Surveys of residential and commercial areas designated for redevelopment under the Neighborhood Development Incentive Program have been completed in the Skinker-DeBaliviere area. A book of the findings has been published, and a few copies are available on loan at the Skinker-DeBaliviere office, 6008 Kingsbury.
The affected area includes the 5700 blocks of McPherson and Kingsbury avenues and Westminster Place and the 5800 and 5900 blocks of Washington Avenue, bounded by Delmar and DeBaliviere avenues. It consists of multi-family housing and commercial buildings.
The Neighborhood Development Incentive Program is not a federal program, but was established under section 353 of the Missouri Housing Act. The St. Louis Board of Aldermen passed a bill in April designating three city areas as eligible to present redevelopment plans for approval. The program provides long-term tax incentives for property improvement.
The next step toward actual redevelopment of the area will be a series of meetings in June open to all residents of the Skinker-DeBaliviere area to present alternative land-use plans, including sketches for prototype housing. According to the Reverend Calvin B. Stuart, executive director of Skinker-DeBaliviere Community Council, a consensus of residents and businesses affected is absolutely essential to the success of the proposed redevelopment.
Both the surveys and the land-use plans were prepared by students from the urban design department of the Washington University School of Architecture, in conjunction with the Council.
Originally published in The Paper, June 1971.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times1971_06.pdf, printed page 1.
