ST. LOUIS – Derelict and decaying vacant buildings are an ongoing problem plaguing St. Louis. On Wednesday, a conference will begin downtown that will focus on vacant properties and figure out how to deal with them.
The three-day Reclaiming Vacant Properties 2024 Conference will take place at the Hyatt near the Arch and will feature St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones, who is set to speak Wednesday afternoon. The mayor said ahead of the conference that the city will use all of its resources to hold owners to account when they don’t maintain their properties.
The situation with the long vacant Railway Exchange Building downtown has been a major issue for the city when it comes to vacant properties. On Friday, city officials filed a petition to pursue eminent domain on the building. The building used to be the home of Famous-Barr and then Macy’s before becoming vacant a while ago.
More recently, it’s been the site of looting and other problems. We’re told the city has also started the eminent domain process on more than 80 properties in neighborhoods near the new NGA campus in north St. Louis city.
Just Tuesday, there was a fire at another vacant building, this one a former apartment building on Mills Street in the Jeff-Vander-Lou neighborhood of north St. Louis. No injuries were reported, but the flames did heavy damage to the building.
Organizers of the conference say it will address innovative solutions to try and disrupt the cycle of vacancy at abandoned properties like the Railway Exchange Building.
Conference participants will go to Ferguson to see the revitalization, which is happening along the West Florissant corridor. That area sustained major damage after the Michael Brown shooting.
Participants will tour the Ferguson Empowerment Center, which initiated the conference in an effort to make community progress. The facility was built where the QuikTrip used to stand, which was burned down during the unrest.
