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St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Missouri)

November 10, 2006 FridayTHIRD EDITION

Clayton aims for mixed use City officials would like to balance bedrooms withboardrooms, and developers are happy to oblige.

BYLINE: By Rebecca Roussell St. Louis Post-Dispatch

SECTION: BUSINESS; Pg. B1

LENGTH: 993 words

Downtown Clayton appears to have everything.

It's the seat of St. Louis County. It has more than 7 million square feet of top-class office space, restaurants, boutiquesand modern, high-rise buildings.

Its central location in the metro area -- 15 minutes by car from downtown St. Louis and Lambert Field -- is a plus. Thelocation was enhanced this summer by the addition of a new MetroLink route.

"It (downtown Clayton) could be described as a commercial and residential bull's-eye for the St. Louis metropolitanarea," said Wendy Timm, chief operating officer and chief financial officer for Clayton-based Conrad Properties.

But Clayton officials aren't so sure. They still see room for improvement downtown and say that to remain the best of the best, change must be on the agenda.

Specifically, city planners are working on creating a downtown that doesn't go to sleep at the end of the workday. Somore residential properties are a must. And with more people must come a place for more retail.

"That was particularly so we could have that 24/7 vitality that comes with having people who actually live here anddon't go home at 5 p.m.," said Catherine Powers, director of planning and development services for Clayton.

Clayton officials are stressing mixed-use developments for downtown, instead of buildings designed strictly for officeuse. Most mixed-use buildings have a combination of retail, office and residential space in one building.

Mixed-use developments were a rarity for downtown Clayton 15 years ago. But in recent years, most major projectsthere fell into that category.

The 30-story Plaza in Clayton, 150 Carondelet Plaza, completed in 2002, was among the first.

"We were really the trailblazer," said Marian Nunn, chief operating officer for Overland-based THF Realty Inc. "Wethink we have opened up a whole new market for Clayton."

The building has 82 condos starting at $700,000 and about 12,000 square feet of retail space.



Indeed, downtown Clayton is starting to see niches within the mixed-use category.

Clayton City Condos at 7454 Forsyth Boulevard will be the first project designed to attract mass-transit users.

The three-building project, adjacent to a MetroLink station, will have 300 condos along with 49,000 square feet of

office and retail space.

"Clayton is a vital, quality community to live and work in, and we intend to continue to manage that success by makingsure that the developments going in are quality," said Powers.

Downtown Clayton residential living can only enhance the office and retail space, said Richard Ward, senior principalat Development Strategies of St. Louis, an economic development and real estate research firm.

In seeking projects with residential components, Clayton is taking advantage of a national trend: People want to livewithin walking distance of work, shops and other public places.

"The lifestyle choice that a lot of people are making in this country is not dependent on the automobile," Ward said."Clayton is a very desirable place to be -- to live and to work in it."

It's likely that all downtown Clayton housing will share one trait: a relatively big price tag.

Clayton is an expensive market, outpacing the prices and rents in the resurgent downtown St. Louis market, said BryanKeller, partner-in-charge of Clayton-based RubinBrown LLP's real estate services group.

"It is a very clean, safe environment, and the schools are great," Keller said.

Empty nesters wanted

Empty nesters are the primary target for projects such as Maryland Walk, 8025 Maryland Avenue, developed by ConradProperties. It is a 17-story mixed-use building with 101 condos and commercial space on the first floor.

Sales are closing on the units, and the first residents are expected to move in by the end of this year, said Timm.

"We consider a setting like Clayton to be suburban-urban," Timm said. "It has the feel of a big city," and downtowndwellers don't need to depend on a car.

Robert Kramer is also trying to attract wealthy empty nesters for Clayton Park Place. The 14-unit condo project onParkside Drive, overlooking Shaw Park, is set for completion in 2008.

Kramer, a partner at Clayton-based R. J. York Development, said prices will start at $1 million.

But analysts and developers say that the target market for downtown Clayton is expanding from the 50-plusempty-nester group. They are seeing more twenty-somethings, young professionals and families with children interestedin downtown living.

Thomas Williamson hopes to attract such "wannabes" to his development.

Williamson, president of Chesterfield-based Capstone Corp., is converting an apartment building built in 1923 to sixcondominiums. The building, at 116 North Central Avenue, is technically not downtown, but it's just steps away fromthe northern border at Maryland Avenue. Each unit will be priced in the mid-$500,000s.

Williamson hopes the "charm" of an older building will attract young professionals who want to be close to thedowntown Clayton social scene, such as it is.

Clayton aims for mixed use City officials would like to balance bedrooms with boardrooms, and developers are happy

to oblige. St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Missouri) November 10, 2006 Friday



Restaurants and bars have given downtown Clayton's night life a boost. But Kramer says the after-hours environmentneeds more improvement.

"There are limitations on what people can do once the restaurants close," he said.

Upscale lounges, sports bars and live entertainment would make nightlife more appealing to downtown Claytonresidents as well as to visitors from around the St. Louis area and tourists, Kramer said.

Developer Mark Mehlman is a big downtown booster. The president of Clayton-based Mark S. Mehlman Realty Inc.sees Clayton as a family city and hopes that his nine-story, 72-condo development, the Crescent, gathers everyone in the"neighborhood" around the fountain in Carondelet Plaza.

Expected to be completed in the fall, the Crescent will have 26,000 square feet of retail space on the first two floors.

"It's (Clayton) just full of life," said Mehlman. "It's exactly what it's been since I was a kid growing up. There issomething dynamic about it."

LOAD-DATE: November 10, 2006

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

GRAPHIC: PHOTOPHOTO - Pat Moriarity of Lawrence Fabric Structures touches up the paint on awnings his company is installing on the

new Maryland Walk residential development at 8025 Maryland Avenue in Clayton. The building will include 101condominiums and commercial space on the first floor. Kevin Manning | Post-Dispatch

PUBLICATION-TYPE: Newspaper

Copyright 2006 St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Inc.

All Rights Reserved

Clayton aims for mixed use City officials would like to balance bedrooms with boardrooms, and developers are happy

to oblige. St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Missouri) November 10, 2006 Friday

Clayton aims for mixed use City officials would like to balance bedrooms with boardrooms, and...

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