Aldermen back registry and notice rules to connect neighborhood groups with city decisions

The Housing, Urban Development and Zoning Committee approved a pair of measures to create a voluntary registry of neighborhood organizations and to require city departments to send specified public notices to registered groups.

Board Bill 44 directs the Neighborhood Stabilization Division to establish a registration process and public database for resident‑led neighborhood organizations; Board Bill 45 requires specified notices to be sent to relevant registered neighborhood organizations and authorizes additional communications. Alderman Shamim Clark Hubbard sponsored both bills.

Dana Malcus, facilitator of a working group convened by the St. Louis Vacancy Collaborative, told the committee the registry was developed after interviews, focus groups and a review of other cities. “The registry can be accomplished with existing NSD resources,” she said, and the registry is designed to strengthen neighborhoods by making it easier to find groups, receive targeted notices and coordinate local efforts.

Under the proposed rules, organizations would sign up voluntarily and renew annually, provide a simple written governance document (which can be short), identify the geography they serve, and demonstrate that a majority of their members live within that geography. Registered groups would receive direct copies of public notices relevant to their area; the committee discussed a 200‑foot buffer so notices would also reach adjacent neighbors when appropriate. Peter Hoffman of Legal Services of Eastern Missouri said expanded, targeted notice “will lead to more informed and engaged citizenry.”

A range of neighborhood leaders testified in favor. Keith Crawford, president of the Northpointe Neighborhood Association, said a public registry and direct notices would help emerging associations coordinate with other groups and local officials; Audrey Ellerman and others said the registry would create a more consistent paper trail for community engagement and make residents easier to reach. Several testifiers asked that community improvement districts (CIDs) and special purpose districts (SPDs) be included in notice lists; multiple aldermen said that adding CIDs/SPDs could be handled through Board Bill 45 at perfection or in a follow-up amendment.

Some organizations and alliance representatives — including Matt O’Leary of the Washington Avenue Corridor CID and a steering committee member of the St. Louis Neighborhoods Alliance — supported the bills but asked the committee to consider expanding eligibility to include established CIDs, SPDs and community development corporations that already provide neighborhood services and could be useful notice recipients.

The committee accepted an amendment to Board Bill 45 to explicitly add conditional‑use and public‑hearing notices to the list of required notifications. Alderman Clark Hubbard said the amendment responded to a zoning department suggestion and aimed to ensure the registry would cover notices that frequently affect neighborhoods.

Votes: The committee voted 7–0 to give Board Bill 44 a do‑pass recommendation. Board Bill 45, as amended, received a do‑pass recommendation in committee with no objections on a previous roll call.

Why it matters: The registry aims to centralize information about active neighborhood groups and to systematically connect them to planning, zoning and other city processes. Supporters said it will make engagement more transparent and efficient; some community leaders urged the committee to ensure the system is broad enough to include community development organizations and business districts that also engage neighborhood stakeholders.