Florissant, the largest of St. Louis County's 90 suburban municipalities and seventh largest city in Missouri, still contains landmarks and bears other traces of the French explorers who settled it, the Spanish caretakers who followed them, and the German farmers who migrated to the community nearly a century later. Waves of subdivisions were built around Florissant's historic core in the post-World War II development rush. Buyers of typically ranch-style homes and their expanding families pushed the population to a peak of 70,000. Both population and household sizes have declined and many of the current homeowners are aging, as are the houses they occupy. Preserving and maintaining this postwar housing stock is one of the major goals of the city's housing and community development strategy.
Florissant's action plan for the current fiscal year calls for allocating $199,000, the largest share of its $317,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), for home improvement grants to income-eligible homeowners. The city will use another $25,000 as seed money to establish a program to help first-time buyers acquire single-family homes. Community development funds totaling $26,000 will be used to remove architectural barriers to disabled persons on city streets.
Florissant has a standing Citizens Participation Committee that meets monthly to review city activities and budgets. The Community Development Office (CDO) is working to amend the committee's structure to meet requirements for full participation in the Consolidated Plan process. Committee members were interviewed during preparation of the plan, as were representatives of city departments, service providers, and representatives of St. Louis County Government. The trends outlined and the strategies developed for the plan are the result of this process.
MAP 1 depicts points of interest in the jurisdiction.
The city of Florissant was settled in 1767 by the French and later became the property of the Spanish. When Florissant passed under the American flag in 1804, 40 people lived there. The city was officially chartered in 1939, and after World War II, subdivisions of predominantly ranch-style houses stretched far beyond Florissant's historic center. In the old town area, half the streets still bear the French term rue; City Hall is on Rue St. Francois, for example. A St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter, who profiled the city in 1994, found that 125 structures have been designated Florissant landmarks, 90 of them listed on the National Register of Historic Places. During 20 years of mostly residential development, the population grew from 3,737 in 1950 to 65,908 in 1970. Its 1990 population was 51,038.
Development of Florissant's 10-square-mile area is now nearly complete. Although the city faces an aging housing stock, strict code enforcement over the past 25 years has prevented the kind of decay found in some postwar boom communities. The city also copes with an aging population and a changing economic environment. With nearly 400 acres of parks, two civic centers, and a campus of St. Louis Community College, Florissant offers its residents a range of services and activities.
The city has a police department staffed by 74 officers—a ratio of 1.4 officers per 100 residents. The department sponsors programs for youths and the elderly and, as part of a Community Oriented Problem Solving (COPS) program, it formed a Citizen Academy—an educational, citizen-involvement activity. The fact that Florissant has one of the lowest crime rates in the metropolitan area could be attributable, in large measure, to these activities and the high ratio of officers to residents.
Like many older suburban communities, Florissant continues to lose residents. While the average age of residents rises, the number of single, female-headed households grows. In 1990, whites accounted for 94 percent of the population, a decline of 11 percent from 1980. In contrast, the minority population more than doubled from 1,233 in 1980 to 2,912 in 1990. Increases in the minority population were found for African-Americans (from 903 in 1980 to 2,060 in 1990), Hispanic Americans (from 11 in 1980 to 490 in 1990), and Asian Pacific Islanders (from 149 in 1980 to 260 in 1990).
Senior citizens comprise 20 percent of the city's current population. This demographic pattern follows a national trend and demonstrates the need for more services geared toward older adults. It also underscores the need to continue measures to stabilize housing and maintain a housing stock that is accessible to younger buyers. This aging trend also heavily influences the demand for other services, such as transportation, programmed activities, and more extensive medical services.
MAP 2 depicts points of interest and low-moderate income areas.
MAP 3 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and minority concentration levels.
MAP 4 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and unemployment levels.
Florissant has a total of 19,177 households, 1,092 of which have incomes between 0 and 30 percent of the area's median family income (MFI). Of this very low-income group, 21 percent are renters and 79 percent are owners. About 35 percent of all renters and 10 percent of all owners experience housing problems. The next tier income group—low income (31 to 50 percent of MFI)—comprises 15 percent of all households. This group exhibited the same pattern of household needs as did the lowest income group.
In general, census data indicate that the groups most likely to have housing problems (physical defects, overcrowding, or cost burden) are large and small family renters and elderly homeowners.
To address these needs, the city will continue to provide CDBG funding to enable homeowners, many of them elderly, to make improvements. While Florissant is primarily a community of homeowners, it contains 4,030 rental units. To maintain the quality of these units, the city will continue a practice of identifying troubled rental units and requiring owners to comply with the building code.
The 1990 census reported that Florissant had a total housing inventory of 19,797 units. Owner-occupied units account for 77 percent (15,147) of the total housing units; of these, 99 percent had 2 or 3 bedrooms. More than 8,000 households (41 percent) had incomes of less than 80 percent of the metropolitan area MFI. Approximately 4,838 households (25 percent) were in the very low-income category. The census also showed that 2,419 households had incomes below $10,000, just $4,600 above the average income of households on the Housing Authority of St. Louis County's waiting list. In 1990 about 53 percent of the very low-income households and 61 percent of other low-income households were homeowners.
