ST. LOUIS — A St. Louis board approved a series of variances for a new 30-story apartment tower in the Central West End, bringing the $135 million project closer to final approval from the Board of Aldermen.
The Board of Adjustment gave the preliminary greenlight to the Albion West End, a high-rise that would be built on one of the last remaining vacant sites in the Central West End, 4974 Lindell Blvd. The glass tower with 293 apartments would sit on a raised plaza and overlook Forest Park across the street, with ground-floor retail and a public plaza below.
The site is currently a parking lot owned by Koplar Properties of St. Louis, which is part of the development team along with apartment developer Albion Residential of Chicago. The designer of the project is Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture in Chicago.
The development required the Board of Adjustment to approve 14 variances from city code, primarily for setbacks and materials. In one example, city code as written would not allow a high-rise building to be made of glass like the Albion.
The Board of Adjustment tabled the project at an earlier meeting so that the city’s Preservation Board could make any requested changes to the project. The developers revised a setback on Lindell Boulevard to keep it within guidelines, and the Preservation Board granted approval to the project May 28. The developer has also met with neighbors who opposed the project, especially from the neighboring St. Regis condominium building. The president of the St. Regis board spoke in support of the project at the latest meeting.
The Board of Adjustment approved the variances with the stipulation that the developer has what Alderman Tina Pihl, the neighborhood’s representative on the Board of Aldermen, called a “good neighbor agreement” that will address any issues between the developments.
Final approval still has to be granted by the Board of Aldermen.
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