Sponsor: Community Development Administration
Procurement Type: Request for Proposals  and or Qualifications

Pre-Bidding:
Questions Due: February 17, 2023
Q & A Posting: February 27, 2023

Starting Date: 02-03-2023
Closing Date: 03-06-2023
Closing Time: 04:00 PM

Summary
Issuance Date: February 3, 2023
Proposal Due: March 6, 2023

Need for Services:

The City of St. Louis has roughly 24,000 vacant parcels, including 9,000 vacant buildings - Land Reutilization Authority (“LRA”) owns 8,500 vacant lots and 1,500 vacant buildings. The City has historically struggled to address the blight which represents a threat to the health and safety of residents, drains City government of valuable resources, and depresses property values.

In 2015, the City was selected by the Center for Community Progress Leadership Institute to develop best practices for tackling vacant, abandoned and other problem properties. This engagement resulted in a series of reports including, “Developing a Shared Vision and Strategies to Address Vacancy and Abandonment in the City of St. Louis” and the “St. Louis Land Bank Assessment.”

The 2016 report, Developing a Shared Vision and Strategies to Address Vacancy and Abandonment in the City of St. Louis, identified areas where the City can have a significant impact on achieving certain goals for vacancy reduction. Among other things, the City was directed to (a) create a Blight Task Force and commit to the elimination of vacancy and abandonment as a top City priority; (b) reduce the private inventory of vacant and abandoned properties; (c) reduce the number of vacant “boarded” properties significantly; (d) increase the total acreage within the City devoted to greenspace; and (e) increase total assessed values of property in the City through vacancy reduction strategies.

In response, there was a 2017 St. Louis Land Bank Assessment that identified concrete next steps to achieve the goals for vacancy reduction. Among other things, the City was encouraged to (a) manage vacant properties comprehensively; (b) foster clear communication and transparency to build trust; and (c) grow financial resources and solidify partnerships to help achieve the goal of vacancy reduction.

Accepting these recommendations, the City is seeking support from an interdisciplinary team to plan and implement a VACANCY STRATEGY. The CDA seeks a plan from an interdisciplinary team that is willing and able to implement said plan with the City’s support.