Abandoned and Derelict Properties Part 2 - What Can the Average Citizen Do?

Back in January, 2018 I wrote a long-winded post on property neglect and abandonment and the cost on our neighborhoods. Surprising to me (not a personal favorite) this is one of my most read posts on this website.

It deserves a followup. Sometimes when I unleash my frustrations to the public, I walk away feeling guilty. Like I’m part of the problem, and not any sort of solution.

I wanted to help shed some light on the question “What can the average citizen do?” if you live next to or are concerned about squatters and trespassers in vacant and abandoned buildings in your neighborhood.

I tried in vain to rectify that by meeting with a few folks from multiple city agencies/departments.

While the conversations were respectful and somewhat helpful, I quickly learned that even though folks are well intentioned, the city departments are not the answer to the question.

I am not here to name names or disparage people working a dignified 9-5 or trying their best. I will say, we are limited in our ability to leverage the city government and services as citizens. They just aren’t equipped with the resources (human, physical, nor monetary).

We don’t prioritize it. The last couple administrations have chosen the status quo, nepotism and cronyism routes when it comes to the city functions. Even the most recent “outsider” candidate for Mayor wants to build a “family” out of the departments. Nah, I’m not down with that. We need reformists not protectionists. We need sweeping change. We need hard change, we need the ugly stuff like firing donors and friends who are mailing it in and holding patronage jobs/positions.

But, sadly, I have not seen one politician with the sand to do those tough things. I’ve read of maybe one coming to the forefront in the future. My eyes are peeled and I hope we can get a tough, data driven, pragmatic leader to take the reigns of the city departments to PARTNER with citizens to improve our neighborhoods, even on a restrained budget we can be more citizen focused.

Listen, I want to be a city booster. I’ve tried to write the feel good story of my interactions with Streets, Parks, Forestry, etc. But I just couldn’t come out with the goods to make it so. I couldn’t take myself serious. We have a lot of work to do when it comes to hiring, training, funding and bringing our city departments up to current standards. We sadly are living in a sub-par services city for many reasons and I’m not convinced they are part of the city solution toward fielding complaints and doing something about derelict properties…they might in fact, be part of the problem.

Friends, I think we’re on our own for the most part. I think we are beholden to the tides of the market and trends of people wanting to move to St. Louis.

So it's easy to find out the backstory on properties and their dismissive owners. What's not easy is knowing what the average citizen can do to seek a solution for these crumbling and derelict properties.

The CSB is not the answer. They log the complaint, but nothing happens. They will send the city over to weed wack the property but do nothing to secure the open windows. CSB may work well for some things, but not all and the bigger problems are not something they can help with. Potholes, misplaced dumpsters, fallen tree limbs, yeah, I’ve had good luck with those; but, submit a request for derelict properties, nothing. Absolutely nothing. They are powerless in those areas. When you ask the powers that be what to do, in short, they’ll tell you keep calling, keep reporting them. When the complaints hit a certain level, the issues are brought to the attention of the agencies that can and will do something about it.

Trouble is, those metrics are not available. The threshold is subjective and frankly, not official policy. Or if it is, it’s not documented. So, it boils down to how well do you know someone with the city who can get things done? Sad, but true.

At the end of the day, I can’t answer the question of ‘What can the average citizen do’ to help fight vacancy and abandonment in our neighborhoods.

I guess it’s take matters into your own hands and buy a property or try to advocate for a CDC that can affect real change.

I don’t have the answers.

If you have success stories of neighbors banding together to fight vacancy and abandonment and how to address trespassing, I would like to know your story. Feel free to contact us here.

The thing I do know, a lot of our problems would subside if we just had one thing: more people who care and want to live here and root down and be nice, caring neighbors who want better for all. People who can and are willing to do basic home maintenance. We need those people more than anything, not speculators and suburban investors sitting on properties for years, sometime decades or gutting them and flipping them.

So, sorry for not putting any teeth into that lingering question of what you, a normal person living next to a long vacant property can do? But, I feel obliged to follow through on that post from 2018 and provide an update to let folks know that things are looking up. Not in all cases, but the needle is moving toward positivity.

In a neighborhood like Fox Park that per the 2010 Census data suffers from ~25% property vacancy, we have a long, long way to go to reach full density and capacity. We need A LOT more people here.

