Why Is There So Much Vacant Land in Saint Louis?
The Saint Louis Land Reutilization Authority (LRA) owns more than 9,000 parcels of land, and the agency’s purpose, according to state statute, is to get that vacant land back into private hands so that it can be developed into new homes and businesses. Yet the city’s largest landholder isn’t selling much of its property. In an interview with McGraw Milhaven on KTRS AM, Audrey Spalding, a policy analyst with the Show-Me Institute, talks about her research into how the LRA has rejected offers to purchase more than 2,250 different properties from 2003 through 2010.
