SLDC and The St. Louis Vacancy Collaborative Kickoff Initiative to Assess and Reform LRA Purchase Programs

St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC), which houses and staffs the Land Reutilization Authority (LRA), held a special session to announce it is partnering with the St. Louis Vacancy Collaborative on a four- to six-month initiative to assess and reform its purchase programs, processes and public communications.

This effort is directly aligned with the Economic Justice Action Plan's Neighborhood Transformation Pillar, which aims to leverage community assets to transform physical, social and economic aspects of historically disinvested and marginalized neighborhoods — where 96% of LRA property is located. 

“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,” said SLDC’s SVP, Neighborhood & Community Transformation, Lance Knuckles. “Now is the time to align LRA with the Economic Justice Action Plan. We expect this will transform operations, policies and practices to achieve LRA’s objectives, and increase transparency for residents who engage with LRA.”

A continuation of the announcement to pause the sale of LRA properties earlier this year, the next phase will include a series of engagement activities with LRA staff, residents and community partners to inform, consult and co-create on the redesign of programs and policies that provide a more transparent and equitable LRA. To ensure all residents and invested partners have the opportunity to provide input, SLDC will partner with the VC to deploy a diverse mix of engagement platforms, including one-on-one interviews, surveys, focus groups and workshops. Results from this effort and changes in LRA operations will be presented to the LRA Commission for adoption on January 25, 2023.