Single-family homes make up 82 percent of Florissant's housing stock, many of them two- and three-bedroom ranch-style houses. The average sale price of a house is $65,000, according to the St. Louis Board of Realtors multiple-listing service. Of the 19,797 households in Florissant, 76.5 percent are owner occupied and 20.4 percent are rental units. Sales and rental figures depict a housing market that reflects both long-term stability and strong demand.
The 1990 vacancy rates for owner-occupied homes (less than 1 percent) and rental units (approximately 1 percent) remained virtually identical to 1980 levels. Despite the 7.5 percent drop in population between 1980 and 1990, the number of housing units increased by 19 percent. Much of this difference is due to declining household size and new housing construction during the past decade.
In spite of the balance between housing supply and demand, there is a concern about the availability of affordable units. With the number of developable sites decreasing, the city does not expect a dramatic increase in new home building in the next 3 years. Its goal is to continue to make building code enforcement a high priority to ensure the quality of existing housing. To expand affordable housing opportunities, the city proposes to use its 1995 CDBG allocation to fund a first-time buyer program offering incentives for low-income families to buy foreclosed properties in Florissant.
There are currently no homeless persons in Florissant. If homeless families and individuals are identified, the city will work with St. Louis County and such organizations as the Community in Partnership Shelter to locate shelter and supportive services.
Florissant has no public housing units.
The city has contracted with the University of Missouri-St. Louis to conduct a study of potential impediments to fair housing opportunities in Florissant. The study will provide the basis for strategies to remove any such obstacles.
The majority (12,723—or 80 percent) of Florissant's 15,797 housing units were built before 1976, and by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development criteria, may contain lead-based paint. It is estimated that 7,096 households in the low- and moderate-income groups may occupy these structures. Through its occupancy permit process, the city makes all residents aware that the dwelling they are about to occupy may contain lead-based paint.
Florissant identified 16 types of community development needs and estimated that $7.9 million would be needed to address them. Highest on its list of priorities are neighborhood facilities, for which $3.3 million is needed. Street improvements that would cost $1.1 million top a list of needed infrastructure improvements.
The city's vision for change is reflected in a widely held concern that policies maintain, or increase, the current quality of life in the community. Responses to these concerns are manifest in, among other ways, strong building code enforcement, a partnership with the police force that involves citizen participation and education, and a range of services offered to residents.
Florissant's priorities for a 3-year strategic plan are in three major areas—housing, public service, and removal of architectural barriers. The city will continue a strategy aimed at preventing blight by providing income-eligible homeowners with CDBG-funded home improvement grants and stimulating low-income homeownership through a first-time buyer program. Meanwhile, city officials will remain proactive in enforcing codes and administering occupancy permits.
The home improvement grants will be leveraged as a result of homeowners contributing 50 percent, 25 percent, or 10 percent of the grant. The maximum grant amount is $5,000. CDO estimates the program will result in housing rehabilitation valued at $350,000. The first-time buyer program addresses a problem caused by dramatic increases in housing values since 1970. Values jumped 238 percent between 1970 and 1980 and an additional 160 percent between 1980 and 1990. The city proposes to provide $25,000 for the buyer- incentive program from the 1995 CDBG budget in addition to the $50,000 it allocated in 1994. It isestimated this will leverage more than $300,000 in private investment. The city has allocated $4,000 of CDBG funds to support foreclosure counseling provided by a not- for-profit organization.
Most projected nonhousing community development needs will be financed from general revenue. Bridge replacement and repair will be augmented with Federal funds. The city plans to supplement the $747,897 it has budgeted for this work with Federal assistance totaling nearly $1.6 million. It has allocated $26,000 in CDBG funds for construction of ramps and curb cuts, at certain intersections, to meet guidelines of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Program descriptions include funding from Federal resources and individual allocations. Most public facility, public service, and infrastructure developments are funded from general revenue.
As the lead agency, CDO will coordinate the efforts of city agencies and private-sector groups involved in housing, aid to the homeless, and community services. This office will convene meetings to discuss issues such as those identified in the Consolidated Plan. The CDO will work directly with the city council, the mayor and city departments, and the Citizens Participation Committee, expanding the role of this group in carrying out aspects of the plan.
MAP 5 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects.
MAP 6 is a map, sectioned by neighborhood, which depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects.
MAP 7 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded projects within one of the four neighborhoods indicated in MAP 6.
MAP 8 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded project(s) from a street level vantage point.
Under the buyer-incentive program, the city will use $25,000 in CDBG grants to establish a fund that will provide downpayments and closing costs to enable low-income buyers to acquire foreclosed and vacant properties. Besides increasing homeownership opportunities for eligible buyers, the program is expected to help stabilize neighborhoods. Other 1995 CDBG allocations include $199,000 for home improvement grants, $26,000 to make street intersections accessible, $4,000 for counseling to prevent mortgage foreclosures, and $63,000 for administration and planning.
All the programs previously listed will be provided on a citywide basis.
The goals in this 1-year action plan are implicit in the descriptions of the programs. The city expects their cumulative effect will be to strengthen its continuing efforts to maintain and increase property values in what is a community of predominantly single-family homes.
