A community engagement report on the Park at Fort Gillum presented to the Forest Park Urban Redevelopment Agency on Oct. 9 found long-term residency, affordability concerns and urgent maintenance issues among residents, and recommended centering legacy residents in future planning.

The findings were delivered by Jennifer Cobb of the Partnership for Southern Equity, who told the board the engagement combined quantitative and qualitative methods and included door-to-door surveying, small-group meetings and case studies of other base realignment and closure sites. Phoebe Milledge, also with the Partnership for Southern Equity, said survey respondents were more than 90% Black or African American and that a majority of responding households earn under $35,000 a year; more than a third of households had lived on the property for over a decade. "They want to stay in their homes," Milledge said, summarizing residents' top priority.

The consultants reported visible external property damage and said they had access to only one unit's interior for assessment. They said many residents expressed worry about displacement, rising rent and limited communication about leases and renovations, and that residents described issues including water intrusion, mold and damaged sidewalks. Cobb said the full report—about 26 pages plus appendices—contains more detailed unit- and site-level information and that a rent roll and vacancy list were included in the appendix and an updated rent roll from October was received by URA staff that afternoon.

The consultants recommended engaging the newly formed Park at Fort Gillum neighborhood association and embedding equity protections in any management transition, including preserving long-term affordability, centering legacy residents in planning and maintaining consistent, transparent communication with residents. Partnership for Southern Equity said it will continue to serve as a liaison through the end of the month and will support a community meet-and-greet on Oct. 18, aimed at introducing the incoming property-management firm to residents.

During the public comment period, resident Felicia Gilliard said she had not been informed of the Oct. 18 meet-and-greet and asked how residents would be notified in the future. "I didn't know anything about it," Gilliard said. Staff replied that the resident advisory committee's contact list would be used and that communications going forward would come from the new property manager as well as URA channels.

Board members pressed on the level of detail available about unit conditions and vacancies. Staff and consultants said external observations and one interior inspection informed the condition assessment; they noted that further interior tours require resident permission and that the new property manager is arranging additional walkthroughs in early November and will offer multiple time slots to accommodate work schedules. Consultants said they had confirmed some vacant units from the property manager's rent roll and from resident reporting.

After an executive session on real estate, the URA reconvened and approved a motion authorizing the chair to execute all documents necessary to effectuate the transfer of operations concerning Park at Fort Gillum LLC, "including but not limited to an assignment of the leases, assignment of security deposits, bill of sales subject to legal review," the motion stated. The motion was moved and the board approved it by voice vote.

The presentation packet and full appendices will be distributed electronically to board members; consultants said they will follow up with the detailed condition and vacancy materials already included in the report appendix.