From 1971–2018, I used selective rehab, nonprofit ownership, and some private financing to create/maintain 100s of decent lower cost rental units. (In 2019 I added Competent Management and Clearing/Greening to the strategy.) I did this through Neighborhood Enterprises (NE), a property management company, and Sanctuary IN the Ordinary (SITO), its nonprofit partner.
Many times, we requested financing for selective rehab from the Affordable Housing Commission. (AHC). The AHC has bylaws that allow it to fund selective rehab but to date has only funded gut rehab or new construction with the numerous requirements that come with CDA/HUD financing.
*Jim Roos, Chair of Sustainable Clearing and Greening, working with and/or for, Wellston Loop Community Development Corp, Sanctuary inthe Ordinary, and Wells-Goodfellow Neighborhood Association can be reached at 314-805-4206, jimroos@sitohousing.org, 3012 Lafayette, 63104 .
TOP NEWS
▫️CBN Among FY27 CDBG and HOME Recommendations
▫️St. Louis Takes New Steps to Tackle Vacant Properties
▫️Join the STL Vacancy Collaborative Reading Group!
CBN Members Recommended for
FY2027 CDBG & HOME Investments
The City of St. Louis - Community Development Administration (CDA) announced its proposedFiscal Year 2027 funding recommendations, directing more than $17.4 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds and $2.3 million in HOME Investment Partnerships Program funds toward affordable housing, home repair, public services, economic opportunity, neighborhood stabilization and community improvements across the City. The recommendations reflect the priorities established by CDA at the beginning of the FY2027 competitive funding cycle, with significant investments in youth and families, homelessness services, public facilities and improvements, economic development, and neighborhood stability.
St. Louis Steps Up Efforts to Turn
Vacant Properties Around
The city, through the support of Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, is expected to file lawsuits to address 500 neglected, tax-delinquent vacant properties later this month, a huge step towards moving them to the tax sale on the courthouse steps. St. Louis Magazine reports that the City is moving these properties toward a special tax sale, with the effort intended as a pilot that could eventually be scaled up. "Elected officials like Schweitzer played a big role in determining which properties are part of this initial effort. Alders helped determine properties should be the focus of this effort, both in terms of which vacant properties were most affecting the quality of life for people in their wards as well as for figuring out which properties had racked up the biggest bill to the city. Schweitzer points out that the city should be happy whether the building gets sold or the owner pays their bill."
The City has also launched a new $300,000 Vacant Building Initiative Fund. CDA issued the NOFA on October 2, seeking nonprofit, neighborhood association and CDC proposals aimed at reducing and preventing vacancy. The funding comes from increased vacant-property fines created through Proposition V and subsequent legislation.
Curious About Vacancy? Join the Conversation
Join the STL Vacancy Collaborative Reading Group for informal conversations about vacancy, community development, St. Louis history, and ideas from cities near and far. We explore engaging articles, podcasts, and other resources, and talk about what they can teach us about our own communities.
Everyone is welcome to join! Come when you can, for one conversation or for them all. Simply bring your curiosity and an interest in learning. Sign up and check out upcoming events here!
🔆 CBN MEMBER BRIGHT SPOTS
Long Awaited Marquette Homes At Historic Grandview Arcade
Set To Open In Less Than A Month
Photo Source: Garcia Properties/Riverfront Times
The historic Grandview Arcade at 3600 South Grand is finally nearing the end of a long-awaited transformation, and several CBN members have played a major role in making it happen! Lutheran Development Groupand Rise Community Development came together to bring the long-vacant building back into productive use as part of Marquette Homes, a multi-site development bringing 60 affordable apartments to the Dutchtown and Gravois Park communities. CORE10 Architecture is leading the design, E. M. Harris Construction Company is serving as general contractor, and the City of St. Louis Community Development Administration (CDA) has helped support the project.
The Grandview will contain approximately four commercial spaces, shared restrooms and breakout rooms for commercial tenants, along with 16 affordable apartments: three one-bedroom, ten two-bedroom and three three-bedroom units. Two ADA-accessible apartments will be located on the first floor, while the remaining homes will occupy the upper floors.
UMSL & CBN Lead Home Maintenance & Repair Strategy
For many St. Louis homeowners, the biggest housing challenge isn't finding a home. It's keeping the home they already have. That message was front and center last week as housing and community development leaders gathered at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center for The Hidden Housing Crisis: Home Repair in St. Louis County, a luncheon hosted by St. Louis REALTORS® and the University of Missouri–St. Louis Community Innovation and Action Center (CIAC).Their newly released report, The Hidden Housing Crisis: Needed Repairs for Single-Family Homes in St. Louis County, provides one of the clearest pictures yet of the scale of the region's home repair needs. And the numbers are significant.
Registration is now open for the fall semester of Enterprise University, hosted by Enterprise Bank & Trust. The program offers 30+ no-cost, 90-minute virtual courses designed to help leaders and professionals tackle business goals and challenges. Courses run September through November and cover management and leadership, finance and operations, human resources, marketing and sales, plus trending topics like AI strategy and cybersecurity. Browse the coursebook and reserve your spot.
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