To the editor:

While everyone is excited about the 81 new homes by Dierbergs at the former Crestwood Plaza mall site, I wonder if Crestwood couldn’t have done better.

On a quick drive through Crestwood, one is immediately aware of the many ranch style homes. Homes that were built in the 50s to meet the demands of the post-war baby boom. There are small ranches for those starting families, such as those in the Ridgewood neighborhood, to larger brick ranches for growing families, such as in the neighborhood around Whitecliff Park. These ranches (now called mid-century modern) were quite adaptable to expansion — a finished basement doubled their size and added more bedrooms, while allowing for homeowners to easily age in place.

It is these homes that define Crestwood, giving it a sense of place. You know you are in Crestwood based on this type of housing stock. What concerns me about the McBride development is there doesn’t seem to be any recognition of this sense of place. These big box homes from McBride’s catalog could be anywhere —Chesterfield or O’Fallon. They make no attempt to connect with their surroundings, just like the new homes they’ve built in the Hill neighborhood. The sense of place is broken. They exist in and of themselves.

This development is a missed opportunity. Crestwood and McBride could have done better had there been more input at the planning stage. With a little more sensitivity and imagination, this could have been a real plus for Crestwood.

Steve Knarr

Crestwood