ST. LOUIS — A college financial aid program and the creation of an “innovation, cultural arts and business district†along Martin Luther King Drive are among a long list of economic justice ideas outlined Monday by Mayor Tishaura O. Jones.
The plan adds some detail to the mayor’s announcement last week that she wants to use $150 million of the city’s remaining $249 million in federal American Rescue Act Plan funds on revitalizing the economically depressed North Side.
But the plan, called the “,†stops short of stating how much of the $249 million she would ask the Board of Aldermen to earmark for specific programs. Instead, it lists a wide range of ideas that could be considered.
People are also reading…
And while the plan includes many items that would help the largely Black North Side, which includes many lower-income neighborhoods, some programs also could aid other parts of the city.
“I ran for mayor to ensure that every neighborhood in St. Louis can thrive, and we cannot succeed as a city if we allow over half to fail,†Jones said in an introduction to the document.
“Building a more equitable St. Louis starts with investing directly in people and communities — particularly our most marginalized.â€
Regarding college aid, the plan has a “College Promise†initiative that would provide “all graduating high school seniors with financial support†for post-secondary education and or short-term certification programs.
However, it doesn’t provide further details, such as whether family income restrictions would be involved. “I can’t say at this moment what that’s going to look like,†mayoral spokesman Nick Desideri said.
The redevelopment of MLK Drive, the plan says, would promote “the advancement of Black residents and businesses.â€
Some of the city’s initial round of $249 million in ARPA money — $9.6 million — already is allocated to grants to businesses and nonprofits along MLK Drive from Jefferson Avenue west to the city limits.
The street has new lights and some longstanding businesses, but crime and blight still an issue.
That’s included in $37 million approved earlier this month by the Board of Aldermen and awaiting Jones’ signature. The bill, sponsored by Aldermanic President Lewis Reed, also includes money to bolster nine other major North Side streets.
Jones’ plan also calls for identifying “priority buildings†for stabilization and redevelopment, such as the Wellston Loop station, the old Club Imperial building and the Goodfellow Boulevard federal complex on the North Side and Soulard Market and the vacant Cleveland High School on the South Side.
The long-empty Municipal Courts building downtown also is listed, as is helping fund a proposed north-south MetroLink line.
Jones’ plan also calls for technical aid and a revolving loan fund to assist small, minority and woman-owned businesses; a year-round youth jobs program; acquiring and redeveloping vacant school buildings; expanding high-speed broadband access to lower-income areas and rehabbing vacant buildings when possible and demolishing others when necessary.
The plan also includes $96 million in items related to economic justice already funded in the city’s allocation of the first round of ARPA money.
It also refers to the Jones administration’s efforts to require developers getting tax incentives to include affordable housing and neighborhood benefits.
Desideri said the mayor is continuing to seek community input on the next round of ARPA money through a digital survey. He also said the administration plans two town hall meetings next month and is seeking input from aldermen as well.
Posted at 9 p.m. Monday, April 25.Â
