LRA - Land Reutilization Authority

[STLrainbow]

I think around last summer the LRA made some improvements to their online presence... still well short of something like the Detroit Land Bank tools but it's a start.

Here's their property search page...
https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/d ... search.cfm

I have to admit I was pretty surprised by how few residential properties they have in South City... right now 27 available in the 20th Ward/Dutchtown area and a few more scattered elsewhere around South City.

[STLrainbow]

Here's a former LRA multi-fam in Dutchtown that was just purchased... look forward to seeing that redeveloped.

[bwcrow1s]

Here's a former LRA multi-fam in Dutchtown that was just purchased... look forward to seeing that redeveloped.

3305/3307 Meramec needs some help badly. It's a huge eyesore on the rest of the decent to good shape buildings. I've seen bricks and roofing falling off of it in the past. It would go a long way to stabilizing those couple of commercial district blocks. Beautiful building too -- imagine 2-4 apartments on floors 2 and 3 and a restaurant or office space on the ground floor.

I thought the LRA owned it, but cannot find it on the website.

[STLrainbow]

^ look like they still do according to property search... could be a number of reasons for why it's not on the available for purchase list, including an offer under consideration. I guess you could call them to inquire about it.

Here's one on Allen in Fox Park that isn't listed b/c an offer is under consideration...

[bwcrow1s]

Damn. To have two beautiful bay windows.. then the rear. Argh.

[MattnSTL]

3305/3307 Meramec needs some help badly. It's a huge eyesore on the rest of the decent to good shape buildings. I've seen bricks and roofing falling off of it in the past. It would go a long way to stabilizing those couple of commercial district blocks. Beautiful building too -- imagine 2-4 apartments on floors 2 and 3 and a restaurant or office space on the ground floor.

I thought the LRA owned it, but cannot find it on the website.

It shows up as owned by LRA, but that's not technically correct. LRA just holds the property. CDA owns 3305-07 Meramec because it was acquired with NSP funds in 2009 after it was foreclosed on. A developer had a plan in the past, but it fell through. There is current interest in the building. It can either be transferred to a developer as an acquisition only project or further development assistance can be applied for, but either way the residential space is restricted by the NSP funds to LMMI households, which is 120% AMI or below. If it's a rental project it's probably going to be restricted to 50% AMI because 25% of NSP funds have to be used for housing for people with very low-income, but definitely no more than 80% AMI since the additional development subsidy that will likely be needed will either be CDBG or HOME. The building will be available again in the next CDA NOFA.

[bwcrow1s]

Wow, thanks for taking the time to provide all of that information. I'm going to have to do some self education on all of those acronyms.

[shadrach]

3305/3307 Meramec needs some help badly. It's a huge eyesore on the rest of the decent to good shape buildings.

Just looked it up on google maps:
Is Urban Eats still around? Tried to be a regular there but service forced me away.
A couple more street trees would help.
I'm tempted to get a can of black paint and paint the rusted posts of the old parking meters.

[urban_dilettante]

Not an LRA property, but 3101-310? Meramec (beautiful 4-family at Meramec and Minnesota) needs some love as well. Rumor was that the slumlord owner was beaten to within an inch of his life by a disgruntled tenant and is divesting of properties.

Urban Eats is still around. Not sure how they stay in business as I've never seen it busy but I think they double as a community organizing/events space.

[bwcrow1s]

I've talked to the owners of Urban Eats multiple times. Basically, what I was told, is that the owners both have jobs which allow them to afford to keep it open even if it isn't wildly profitable -- they wanted to create an anchor for the neighborhood and hopefully spur some more investment. I'd say it's helped.

3101 Meramec has had a for sale sign on it for a couple of years now it seems. Agent's website says that the sale is "pending".. https://www.coldwellbankerhomes.com/mo/ ... aid_30655/

Not sure what the inside looks like. There's also a vacant lot around 3319 I believe. Demoed a handful of years back. 3406 or so seems like it has been under rehab for over three years, still has window stickers. Not sure what's going on there.

All in all, that stretch of Meramec from the Meramec Market to the Post Office is a really good looking street. I agree more street trees, especially in the widened sidewalk by St. Anthony would really spruce it up. There are small ones there now, but another row would look killer. The street looks nice during the spring/summer/fall. Sorry to slightly derail, just some of my observations on that stretch.

