Today's St. Louis on the Air program focused on vacant property in St. Louis. I represented nextSTL.com and was joined in the studio by RJ Koscielniak, the person behind the Open/Closed conference concept, Audrey Spalding of the Show-Me-Institute and Otis Williams, Deputy Executive Director of the St. Louis Development Corporation, the organization that oversees the city's Land Reutilization Authority (LRA). The conversation proved to be an excellent starting point to further focus on the issue of vacant property in our city.
Today's St. Louis on the Air program focused on vacant property in St. Louis. I represented nextSTL.com and was joined in the studio by RJ Koscielniak, the person behind the Open/Closed conference concept, Audrey Spalding of the Show-Me-Institute and Otis Williams, Deputy Executive Director of the St. Louis Development Corporation, the organization that oversees the city's Land Reutilization Authority (LRA). The conversation proved to be an excellent starting point to further focus on the issue of vacant property in our city.
Summarizing the discussion and viewpoints in a short online article inherently leaves out the significant nuance offered by each of us, but I'll attempt to do just that. The Show-Me Institute completed extensive research, compiling information on the number of LRA properties, offers made on those properties and the LRA's response to those offers. If I may offer a simplified premise of the Show-Me Institute's conclusion, it is that the LRA is unnecessarily rejecting offers. The LRA's position? They have a responsibility to sell to the right person and have sold thousands of properties in recent years. nextSTL and Open/Closed seek to raise awareness of the issue, highlight successes and bring diverse voices to the table.
For a more in-depth look at the perspectives represented, and to listen to the St. Louis on the Air Vacant Property in St. Louis, follow the links and click the image below:
Open/Closed: Exploring Vacant Property in St. Louis conference
Show-Me Institute vacant land research: Standstill: Is Saint Louis Hindering Development by Waiting for Large-Scale Miracles?
