Community Survey: LRA Programs, Process & Communications

Thank you for your interest in providing feedback on how St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC) will assess and reform the purchase programs, processes and public communications offered by the Land Reutilization Authority (LRA). SLDC is partnering with the St. Louis Vacancy Collaborative (VC) to engage community throughout this initiative.

Introduction

Over the next few months, the Land Reutilization Authority (LRA) of the City of St. Louis, Missouri is conducting a survey, focus groups and public workshops to understand how you interact with LRA programs and purchase properties. LRA will be evaluating its current programs and processes to meet its goals of promoting environmental and housing justice within the City of St. Louis, focusing on neighborhoods and communities that have been historically underinvested and under-estimated. This survey should take no more than 10 minutes to complete.

What is LRA?

LRA is a public agency created in 1971 and governed by State statutes (Sections 92.700 through 92.930 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri). The legislation was created to address the large-scale abandonment of privately owned properties in the City of St. Louis. It gives the Collector of Revenue authority to sue, foreclose and sell these properties to the general public. All properties not purchased by the public are deemed into the LRA inventory.

The LRA’s mission is to return parcels to effective utilization in order to provide housing, new industry and jobs for citizens as well as new tax revenue for the city.

A three-member Board of Commissioners meets monthly to approve or deny all offers to purchase LRA property. The Mayor, the Comptroller and the Board of Education each appoint one member.

Why Now?

LRA is the oldest landbank in the country and requires an intentional operational assessment to promote and sustain environmental and housing justice within the City of St. Louis, specifically communities that have been underinvested and under-estimated

As we seek to align LRA with the Economic Justice Action Plan, your participation in this brief survey will help transform operations, policies and practices to achieve LRA’s objectives, and increase transparency for residents who engage with LRA.

The public survey closed on October 28. Please see the timeline below for the next steps in this process.

The City of St. Louis contains nearly 25,000 unoccupied parcels, and about 40% are owned by LRA.

As of September 2022, LRA owns about ~10,000 parcels, including 8,500 lots and 1,400 buildings.

Nearly all (96%) of LRA properties are in North City neighborhoods.

LRA Program Summaries

  • Mow-To-Own Sales - Owners of a residential and or commercial property may take immediate ownership of an LRA-owned lot that is adjacent to an occupied property that they own, that is 30 front feet or less, not contiguous to 3 or more agency-owned property and has been in the inventory for at least 3 years, for a small fee. Participants must agree to continually maintain the lot, including regular mows and debris removal, for 24 months, at which time the lien will be released.

  • Side Lot Sales - Owners of a residential property may purchase an LRA-owned lot, up to 50 front feet, immediately adjacent to their property for ⅜ of the standard cost. Owners are limited to one side lot and may only use it as an additional side yard.

  • Straight Sales - The purchase of LRA-owned property at standard cost.

  • Options - An agreement that gives the purchaser the exclusive right to purchase the LRA property within a certain period of time, typically 6-12 months. An option fee is charged at 10% of the sales price.

  • Garden Leases - Residents may lease LRA-owned lots for a five-year period for $1.00 a year ($5.00 total) for the purpose of creating a vegetable or flower garden.

  • Prop NS - A program that stabilizes and sells LRA-owned vacant buildings to give them a head-start for future buyers who will be able to finish the rehab into quality housing.

  • Green City Coalition - Collaborative partnership converting lots in high-priority areas to green spaces with the goals of improving public and environmental health, absorbing stormwater and increasing residents’ access to nature.

  • Dollar House Pilot Program (program no longer active) - The purchase of an LRA vacant single-family house smaller than 1,500 square feet to buyers for one dollar if they renovated the property within 18 months and lived there for three years.