[imran]

Just came back from a closing. The LRA now owns one less building north of Delmar

[symphonicpoet]

As others have said, it doesn't appear to be a complete list. I've been curious for a while about the Virginia theatre. Property records indicated they've got it. (And a couple others. ) But it doesn't show up on their website. Nor the Baden nor the Bridge, both of which are also LRA, per a property search. Seems odd that three of three neighborhood theatres in their control would come under contract at the same time. Maybe they just don't list everything, particularly when they're only managing properties for someone else.

[STLrainbow]

Just came back from a closing. The LRA now owns one less building north of Delmar

nice! I know this wasn't your first rodeo, but how would you rate the degree of pain working through the LRA process? for someone who might have some moderate resources and thinking about an LRA reno, would you recommend it or perhaps look at other alternatives.

[MattnSTL]

As others have said, it doesn't appear to be a complete list. I've been curious for a while about the Virginia theatre. Property records indicated they've got it.

The Virginia Theater is also technically CDA owned, even though it shows LRA. It was acquired at the behest of the Alderman in 2009. Probably needs $3 million or so to make it into something useful, but the roof and structural elements are in decent condition. It was most recently used as a church. The building is available for development, but a prospective developer has to have a plan and financing to get final approval, plus jump through the hoops the come with HUD funds. The CDBG National Objective on this one is clearance of Slums and Blight, so it can be renovated for market rate residential or commercial uses. There's an RFP floating around somewhere.

[bwcrow1s]

^ I was told by Shane Cohn that there was a developer with a plan in place when I asked a couple months ago?

Thanks for the pics btw. Was always curious as to what it looked like inside.

[imran]

Just came back from a closing. The LRA now owns one less building north of Delmar

nice! I know this wasn't your first rodeo, but how would you rate the degree of pain working through the LRA process? for someone who might have some moderate resources and thinking about an LRA reno, would you recommend it or perhaps look at other alternatives.

Learned a lot with the first one so the second one was painless. I chose difficult properties because I did not want to see them lost to demo. Passionate that way but would recommend it to everyone. We need all hands on deck!

[symphonicpoet]

The Virginia Theater is also technically CDA owned, even though it shows LRA. It was acquired at the behest of the Alderman in 2009. Probably needs $3 million or so to make it into something useful, but the roof and structural elements are in decent condition. It was most recently used as a church. The building is available for development, but a prospective developer has to have a plan and financing to get final approval, plus jump through the hoops the come with HUD funds. The CDBG National Objective on this one is clearance of Slums and Blight, so it can be renovated for market rate residential or commercial uses. There's an RFP floating around somewhere.

Thank you! That's actually not nearly as bad as I had feared. Sure, it needs work, but much of the plaster is still there. There doesn't seem to be tremendous damage from leaks. I was rather familiar with the Sun before renovation, and worried it would be a touch more like that. That's even in better shape than the Hall in Columbia, which isn't so bad as one might fear. (Not great, but not beyond salvation.)

[STLrainbow]

^^ awesome, Imran!

btw, folks, there is a workshop this Saturday for those interested in purchasing an LRA home. Details here...

https://twitter.com/CBNSTL/status/961697415584800769

[quincunx]

Stltoday - Amid drumbeat from falling bricks, St. Louis to ramp up demolition of vacant buildings

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metr ... a5c78.html

[quincunx]

Strongtowns - A Vision for Vacant Properties

https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/201 ... properties

[captainjackass]

They seem more excited about demolishing these houses than anything else, doesn't it seem? It's like nothing can take place without a demo. Need a rain swale?...I have a house we can demo. Need a parking lot, we can tear down that house surrounded by vacant lots.

Is there a demolition lobbyist in this town?

[quincunx]

Demo creates jobs!
The vote on the bonds to demo the riverfront during the Depression for nothing until the Arch came 25 years later was sold in part as a job creation effort.

I think some people get jazzed by the clean slate feeling, like when you clean your house or get rid of stuff you aren't using anymore in a spring cleaning.

Of course I wouldn't want bricks faking on my house due to an empty one next door. A house near me had its roof removed in an emergency demo because buts were threatening the occupied neighbor's house. The chances the house without the roof will survive are dwindling. All because the owner dicked around for a decade instead of giving it up to someone or an org that could have rehabbed it.

We can't refuse to really help the situation- stop undermining places by spreading out the region and put the resources used to enable the spreading-out into already built places.