speed limits -: redesign streets to slow traffic -: increase enforcement
| interventions: |
|---|
| type: Speed Feedback Sign |
| speed_reduction_mph: 3 |
| crash_reduction_percent: 70 |
| -: |
| type: Roundabouts |
| speed_reduction_mph: 6 |
| crash_reduction_percent: 75 |
| -: |
| type: Raised Intersections |
| speed_reduction_mph: 5 |
| crash_reduction_percent: 40 |
| -: |
| type: Horizontal Deflection (e.g., curb extensions) |
| speed_reduction_mph: 3 |
| crash_reduction_percent: 30 |
| -: |
| type: Lower Speed Limits |
| speed_reduction_mph: 4 |
| crash_reduction_percent: 25 |
| -: |
| type: Speed Humps/Tables |
| speed_reduction_mph: 10-20 at countermeasure |
| crash_reduction_percent: 40 |
| ongoing_and_planned_measures: |
| raised_intersections: |
| -: Clay & Argonne |
| -: Clay & Jefferson |
| lane_reductions: |
| -: Kirkwood Road Phase I (Bodley to Adams) |
| -: Phase II (Monroe to Woodbine) |
| mid_block_crossing: Between The James and Global Foods |
| curb_bump_outs: |
| -: Lindeman |
| -: South Geyer Big Bend |
| -: West Essex |
| sidewalk_infill: East Essex between Dickson and Hill Drive (in partnership with Glendale) |
| speed_feedback_cameras: |
| quantity: 11 |
| cost_total: 59815 |
| cost_per_camera: 2720 |
| speed_limit_reductions: |
| -: |
| location: West Monroe between Clay and Kirkwood |
| from_mph: 25 |
| to_mph: 20 |
| -: |
| location: West Jefferson between Clay and Kirkwood |
| from_mph: 20 |
| to_mph: 15 |
| analysis: |
| effectiveness: Interventions expected to reduce 85th percentile speeds by 3-6 mph and improve pedestrian safety significantly. |
| concerns: Extreme speeders (99th percentile) driving at dangerously high speeds remain a challenge; some recorded top speeds may be errors or emergency vehicles. |
| author_opinion: Supports current efforts but desires more extensive lane reductions and better enforcement; critical of sidewalk removals and opposition to some speed limit reductions. The article discusses Kirkwood's tear-down crisis, attributing it to the high cost of land. It highlights that after spending around $500,000 to purchase a lot, the additional $200,000 cost to tear down an existing small home and build a larger one is relatively minor. The piece suggests that this economic dynamic is a key factor in the trend of replacing starter homes with bigger ones. |
Vibe-O-Meter
- Score (0-100): 50
- Sentiment (-100..100): 0
- Mood: Even Keel
- Why: Mix of 0 positive, 6 neutral, and 0 negative stories. Average sentiment lands at 0.
Stories worth a look
- Kirkwood Apartments: Episode II – Return of the Apartments (Kirkwood Gadfly) — project_status: Revived by new developer TriStar Properties after previous project was declared dead location: 300 N. Kirkwood Rd project_details: apartments: 60 retail_space_sqft: 2940 parking_spaces: 111 stories: 4 architectural_firm: Stock & Associates commercial_space_changes: previous: restaurant_sqft: 2000 retail_sqft: 2000 office_sqft: 1300 total_sqft: 5300 new: commercial_spaces_sqft: -: 1900 -: 1000 clubhouse_sqft: 1900 bedroom_mix: Likely mostly one and two-bedroom units; previous plan included 14 three-bedroom units site_plan_modification: One small modification needed for pedestrian access between Adams and Washington approval_outlook: Near lock for City Council approval aesthetics_and_walkability: design_critique: Little improvement over previous design; lacks commercial activation along Adams Street facades: Mostly parking garage screening on Adams (South), East, and North facades architectural_guidelines: Uses broken-up massing approach which may result in incoherent appearance recommendation: Council should consider re-legalizing modest single-stair buildings to preserve historic character historic_preservation: Developer intends to rehabilitate historic stone wall from Pitman Elementary School project_naming: No settled name yet; hope to use 'Pitman Place' to preserve local sense of place Impact: Impact unclear based on automatically extracted text. Sentiment: neutral (0) Priority: medium Read more
- Tired of the Speeders? Turn on the Cameras. (Kirkwood Gadfly) — context: Kirkwood has invested heavily in making the city more walkable with infrastructure improvements like curb bump-outs and bike lanes, but speeding remains a major issue.
