Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority Initiates Condemnation Process for Dozens of North City properties

St. Louis, MO (March 3, 2025) — On Friday, the Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority of the City of St. Louis (LCRA), which is staffed by St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC), began the condemnation process for dozens of properties in North St. Louis.

LCRA sent letters to owners of dilapidated properties offering to buy the parcels with the intention of redevelopment. In this first phase, LCRA is offering more than $1 million for 87 private sites. (List of properties attached.) The majority of the properties are owned by Northside Regeneration, LLC.

A year ago, City of St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones signed legislation authorizing the use of limited eminent domain power in North St. Louis. Alderman Rasheen Aldridge sponsored the bill targeting underused land in the Jeff-Vander-Lou, St. Louis Place, and Carr Square neighborhoods near the new National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) headquarters.

If the property owners decline LCRA’s offer, LCRA will proceed with filing legal proceedings with the court to determine the fair market value of the property. 

“As a North City native, this is the kind of action we are forced to take to spur economic development for the residents in these neighborhoods,” SLDC President and CEO Neal Richardson said.

“Communities in North City have been neglected by greedy, absent developers for far too long," Mayor Jones said. "This is another step toward building a city that invests in its neighborhoods and puts residents first when it comes to development.”

“We gathered a lot of feedback from North City residents on how they wanted to see this process,” Aldridge said. “This is about ensuring North City residents have a say in how they want to see problem property owners held accountable.”

LCRA plans to issue more offer letters to owners of other derelict properties in North City near NGA.