ST. LOUIS – Last month, FOX 2’s Positively St. Louis story focused on how the Land Reutilization Authority in the City of St. Louis has reformed their purchase programs, processes and communications.
The LRA is responsible for the stewardship and sale of nearly 10,000 vacant buildings in various conditions in the city. They’ve started a demolition program to remove vacant buildings that can’t be preserved.
LRA is partnering with St. Louis Development Corporation, which staffs LRA in addition to the Regional Crime Commission, the Department of Economic Development, and the City of St. Louis.
In 2022, “The Vacancy Project” was awarded $15 million in ARPA funds through the Regional Crime Commission to focus on abandoned buildings and overgrown lots that tend to be hotspots for crime.
Shelton Anderson is the VP of Real Estate for the LRA.
“The St. Louis Regional Crime Commission realized that the LRA is the largest St. Louis landowner in the City of St. Louis and has the best opportunity in taking properties that are vacant, unoccupied properties,” said Anderson. “[For] properties that have the highest opportunity in leveraging the funding that St. Louis Regional Crime Commission has received from the Missouri Department of Economic Development, [it’s about] being able to really reactivate as the first phase of redevelopment by demolishing structures that are in highest category for vacancy and structures that need to be demolished in the City of St. Louis.”
Former City of St. Louis Mayor, Francis Slay, is the Executive Director of the STLRCC, “From our standpoint, as a crime commission, it’s about public safety. These vacant buildings are horrible in these neighborhoods because they are attractive nuisances for all kinds of illegal and bad activity. Kids could get in there. These are places where firefighters could get in.”
He continued, “With the ARPA money, the COVID Relief money, there are a lot of resources out there that the city has, LRA has, and we also have some of the COVID relief money as well. When we combine those resources, there are tens of millions of dollars of money available for this program, not only helping make a small dent, but it will also make a huge impact.”
Shelton explains the demolition is a game changer for the City of St. Louis, “We are then able to redevelop and market property to developers and community members for the redevelopment and reactivation of the blocks in St Louis.”
The demolition is a block-by-block approach. “We are being essentially proactive, strategic and in line with properties that have the highest amount of concentration. Areas that are closer to schools, areas that closer to occupied homes,” said Shelton.
Mayor Tishaura Jones says the community will start seeing a major difference as vacant parcels are removed. Jones says removing these vacant lots restores security.
“I want those residents to feel a sense of pride and know that the City of St. Louis heard their cries and we are responding to them to make sure their neighborhoods are safe and free from vacancy and free from vacant buildings, free from eye sores, and that we are going to continue and make sure that we are marketing that land to developers in order to build new structures.” She continues, “It’s important what our children see as they get up every day and go to school, as they go out to play. We want them to have safe and vibrate neighborhoods to grow and play in.”
Shelton and his team at the LRA are ready to take a proactive strategy to focus on the possibilities for the vacant properties in St. Louis, “It strengthens the community and closes the wealth gap, and it also redevelops the City of St. Louis in areas that were historically disinvested.”
This is what Positively St. Louis looks like.
To learn more about the LRA, visit them online: DevelopStLouis.org/LRA
