City manager reports progress at Olive Crossing: sidewalks, patios and hotel plans moving forward

The city manager reported construction progress at the Olive Crossing development at the Sept. 9 City Council meeting, including completed storefront sidewalks, tenant improvements, and the submission of hotel plans for staff review.

Staff said Lot 3’s storefront sidewalks and the Paris Bagotts patio are finished, mechanical/electrical/plumbing rough-ins have begun, drywall and insulation work is underway and ADA ramp foundations were due to be poured. Lot 5 remains in discussions with a restaurant tenant; the developer is awaiting representatives to tour the site. Lot 6 (the hotel) had plans submitted before the Sept. 1 deadline and is under staff review; the project is expected to appear on the Oct. 16 PCDC agenda for first consideration. "One item to note is the hotel is 4 stories, which I think is a reduction from what we had talked about in the past," the city manager said.

Staff reported Lots 1 and 2 (an Aldi) and Lot 4 (Clover) are complete. Contractors working for Great Rivers Greenway and TRC Outdoors are removing vegetation and old railroad ties to clear the next segment of the Centennial Greenway. The city manager also provided community announcements tied to the development corridor: a blood-drive competition between police and fire collected 37 pints (goal was 28) and the fire department won by one vote; two openings remain on the pension board; and a number of community events and programs were announced, including Coffee with the Mayor (tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. at 5 Oaks), an "understanding traffic stops" program, a pumpkin-carving event on Oct. 17, and the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning (Nov. 27 at 8 a.m.), with 78–80 registrants so far. Staff also announced a city-wide food drive in support of the Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry.

The city manager said PCDC’s next meeting is Oct. 16 and noted some calendar adjustments for council and commission meetings around Jewish holidays. No council action was requested on these updates; they were informational.