The East St. Louis community has suffered a shift in the economy which has moved the industry out of the area. The closing of the main industries has had a negative impact on the community in the form of loss of jobs, loss of tax revenues and the overall essence of the community. There is now a resurgence of opportunity within the East St. Louis Community. The Emerson Park Neighborhood, is just one of the many neighborhoods that makes up the East St. Louis Community. This redevelopment project is concentrated on one block in the Emerson Park Neighborhood. The Neighborhood has potential for an increase in social activity and we foresee that it can support commercial enterprises.
The proposed redevelopment project is for Blue's Family Restaurant and 20 single-family homes. Blue's Family Restaurant features a unique dining experience while maintaining the local flair. Construction of 20 reasonably priced single-family homes will add to the existing housing stock. The lots are large enough to allow for homeowners to have yards which will provide for green space within the block. Redevelopment will benefit not only the Emerson Park Neighborhood but the greater East St. Louis community as well. The following is a general summary of the entire proposed project. Overall Blue's Family Restaurant and the addition of single-family houses will have a positive effect on the Neighborhood.
Economic Evaluation:
According to our economical evaluation, Blue's Family Restaurant has great potential of thriving for at least 10 years. It is economically beneficial for the community as well for the owners. The community receives three thousand dollars in tax revenue while the restaurant earns a yearly income of $485,080. This project is profitable for consumers, owners, employees and residents within this East St. Louis area. Happy employees working in an efficient and economical restaurant serving good cuisine at practical prices...it's a win win situation!!
Visual Quality Evaluation:
The quality of vegetation and space, history and culture are an important part of a community, however the amount of these factors can have a negative effect just as well as positive. When determining the aesthetics of a community all factors qualitative and quantitative need to be accounted for. From the evaluation conducted, the photographs taken previous to Blue's Family Restaurant construction depict a low qualitative and quantitative score. The results are low due to little color and creativity in architectural style and form, unkempt or trash filled yards, little spatial definition, few sidewalks or amenities for social gathering places, and lack of people. The photos may also display little culture or historical clues. Photographs based on expectations of the site after the establishment of Blue's Family Restaurant show higher scores of both quality and quantity. These photos received such scores because of signs of community pride, social gathering, well organized and maintained surroundings, good spatial definition, diversity in age and cultural representation, and complimentary and harmonious built forms among other things.
CITY Green Evaluation:
A comparison of the existing conditions to
the proposed conditions now and 30 years in the future was run using CITYGreen
software.
The results indicate that as tree canopy
grows over time, so do the environmental benefits. This was true for both
the existing
conditions and the proposed conditions.
When the existing conditions were compared to the proposed conditions currently,
the results
were fairly similar, this indicates there
would be no negative or positive effect of the proposed redevelopment project.
Comparing the
conditions 30 years into the future the
proposed conditions did not fair as well compared to the existing conditions.
These results are
not too surprising since the proposed conditions
add 21 buildings and some impervious surfaces. However, the differences
are not
hugely significant in the overall picture
of the environmental quality of the area. The development does not
have a negative effect on
the environment.
Habitat Evaluation:
The effect that the development of Blue's
Family Restaurant may have on wildlife is a concern in this process of
planning. With the
possibility of eventually losing any amenities
that come from these species can be frightening. The ramifications that
movement and
extension of populations to new areas have
on species and habitat has been greatly considered. Aside from the
aesthetic factors and
values that wildlife hold, the ecological
principles are even more substantial. Considering the land use change
proposed by our urban planning team there is a good chance of wildlife
potential. The proposed site for development uses approximately 5
acres of land. In relation to the amount of grassland and forest
land coverage in the surrounding area, wildlife and its habitat population
should not change dramatically in overpopulation or disappearance, however,
survival chances are slim within the next thirty years. That slim
chance of survival can be succeeded if wildlife takes refuge in nearby
grassland and forest lands as well as Kenneth Hall Park. Due to this
future loss of habitat, wildlife has a slight chance of surviving.
Cultural Evaluation:
Before development of any area there are
many factors that should be examined to determine if the development will
have either a
positive or negative impact on the surrounding
area. One of the factors to be considered is the impact on the history
and culture of
the area. This generally consists
of noting where the historic and cultural features are located. If
there are any on the site, then some
plan may be developed to either preserve
the feature or it may be deemed not valuable enough to save. Blue's
Family Restaurant will spur the redevelopment of the block and hopefully
other surrounding areas. The restaurant will feature food local to
East St. Louis as well as other areas. The decor will feature local
pictures and other memorabilia from the past. This will depict the
rich history of the area, showing the change over time. Not all of
the historical moments have been positive, but it is important to learn
from the past. History is not always rosy. Blue's Family Restaurant
will add to the culture by incorporating the local flavor in the restaurant
and to the history by the decor within the establishment.