speed_study:
date: May 2024
locations_studied: 75
key_metric: 85th percentile speed
findings:
exceeding_threshold: 55
threshold_definition: 85th percentile speed more than 5 mph over the limit indicates need for intervention
recommendations:
-: lower speed limits
-: redesign streets to slow traffic
-: increase enforcement
interventions: type: Speed Feedback Sign speed_reduction_mph: 3 crash_reduction_percent: 70 -: type: Roundabouts speed_reduction_mph: 6 crash_reduction_percent: 75 -: type: Raised Intersections speed_reduction_mph: 5 crash_reduction_percent: 40 -: type: Horizontal Deflection (e.g., curb extensions) speed_reduction_mph: 3 crash_reduction_percent: 30 -: type: Lower Speed Limits speed_reduction_mph: 4 crash_reduction_percent: 25 -: type: Speed Humps/Tables speed_reduction_mph: 10-20 at countermeasure crash_reduction_percent: 40
ongoing_and_planned_measures: raised_intersections: -: Clay & Argonne -: Clay & Jefferson lane_reductions: -: Kirkwood Road Phase I (Bodley to Adams) -: Phase II (Monroe to Woodbine) mid_block_crossing: Between The James and Global Foods curb_bump_outs: -: Lindeman -: South Geyer Big Bend -: West Essex sidewalk_infill: East Essex between Dickson and Hill Drive (in partnership with Glendale) speed_feedback_cameras: quantity: 11 cost_total: 59815 cost_per_camera: 2720
| speed_limit_reductions: |
|---|
| location: West Monroe between Clay and Kirkwood |
| from_mph: 25 |
| to_mph: 20 |
| -: |
| location: West Jefferson between Clay and Kirkwood |
| from_mph: 20 |
| to_mph: 15 |
| analysis: |
| effectiveness: Interventions expected to reduce 85th percentile speeds by 3-6 mph and improve pedestrian safety significantly. |
| concerns: Extreme speeders (99th percentile) driving at dangerously high speeds remain a challenge; some recorded top speeds may be errors or emergency vehicles. |
| author_opinion: Supports current efforts but desires more extensive lane reductions and better enforcement; critical of sidewalk removals and opposition to some speed limit reductions. Impact: Impact unclear based on automatically extracted text. Sentiment: neutral (0) Priority: medium Read more |
- Kirkwood minimum lot size (Kirkwood Gadfly) — The article discusses Kirkwood's tear-down crisis, attributing it to the high cost of land. It highlights that after spending around $500,000 to purchase a lot, the additional $200,000 cost to tear down an existing small home and build a larger one is relatively minor. The piece suggests that this economic dynamic is a key factor in the trend of replacing starter homes with bigger ones. Impact: Impact unclear based on automatically extracted text. Sentiment: neutral (0) Priority: medium Read more
- How To Revive the Starter Home (Kirkwood Gadfly) — The article discusses Kirkwood's housing affordability challenges, focusing on the high cost of land as the main barrier to preserving starter homes for young families. It argues that mandating smaller, affordable homes alone won't solve the problem because land prices dominate property costs. To make land more affordable, the article suggests increasing supply either by building multi-family or multi-story buildings to share land costs or by subdividing land into smaller lots. However, Kirkwood's zoning laws, which enforce minimum lot sizes ranging from 7,500 sqft to one acre, prevent lot splitting, limiting the ability to create more affordable starter homes. An example is given where a 10,100 sqft lot could not be split to build two smaller homes, forcing redevelopment into a larger, more expensive home. The article implies that revising zoning regulations could help revive the starter home market in Kirkwood. Impact: Impact unclear based on automatically extracted text. Sentiment: neutral (0) Priority: medium Read more
- String of Errors Leads to Rejection of Parking Solution (Kirkwood Gadfly) — event: Kirkwood City Council unanimously voted down a contract with Fybr for a parking technology solution on September 4, 2025. technology: provider: Fybr description: Sensors placed under parking spaces provide real-time occupancy data to a mobile app and assist police with parking enforcement. previous_use: Installed 275 sensors from Dec 2020 to Dec 2021 at no cost as a proof of concept. issues: -: City staff incorrectly reported the original contract as covering 69 spots at a cost of $14,973 instead of 275 spots at no cost. -: This misinformation led to confusion and misunderstandings during the contract renewal process. -: After the original contract expired in Dec 2021, ownership and maintenance responsibility transferred to the city. -: Communication failures and power issues caused many sensors to lose battery life and functionality. -: Fybr identified 69 sensors with sufficient battery life and offered to relocate them for $14,973, which was mistaken as the original contract cost. consequences: Council rejected the new contract without a clear understanding of the facts or alternative solutions, leaving Downtown Kirkwood's parking issues unresolved. stakeholders: -: Kirkwood City Council -: Fybr (technology provider) -: Kirkwood Electric (city staff) -: Kirkwood Police Department Impact: Impact unclear based on automatically extracted text. Sentiment: neutral (0) Priority: medium Read more
- Council Greenlights Pitman Place (Kirkwood Gadfly) — project: name: Pitman Place location: 300 N. Kirkwood Road (former Commerce Bank site) type: 60-apartment mixed-use development developer: TriStar Properties with Stock & Associates approval_status: First reading approval granted on November 20th zoning_changes: residential_on_first_floor: approved (previously banned) reason: Allows preferred aesthetic design (Concept P) and larger apartments design_iterations: original: apartments: 1_bed_1_bath: 27 2_bed_2_bath: 27 3_bed_2_bath: 6 features: retail_space: baseline clubhouse_size: original parking_spaces: original new_plan: apartments: 1_bed: 23 2_bed: 24 3_bed: 13 features: retail_space: a couple hundred square feet more clubhouse_size: slightly smaller parking_spaces: 6 fewer but still compliant net_bedroom_increase: 11 historical_features: plaque: To honor historic Pitman School naming: Development named after Pitman School zoning_context: previous_code: Required commercial space on ground floor in Downtown Kirkwood main streets goal: Active street front and walkable downtown critique: Mandate seen as counterproductive in some cases due to parking and foot traffic issues developer_incentive: Retail included where financially viable benefit_of_change: More and larger homes, potentially more affordable housing approval_process: timeline: -: Early October: Council delayed vote, developer withdrew proposal to restart process -: October 15th: Planning & Zoning hearing held -: November 20th: Council granted first reading approval public_feedback: Negative on original flat, bulky design design_response: Two new facade options presented, Concept P preferred for aesthetics and features like balconies and direct-entrance apartments Impact: Impact unclear based on automatically extracted text. Sentiment: neutral (0) Priority: medium Read more
Keep an eye on Kirkwood Apartments: Episode II – Return of the Apartments from Kirkwood Gadfly.