Five unoccupied homes sit in the 3900 block of Labadie Avenue in the Greater Ville neighborhood on Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2018. Of the five, four were owned by the Land Reutilization Authority (LRA), one was privately owned and two of the five were slated for demolition after a 2017 fire. All five were recently demolished, leaving one two-family flat standing at right on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021. Dozens of pallets of valuable St. Louis brick await pickup, where the bricks are often sold out of state for new construction or historic renovation. Photos by Robert Cohen, rcohen@post-dispatch.com
Regarding "‘It’s up to the next mayor.’ St. Louis mayoral candidates want to rebuild neighborhoods, encourage homeownership" (Feb. 22): It is heartening to see the St. Louis mayoral candidates take an interest in the city's housing infrastructure. But how will the unemployed and underemployed be able to purchase homes? And why would developers undertake a project knowing that there is a lack of qualified buyers? I suggest that the candidates' first priority be jobs, jobs, jobs. Not job training, as suggested by Aldermanic President Lewis Reed. Training isn't helpful when there aren't any jobs to fill.
The city should provide whatever incentives are necessary to bring employers to St. Louis. Those who govern the city need to view employers not as targets of taxation but rather as the builders of a tax base. More people working means more income tax revenue, more sales tax revenue, more property tax revenue. And less crime.
Take a drive on Page Boulevard from Skinker Boulevard to downtown to see the condition of our neighborhoods. Children are the victims of drive-by shootings. People are stealing catalytic converters. It all stems from a lack of jobs.
Frank Marchiony • Chesterfield