So I jumped on the scooter and assessed the current state of affairs nearly two years later, taking photos and looking up the city data on Geo St. Louis to get info on building permits, taxes paid and ownership changes. In some cases I shared sales prices and estimated values in Zillow.

Anyhow, here we go.

I showed a group of four board ups and burn outs spanning 2627, 2629, 2631 and 2633 Allen.

The property below at 2631 Allen was built in 1896 and was owned by the City's Land Reutilization Authority (LRA) since 2008; it had been vacant and condemned since 2012, collecting no taxes since it was owned by the city. Here's a photo from January, 2018:

It has since been demo’d and sent to the landfill, leaving us with yet another gap in the streetface:

We lost a beauty, and that sucks. But, the outlook is trending toward the positive for the surrounding properties along this stretch. The brown one to the left, 2633 Allen with the awesome foundation windows, is under renovation. The local company doing the work is in Lafayette Square, so I’m hopeful the finished product will be dignified. They are in the community at least, right? A cause for hope.

2633 Allen - look at those basement windows, man!

The one just east of the now vacant lot (2629 Allen) has a sign claiming ownership by a company called “Best Properties”, the same Arnold, MO “investor” that has owned it since 2012…cause for pause indeed, and they will show up later in this story. In their defense, they are paid up on property taxes. Hope friends. Here’s how it looks today:

2629 Allen Avenue - mini castle still boarded up

2627 Allen has had some recent porch work commence…not sure if it’s up to historic standards of the neighborhood, but we’ll see. In addition to the $500 porch permit these Ballwin, MO folks have a $3,000 permit for a rear deck as well. These are the first building permits issued in 20 years, so let’s put this in the “hope for the best” category.

2627 Allen Avenue - look at that brickwork!

2634 Allen, formerly owned by a O'Fallon, MO “investor” sold to a Clayton, MO firm. No taxes paid since 2017, but a glimmer of hope with a January, 2020 $30K building permit.

The impetus for my 2018 post was anger over the burndown and demo of a formerly beautiful property at Ohio and Geyer. This is now a vacant lot owned by Best Properties, the same Arnold, MO folks behind 2629 Allen. Isn’t it strange that the corner properties are always the first to go in erosion of our neighborhoods? I’ve noticed that almost citywide.

The building immediately to the west at 2704/2706 Geyer is now owned by an O’Fallon, MO entity, who have a $70K building permit for interior renovation, the first issued in 4 years. No taxes have been paid since 2016. Work is underway as of publishing.

I mentioned 2714 Geyer, owned by someone with with a P.O. box in North City. Still condemned. No building permits filed, but taxed paid up. Nothing doing on this one, still sits burned out, our problem, not his.

2618 Geyer, just to the east, has had a wood privacy fence installed, and new locks on the doors, but not much else. The owners since 2007, from Ferguson, MO, now claim an address in the Central West End. No permits filed, but taxes are paid up. They continue to sit on it.

2746 Geyer is a straight up beauty. The former Ballwin, MO “investor” finally unloaded it to someone claiming the same address. A couple commentors on my original post said they had contacted the West County owner to sell and he was “not interested”, another said he wanted crazy $. Finally, it’s out of his hands, but no permits filed nor taxes paid in 2019. A glimmer of hope, I suppose.

Moving on to Ann Avenue, we have 2738-40. This one has been trouble, I live right behind it. I’ve written about it on here several times. This one recently changed hands, but city records are sketchy. It is paid up on taxes and owned by a Crever Coeur, MO person. No permits have been issued since 2007, but there is indeed a slow but steady work crew showing up and starting on the roof and then moving to interior renovations. Again, hope for stabilization.

2740 Ann Avenue before it was cleaned up

2653 Ann, still owned by an LLC in unincorporated St. Louis County near Sunset Hills, MO has no permits issued, but taxes are paid up. It sits next to the popular restaurant, Savage. So, maybe something will happen. To date, not much on record. But how sweet is this one?

2242 Oregon, some call it the hippie house, due to the 2010’s residents who once lived there, this Olivette, MO owner is finally paid up on taxes and was issued a $100K permit in February, 2020. Work is underway, stability is in its future. Hopefully that weird second story dormer and unstable front porch are properly dealt with.

