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HUD Committee approves do-pass for Board Bill 138 to sell a city lot to long-term caretaker for $1
Summary
The HUD Committee voted to give a do-pass recommendation for Board Bill 138, which sells a city-owned parcel in the 4600 block of Saint Louis Avenue to Carol Wade for $1; sponsors proposed small deed corrections and committee members discussed ownership, precedent and process for similar sales.
Board Bill 138, presented to the St. Louis Board of Aldermen HUD Committee on Jan. 23, 2025, received a do-pass recommendation after committee members discussed a proposed sale of a city-owned vacant parcel to a local resident who has maintained the lot for decades.
Alderman Taiz introduced the item, describing a request from Carol Wade to purchase a small city-owned parcel for $1 to consolidate it with neighboring property she owns and better protect her adjacent home. Taiz said the city has held the parcel for many decades and that Wade and her family had maintained it for some 32 years.
The sponsor noted two "friendly amendments" to the quick-claim deed: correcting the year from 2024 to 2025 and inserting Ms. Wade's full address and ZIP (identified in committee as 4616 Saint Louis Avenue, ZIP 63115). Committee members discussed whether the parcel is owned by the Land Reutilization Authority (LRA) or the city comptroller; staff confirmed the parcel is owned by the City of St. Louis per the property database, not by LRA.
Committee members expressed support for returning the parcel to a long-term caretaker and getting it on the tax rolls, while also noting concerns about precedent and consistency with prior dollar-sale practices. Alderman Aldridge and others asked about an existing process; the sponsor said there is not a formal citywide program in place and suggested the council could consider creating a consistent policy. The sponsor also said the comptroller's office had no comparable sales for that small lot and that some lots historically have been sold for nominal amounts when the city was not actively using them.
Alderman Schweitzer moved the committee recommendation and Alderman Cohn seconded; the clerk noted the motion carried with no objection and the committee recorded Board Bill 138 as passed out of committee with a do-pass recommendation. The sponsor said she would provide council members with examples of other small-property quick-claim deeds and asked staff to share lists of city-owned parcels to inform potential policy work.
The deed corrections discussed in committee (year and the full mailing address/ZIP) were recorded as sponsor amendments to be clarified before final action on the floor. Committee members also discussed nearby LRA-owned lots and noted the sale does not affect those LRA parcels.
No public comment on this bill was recorded in committee beyond inquiries about database address formatting and ownership.
