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🔎 FROM THE FIELD
St. Louis County Land Bank Legislation Advances... Again
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Efforts to address vacancy, abandonment, and property disinvestment in St. Louis County continue to move forward!
What began in 2018 as a vision developed by Neighborhood Leadership Fellows has grown into a multi-year collaborative effort involving community leaders, legal advocates, housing professionals, and state legislators.
Through the leadership of a broad coalition, legislation supporting the creation and strengthening of the St. Louis County Land Bank has advanced through the Missouri General Assembly and reached the Governor's desk.
***The St. Louis County Land Bank Coalition is a grassroots and professional alliance advocating for the creation of the St. Louis County Land Bank to combat vacant and tax-delinquent properties.
TOP NEWS
▫️City Land Bank Releases Properties for Tax Sale
▫️LSEM, SLDC and LDS Team Up To Fight Vacancy
▫️HUD Proposes Work Requirements & Time Limits
LRA Releases Properties for Annual Tax Sale
The City of St. Louis Land Reutilization Authority (LRA) has released the list of properties available through its annual tax sale, creating opportunities for redevelopment, rehabilitation, and neighborhood stabilization across the city. The sale includes residential properties, vacant lots, and multifamily buildings that have become tax delinquent. For community development organizations, developers, and neighborhood stakeholders, the tax sale is an important pathway for acquiring properties and returning them to productive use.
Legal Services of Eastern Missouri (LSEM), St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC), and Lutheran Development Group are demonstrating how strong partnerships can help address St. Louis' vacancy challenge by combining legal expertise, public investment, and community development capacity. Their collaboration proves the importance of tackling the many barriers that can keep properties vacant and neighborhoods from reaching their full potential.
This formerly vacant four-family building in Dutchtown sat abandoned for years, not because redevelopment interest was lacking, but because complex ownership and title issues stood in the way. Thanks to the support of SLDC, and the work of LSEM, legal barriers were cleared, allowing LDG to acquire and rehabilitate the property into deeply affordable housing for residents earning at or below 60% of Area Median Income.
Vacant properties are often stalled by probate issues, title defects, liens, dissolved ownership entities, and other legal challenges that prevent redevelopment from moving forward. Since 2018, LSEM's Neighborhood Advocacy Program has helped return more than 700 formerly vacant housing units to productive use by addressing these barriers. Every vacant property brought back to life strengthens neighborhoods, expands housing options, and moves St. Louis one step closer to the healthy, thriving communities we all want to see.
Proposed HUD Rule Could Add Work Requirements & Time Limits to Housing Assistance
HUD has proposed a new rule that would allow local housing agencies and some affordable housing providers to require work or workforce participation for certain adults receiving housing assistance. The proposal would also allow agencies to establish time limits for some non-elderly, non-disabled households living in public housing or receiving rental assistance. Supporters say the change could promote self-sufficiency and increase local flexibility, while critics may raise concerns about housing stability for low-income families. Public comment opportunities are expected as the rulemaking process moves forward. Learn more here.
CBN MEMBER BRIGHT SPOTS
PNC Teams Up with Missouri Botanical Gardens
The seeds that were planted in April 2024 with a $75,000 grant from the PNC Foundation to Missouri Botanical Garden are now blooming at the School District of University City’s Julia Goldstein Early Childhood Education Center, with the completion of the Center’s new outdoor play and learning environment.For Immediate Release
Beyond Housing Welcomes Founding Members to New Community Chamber
The newly established Beyond HousingCommunity Chamberis an innovative network of trusted partners from the trades and related industries who share a deep commitment to community, service, and collaboration.
Together, these companies are building a network that strengthens businesses by strengthening the community itself. Unlike the many existing business networks that focus on lead generation for their members, the Community Chamber is a purpose-driven alliance for those who believe in doing well by doing good—companies that measure success not only in profit, but in the positive impact they make on their employees, customers, and community.
The LIHTC program provides federal and state tax credits to investors in affordable housing through an annual competitive application process. The credit can be used each year for 10 years and is allocated to developers, who may then sell it to raise equity to construct or acquire and rehabilitate affordable rental housing. The Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP) sets forth the selection criteria, federal preferences and MHDC priorities for application selection. This plan is revised annually. Administration of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit has been delegated to state housing agencies to assure that quality housing would be available where it is most needed. Key Resources
Understanding Our Community Economic Development Ecosystem
In 2023, CBN partnered with Invest STL, SLACO, Civic Insight, and other organizations to better understand the strengths, challenges, and needs of community development organizations across St. Louis. Together, the partners surveyed 22 community-based development organizations, including 19 Community Development Corporations (CDCs) and 3 place-based economic development organizations. The findings helped compare St. Louis' community development sector with similar organizations in other cities and regions.
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