2627 Oregon Place. No current records per the city, it still sits vacant.

2839 Magnolia, an 1890 beauty sits boarded up and vacant since 1999 owned by a South City guy, still nothing doing.

2806 Magnolia remains at the top of my list for most endangered due to a local utility company wanting it leveled. It still sits, but at least ~$9K in building permits have been attained for garage and fence work.

While the results are a mixed bag ranging from nothing at all changing in two years, to minor improvements, to sweeping improvements. The stretch of Shenandoah from South Jefferson to California is likely the most improved section of the neighborhood.

I am thrilled with the results.

2749 Shenandoah, condemned in 2017 and long series of start and stop rehab attempts, finally crossed the finish line of full renovation and is now a straight up beauty sitting right across from the park. Zillow has the value estimated around $350,000. The mansard was lovingly restored and it is now a classic Fox Park beauty once again.

Just east of here, some work is being done for new windows and some really nice landscaping to make this stretch look way more inviting and lived-in. Cheers to all those working so hard to make these places beautiful again.

Maybe the LRA lot to the east will be sold for infill. That’ll be tough when the two vacant lots flanking it are privately owned. But, it could happen.

The 2600 block of Shenandoah might be the biggest star in this success story and has become one of the most handsome stretches of mixed architecture Fox Park has to offer.

2656 Shenandoah, across the street from the park at Ohio and Shenandoah has been a long-standing mess. Condemned in 1993, vacant since 1992. It's owned by a auto shop place on Jefferson just up the street since 2000. The $150 of annual taxes are paid up. A $500 building permit was issued in 2019 to repair the cornice, the broken windows have been replaced. I always feared this one was to be demo’d for an auto-centric use due to the owner. But, in their defense, this one looks much better than it has in years.

2656 Shenandoah - 2018 to 2020 Comparison

Across the street are 2651 and 2653 Shenandoah at Ohio Avenue.

Long owned by suburban and out of state investors, these two were in limbo for years. They were both rehabbed in the last two years, taxes paid up and occupied. Per Zillow, 2653 sold for $251K in 2019 and 2651 is estimated at $319K. These two eye sores are now homes for Fox Parkers!

Just east of here, a long vacant lot benefitted from some beautiful new infill townhomes and a great rehab of a St. Louis classic immediately next to it. New sidewalks and all, this was a great investment by Garcia Properties.

2600 block of Shenandoah - new infill and adjacent rehab

Let’s go north a block to Armand, the 4 family at 2617 - 2619 was long vacant and sitting for over 20 years. Things are looking up as the taxes have been paid up and a $40K permit was issued in 2019 for a 4 to 2 family conversion. A good move for a city that has lost so much population and people like larger living spaces in modern America.

Things are looking up, no? The hits just keep on coming. This time at 2324 Texas, this charming little mini-mansion looked good a couple years ago when a local firm purchased it from a Colorado “investor”. Sure enough, it was the benefactor of a great rehab in is looking sharp these days. Zillow says it sold for $295K and is valued at over $313K.

2324 Texas Avenue - A Top 10 Fox Park beauty

Over on Accomac, a fantastic rehab of 2647 and 2706 occurred. And, a long standing eyesore at 2724 changed hands, got a bare bones investment and is now occupied.

2647 Accomac was the benefactor of several building permits that elevated the value and quality of the home. The property taxes paid on this property last year were > 3X those of the previous year providing much needed $ to run the schools and city services.

I’ll spare you my photos of 2706 Accomac, but just because there is a huge leafy tree that makes a clear shot tough. This one had a $300K permit issued in the 2018 post. It is now completed and occupied. Per city records, this one was vacant since 1995, so we are thrilled to see people living here once again.

2724 Accomac, vacant since 2012, had a large section of the front facade missing. It has had a patchwork of owners including a West County owner near Clayton and Mason who owned it from 1997-2002, then in 2003 it was purchased by a Chesterfield, MO owner and flipped in 2004 to 2006 to Everel Properties, LLC with an address listed across from Tratorria Masala in south city. Then it was sold to a real estate investor out of Accokeek, MD. She owned it from 2005-2015 when most of the damage and deterioration took place. It has since sold and a $100K permit to convert from a 2 to single family home was issued in 2018. The property today:

2815 Sidney is no longer boarded up and is owner occupied with taxes all paid, up.

So there is plenty of room for optimism here, right?

