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Partnership for Southern Equity begins resident-led planning at the Park at Fort Gilliam; URA and staff promise ongoing engagement
Summary
The city's Urban Redevelopment Agency is working with Partnership for Southern Equity to gather resident input and data at the Park at Fort Gilliam. Staff and the URA said the third-party property management agreement ends in October 2025; the project aims to avoid displacement and identify community-prioritized improvements.
The Forest Park Urban Redevelopment Agency and the nonprofit Partnership for Southern Equity (PSE) presented a community engagement plan on July 21 designed to guide future decisions for the Park at Fort Gilliam, a 125-unit multifamily property the city acquired as part of a base-reuse effort.
PSE project staff told the mayor and council that their outreach will prioritize resident voices, collect qualitative and quantitative data about needs, and surface recommendations that reduce displacement risk as the current third‑party property management contract approaches expiration in October 2025.
Jennifer Cobb of Partnership for Southern Equity said the project began in January and has proceeded in three phases: URA and staff training on racial-equity practices; in-person resident engagement; and a final community findings report and technical assistance through October. “We want to make sure that development happens with these residents and not to these residents,” Cobb said.
Kazim Woodbury, PSE director, said preliminary survey results show a largely stable resident population: 125 units were acquired in 2012, 109 units are currently occupied, and many residents reported living at the property for more than four years. Residents’ top priorities included improved maintenance, upgraded unit interiors and shared community spaces such as playgrounds, benches and gardens.
City staff and URA members said the engagement team has convened a resident advisory committee to help distribute surveys and guide meetings. The URA board — composed of local residents — and economic-development staff participated in a three-hour racial-equity training in March and have been meeting with PSE to ensure transparency and accountability.
Concerns voiced in early outreach included fear of eviction, higher rents or utility costs, and loss of long-standing community networks if redevelopment proceeds without protections. PSE said those concerns drive its technical recommendations and the plan to present a resident findings report in October.
Next steps: PSE will hold another community meeting later in the week, continue collecting input through the resident advisory committee and submit a community findings report with recommendations for the URA and city. URA board members said they are not seeking displacement and want to preserve affordability and community for long-term residents.
Ending: City and URA staff urged residents to attend the upcoming meeting so staff and the URA can hear residents’ priorities before any property-management transition or redevelopment decisions are made.
