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Kirkwood Pulse • January 28, 2026

Autogenerated on Wednesday, January 28, 2026 at 12:08 UTC • 2 stories from the last 36 hours.

Kirkwood Pulse • January 28, 2026

project_overview: developer: Double Eagle Development location: Former Public Works site, Kirkwood proposal: 202 homes in six four-story buildings with 247 parking spots features: -: Pedestrian-friendly streets and sidewalks -: Gathering spaces and art installations -: Robust trees and plantings -: Ranch and townhome layouts -: Covered direct entry front porches -: Private attached garages -: State-of-the-art amenities including pool, fitness center, lounge, grill stations -: Professionally maintained grounds -: Architectural elements reflecting historic Kirkwood homes with modern features -: New through street connecting Taylor to Fillmore zoning: New R-7 Planned Multifamily zoning proposed for project approval community_reactions: positive: -: New through street improves connectivity and walkability concerns: -: No hotel included despite original RFP requirement -: Exclusion of ground-floor retail, disallowed by new zoning -: Missed opportunity to attract trail users and boost local sales tax -: Six blocky, repetitive buildings lacking human scale -: Extensive surface parking reminiscent of suburban developments -: Lack of phased development by multiple entities -: Uncertainty about project appearance and financial details additional_notes: City aims to offset $12 million cost of new public works site through this development. More details expected in future updates. context: The City Council of Kirkwood conducted a two-stage Request for Proposals (RFP) process for the Public Works site, receiving bids from five developers: Double Eagle, Keeley, Ridgehouse, Savoy, and Mehlman. The Council provided feedback emphasizing preferences for a hotel inclusion, majority owner-occupied residential units, flexible building height and density with traditional architectural design, inclusion of KPAC surface parking with maintained or increased public parking, no Tax Increment Financing (TIF), and structured parking. key_points: -: Keeley Properties proposed 233 homes in two stages, including townhomes, multifamily units, a 477-stall parking garage shared with KPAC patrons, public pocket parks, and an optional boutique hotel or mixed-use building on the KPAC parking lot. -: Ridgehouse Development proposed 30 for-sale townhomes, two 100-apartment buildings, 9,000 sqft retail, and a 654-space parking garage behind KPAC but did not include a through-street as requested. -: Savoy Properties offered the most retail-heavy plan with a 100-room hotel on the KPAC lot, 62 homes (villas, townhomes, mixed-use), ~15,000 sqft commercial space, and a new water feature integrated with the adjacent creek for storm runoff retention. -: Mehlman Homes Reality proposed a 126-room hotel (Marriott A-Loft or similar), 15,000 sqft retail, 27 villas, and 148 parking spots but did not submit a revised proposal. -: All three hotel-including proposals were ultimately rejected by the Council, continuing a pattern of rejecting hotel projects despite city leadership's emphasis on attracting hotels downtown. -: Council feedback indicated that requiring a hotel lowered the developers' offers for the site, influencing the rejection decisions. overall_outcome: Double Eagle was selected as the winning proposal, with other bids rejected following Council feedback and revisions. additional_resources: Full suite of submissions obtained via FOIA is available on Google Drive (link in original article). Keeley’s detailed responses to Council feedback provide insight into the decision-making process.

Vibe-O-Meter

  • Score (0-100): 50
  • Sentiment (-100..100): 0
  • Mood: Even Keel
  • Why: Mix of 0 positive, 2 neutral, and 0 negative stories. Average sentiment lands at 0.

Stories worth a look

  • 202 Homes Proposed for Former Public Works Site (Kirkwood Gadfly) — project_overview: developer: Double Eagle Development location: Former Public Works site, Kirkwood proposal: 202 homes in six four-story buildings with 247 parking spots features: -: Pedestrian-friendly streets and sidewalks -: Gathering spaces and art installations -: Robust trees and plantings -: Ranch and townhome layouts -: Covered direct entry front porches -: Private attached garages -: State-of-the-art amenities including pool, fitness center, lounge, grill stations -: Professionally maintained grounds -: Architectural elements reflecting historic Kirkwood homes with modern features -: New through street connecting Taylor to Fillmore zoning: New R-7 Planned Multifamily zoning proposed for project approval community_reactions: positive: -: New through street improves connectivity and walkability concerns: -: No hotel included despite original RFP requirement -: Exclusion of ground-floor retail, disallowed by new zoning -: Missed opportunity to attract trail users and boost local sales tax -: Six blocky, repetitive buildings lacking human scale -: Extensive surface parking reminiscent of suburban developments -: Lack of phased development by multiple entities -: Uncertainty about project appearance and financial details additional_notes: City aims to offset $12 million cost of new public works site through this development. More details expected in future updates. Impact: Impact unclear based on automatically extracted text. Sentiment: neutral (0) Priority: medium Read more
  • Public Works Site: The Rejects (Kirkwood Gadfly) — context: The City Council of Kirkwood conducted a two-stage Request for Proposals (RFP) process for the Public Works site, receiving bids from five developers: Double Eagle, Keeley, Ridgehouse, Savoy, and Mehlman. The Council provided feedback emphasizing preferences for a hotel inclusion, majority owner-occupied residential units, flexible building height and density with traditional architectural design, inclusion of KPAC surface parking with maintained or increased public parking, no Tax Increment Financing (TIF), and structured parking. key_points: -: Keeley Properties proposed 233 homes in two stages, including townhomes, multifamily units, a 477-stall parking garage shared with KPAC patrons, public pocket parks, and an optional boutique hotel or mixed-use building on the KPAC parking lot. -: Ridgehouse Development proposed 30 for-sale townhomes, two 100-apartment buildings, 9,000 sqft retail, and a 654-space parking garage behind KPAC but did not include a through-street as requested. -: Savoy Properties offered the most retail-heavy plan with a 100-room hotel on the KPAC lot, 62 homes (villas, townhomes, mixed-use), ~15,000 sqft commercial space, and a new water feature integrated with the adjacent creek for storm runoff retention. -: Mehlman Homes Reality proposed a 126-room hotel (Marriott A-Loft or similar), 15,000 sqft retail, 27 villas, and 148 parking spots but did not submit a revised proposal. -: All three hotel-including proposals were ultimately rejected by the Council, continuing a pattern of rejecting hotel projects despite city leadership's emphasis on attracting hotels downtown. -: Council feedback indicated that requiring a hotel lowered the developers' offers for the site, influencing the rejection decisions. overall_outcome: Double Eagle was selected as the winning proposal, with other bids rejected following Council feedback and revisions. additional_resources: Full suite of submissions obtained via FOIA is available on Google Drive (link in original article). Keeley’s detailed responses to Council feedback provide insight into the decision-making process. Impact: Impact unclear based on automatically extracted text. Sentiment: neutral (0) Priority: medium Read more

Keep an eye on 202 Homes Proposed for Former Public Works Site from Kirkwood Gadfly.