Lots of successes, lots still sit in the hands of absentee owners. Remember that per the 2010 Census data, Fox Park has a serious vacancy problem with 1,423 total housing units, of which 1,061 are occupied. That is a vacancy rate of 25%. One out of every four homes in Fox Park is empty ten year ago.

I have no doubt in my mind the data will look better in the 2020 Census count.

The vacancy and property neglect was palpable and obvious on nearly every block of Fox Park when we moved here ten years ago. But, it’s changing. The neighborhood is rebounding and people are taking notice. Sales comps are rising, enabling banks to make loans and more investors want to move on a property vs. let it sit.

Suburban home builder C.F. Vatterott STILL owns a lot of corner properties in the neighborhood and refuse to do anything with them. They sit and sit devaluing the neighborhood. Just one example:

Suburbanites sitting on property is a long-standing tradition in St. Louis

But don’t let this get you down, there are other properties seeing some investment and love. Hopefully with the end goal of dignified housing and more residents to stave off that 25% vacancy rate.

There are many, many construction dumpsters all over the neighborhood, indicating much rehab work.

This post and the one from 2018 are not intended to be an all inclusive list of every abandoned or vacant property in the neighborhood. Trust me, there are many, many more. Here are just a few homes that are transitioning from vacancy or getting rehabbed. I’ll include these to help build confidence that things are improving in spite of the long history of neglect.

Some proof:

This long vacant property at 2648 Geyer is an identical twin of it’s neighbor to the east. Vacancy inspections data back to 2012, google streetview images show the loss of the back porches and roof caving in. The good news here is that a St. Charles, MO holding company now owns the property. They have been granted $68,500 in building permits and got an occupancy permit in 2019. This one is coming back, folks. Check out the full rebuild, rafters and all in the photo below:

2811 - 2813 Magnolia Avenue has been owned by a local guy in the Vandeventer Neighborhood. While no taxes were paid in 2019, the owner since 2015 has recently received $86,500 in permits for a full rehab. This 1893 classic may just find life for at least another generation.

2737 Armand Place, condemned in 2001 is coming back. With $58,000 in building permits issued in 2019, this one is undergoing a renovation. It is owned by a Sunset Hills, MO business that purchased it in 2019 and is not messing around when it comes to getting some work done. Nice to see.

2704 Armand Place, also owned by the above Sunset Hills, MO company, they have applied for $55K in permits to convert this 2 family to a single family. Per the city records, this was a long Section 8 property. It bounced around from owner to owner for years, landing in the hands of a San Luis Opispo, CA investor before the current owner.

Some properties seem to be in limbo. 2842 Sidney is a burned out property owned by a Villa Ridge, MO landlord since 2001. It was condemned this year and per the photos in Geo St. Louis, it is a mess.

Some outcomes are likely not going to end well. Take 1826 Oregon which abuts the I-44 easement. This one, owned by a Hyde Park resident has not paid taxes in 2019. The property has been vacant since 2006 with 59 CSB complaints (on file). See, those don’t yield results. No permits issued in the last ten years, this one is falling down and is open to any trespasser who wants to come on in. There were once plans to develop the vacant lots to the east of here, but believe those fell through. I was taking photos of this and a neighbor up the street asked if I was doing something about this property, and she said she’s lived here for 20 years and they’ve tried everything to get it demo’d. While I’m not a fan of demo’s, there is a place for it. You could sense her frustration. This is what we’re dealing with folks.

2140 Oregon is a strange one, I can’t figure out what’s going on. The front brick face is coming apart from the rest of the house and it’s been surrounded by chain link fence for months. No construction seems to be happening. The current owner who has held this one since 2014 is a California guy. Only a $4300 permit has been applied for, but it was cancelled in March. 47 CSB complaints, including a building collapse complaint in November, 2019…maybe this one is getting some attention from the city, or maybe it’s not. Either way, it looks like this one could fall at any moment.

2852 Magnolia is another long boarded up mess. This Ballwin, MO owner sits on it. No taxes have been paid since 2012, vacant since 2008, condemned in 2010, 12 violations cited by the city in 2012…yet, nothing is done to punish this West County “investor”. Not his problem, ours. The home immediately to the west was recently rehabbed by East Fox Homes, who did a lot for this block in the recent past. You can see why we as St. Louisan’s feel helpless against the suburban investors.a