St. Louis Eyes Land Bank for Vacant Homes
One Community Update
January 30, 2025
Source: www.constructforstl.org
The St. Louis County Council will soon consider whether to create a land bank in St. Louis County.
The idea, which appeared on the council agenda this week but has not yet been formally introduced, was sponsored by two council members who represent districts in north St. Louis County, Shalonda Webb and Council Chair Rita Heard Days.
They see the creation of a new land bank as a way to address the ongoing issue of derelict properties in St. Louis County, which members of the council have over the years attributed to absentee landlords who have neglected or abandoned their properties or are hiding behind LLCs that own the property, Days said. A land bank could take over ownership of derelict property, and if that happens, the new legislation would erase taxes, fines and fees that have accumulated on the sites. Although the land bank could acquire residential or commercial properties, the ultimate goal would be to get houses back into use as housing stock, Days said.
St. Louis County has lost population since the 2020 census, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates. It’s also seen population growth of just 3.72% from 1970 to 2023.
“It’s a blight on the neighborhood when you have those types of houses,” Days said. “It’s just an insurmountable problem at this particular point, and we hope and think that land banking will address that situation.”
The initiative to create a land bank was made possible through state legislation signed by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson last year, House Bill 2062, which allows St. Louis County and cities across the state to start land banks as a way to address vacant properties. Land banks are intended to move “non-revenue-generating, non-tax-producing” properties back into private ownership or public use, according to the state statute that creates them, the Land Bank Act.
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