If Sam Koplar’s vision comes true, York Avenue in The Central West End will be transformed from a functional if sometimes ugly alley into a dense and vibrant urban street. NextStl sources first alerted us to this project last month. Kopler Properties has been exploring development possibilities for the site at 215 York Ave, a location wedged between the York House residences and the Chase Park Plaza parking garage. Lululemon, The Cup and Bar Louie anchor the northern edge of the street at Maryland Plaza. A fantastic pedestrian walkway heads west from York behind The Cup. However, the back of the Argyle parking garage forms much of the eastern wall of the street.

Now the website Building St. Louis News has published a rendering first posted on the UrbanStl.com forum which shows an AC by Marriot hotel on the site. We do not know where in the planning process the project is at this time.

Koplar Properties redeveloped Maryland Plaza in 2004 and completed a $12 million renovation of the York House apartments in 2012. Recent openings along Maryland have included Bonobos and Suit Supply. It is believed that a previous project planned for Koplar’s parking lot at the southeast corner of Lindell and Kingshighway failed to move forward due to differences between Koplar and partner the Koman Group about the scale of that project. Koplar remains owner of that site.

If the York Ave project is confirmed, an AC by Marriot would be the hotel line’s second planned St. Louis location. The first location is expected to open at the Jefferson Arms downtown. Headquartered in Madrid, AC by Marriot entered the US market in 2014 and has seen rapid expansion. With over 80 hotels globally, the hotel line was launched to target Generation Y travellers seeking a “design-led” hotel experience.

Humble York Avenue may have an exciting future. NextStl will post confirmation and updates as they become available.