ST. LOUIS (KMOX) — There are 100 vacant lots in the West End neighborhood owned by the city of St. Louis. A group of neighbors want to breathe new life into one of them.
Residents are taking input on how to transform the vacant 5900 Clemens Avenue into a community green space, or Pocket Park.
Vacant lots like this are known to lead to vagrancy and violent crime, as well as dropping property values and blighting neighborhoods.
A $30,000 grant has bene provided by the Violence Prevention Commission Small Grants Initiative, funded by ReCAST St. Louis. Other organizations are lending a helping hand, from St. Louis ArtWorks to the West End South Community Improvement District (CID). For the design and build, Washington University’s Urban Planning Department, Frank Wilson of BFW Contractors, and the St. Louis Arts Chamber of Commerce will collaborate.
The group will gather input over the next three months and develop a design. By the end of September, the group hopes to have transformed this vacant lot into a functional space for nearby residents.
There's going to be a pop-up event on Saturday, July 17th, starting at 11 a.m. The pop-up will include a food truck, local vendors, community information, snacks, games, and more. The event is free and open to the public.
If you wish to submit your input on how the pocket park might look like, click here.
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