SLDC-Staffed LRA Advances Vacancy Reduction Through ARPA-Funded Programs

As American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding comes to a close, the St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC) is highlighting how this once-in-a-generation investment has helped the St. Louis Land Reutilization Authority (LRA) tackle vacancy and put more properties on a path toward productive use.

The oldest land bank in the country, the LRA, which SLDC staffs, has built systems to move vacant city-owned properties back onto tax rolls. With support from ARPA funding, the LRA has reduced its inventory from roughly 10,000 parcels to about 9,000 while:

• Demolishing more than 500 dilapidated homes through the LRA’s Demolition Program.

• Hiring minority contractors to maintain and clean more than 2,100 vacant lots through the LRA’s Beautification Program.

• Investing $6.5 million and transferring up to 50 parcels to Habitat for Humanity (4200 Evans Ave) and Module Building Systems (1900 Annie Malone Drive) to support 50 new homes in North St. Louis.

Members of the media were invited to attend one of the last demolitions of an LRA building using ARPA funds at 3958 Maffitt Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63113 on Thursday, August 20, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.

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