TRANSFORM STL Act Makes Progress at the Board of Aldermen

Today, the Board of Aldermen’s Housing, Urban Development and Zoning Committee met to discuss Board Bill 153CS.

The committee unanimously supported an amendment to prioritize Downtown, North City, and Southeast City neighborhoods' access to the Citywide Infrastructure Fund and the Citywide Housing Fund.

“Under the leadership of Alderman Aldridge and with the support of Alderwoman Sonnier, Mayor Jones and myself, we are proud to announce a significant step toward building consensus with Greater St. Louis,” said Aldermanic President Megan E. Green. “After meeting with and listening to GSL representatives and Alderwoman Boyd last week, we believe this amendment offers a way to prioritize Downtown, North City and Southeast City neighborhoods while honoring our commitment to investing in the people who live and work in our city.” 

Additional amendments clarify the Children and Families Endowment Fund cannot be used to subsidize unlicensed childcare providers and that only city workers are eligible for childcare subsidies during the pilot period for that specific program.

The bill has support from City departments responsible for managing relevant funds and operationalizing programs including the Water Division, the Streets Division, SLATE and the Community Development Administration. 

Speaking about the Housing Development Fund, CDA Executive Director Nahuel Fefer noted, “...we see how we can leverage this $70 million in funding for the Housing Development Fund into more than $405 million in development.”

Additional stakeholders like the St. Louis Housing Authority expressed their support in writing with the committee earlier today: “By addressing the interconnected challenges of housing affordability, childcare access, and workforce development, Board Bill 153 provides an approach to strengthening our community.”

President Green reiterated her belief that ideas promoting neighborhood development can be championed alongside ideas that support children, families, and workers: “We hope GSL recognizes this plan for what it is: a win for historically disinvested neighborhoods and the children, families, and city workers who call St. Louis home,” said President Green. 

More than 16,000 residents participated in the yearlong Rams community engagement process and identified infrastructure, neighborhood development, and people as their priorities for investment.

The HUDZ Committee reconvenes tomorrow, January 15th, at 5:00 pm to take additional public comment on the legislation.