St. Charles, the third oldest city in Missouri, was settled in 1769. It is located on the west bank of the Missouri River as it curves north to join the Mississippi River. The city was independent of St. Louis and its suburbs until the 1950s, when it became part of the outer ring of St. Louis, following rapid suburban expansion.

Action Plan

During the first year of its 5-year strategic plan, St. Charles will spend $456,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds on 18 projects designed to improve the city's housing stock, infrastructure, and public facilities.

Citizen Participation

To encourage community participation, public hearings were held in each CDBG-eligible area early in the Consolidated Plan development process. Notices of the hearings were published in three local newspapers and posted in local libraries, post offices, and other public facilities. Each hearing opened with a request to the audience for a listing of community strengths and needs. A 30-day public comment period on the draft plan in May 1995 was announced in posted and published notices that included a list of the proposed projects.

After five decades of rapid growth, St. Charles had a population of 54,555 in 1990. Its population increased by 17,176 during the 1980s. This rapid increase was due to expanding city boundaries and the subsequent construction of new single-family and multifamily housing units. However, such rapid growth is unlikely to continue because areas to the north and northwest are flood plains of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers and the city of St. Peters is on the south and west. Little open space for substantial residential development remains.

In 1990 there were 21,677 households in St. Charles. Of those, 7 percent were extremely low-income (0-30 percent of median family income (MFI) in the St. Louis metropolitan area); 8 percent were very low-income households (31-50 percent of MFI); 17 percent were low- income households (51-80 percent of MFI); and ten percent were moderate-income households (81-95 percent of MFI). Together, these groups are targeted for low- and moderate-income benefits of the CDBG program.

More than 95 percent of the population is white, although the percentage of minorities increased from 2.8 percent in 1980 to 4.2 percent in 1990. Minorities are generally dispersed throughout the city.

Conditions

With the Mississippi River to the northwest and the Missouri River along its eastern boundary, St. Charles was affected during the Midwestern flood of 1993. Although only small areas of the city were damaged by the flood, the majority of residents in these areas had low and moderate incomes. The flood dramatically reduced affordable housing options available to lower income renters by eliminating many mobile home units and substantially damaging many homes in northern St. Charles. With the flooding of many substandard structures, the city seized the opportunity to acquire properties in the floodway and the 100-year flood plain. For the most part, residents have relocated to areas deemed safe from future flooding.

Housing Needs

Feedback at neighborhood meetings led to the conclusion that the community's most important housing need is the preservation and maintenance of existing structures.

St. Charles plans to expand homeownership opportunities for minority residents. During the past 5 years only one minority homeowner participated in the Home Improvement Loan Program. The city will increase outreach activities to the minority community to encourage minority participation in the program.

Market Conditions

In 1990 there were 23,246 housing units in the city of St. Charles, of which 8,733 (38 percent) were renter-occupied and 12,937 (56 percent) were owner-occupied. During the building boom in the 1980s, the number of rental units more than doubled, from 4,454 to 9,809. The majority of these new rental units were located in large apartment complexes with between 100 and 700 units, mostly targeted at the two-bedroom market. The estimated vacancy rate for rental units was 11 percent in 1990, but only 1 percent for owner-occupied units for sale. The high rental vacancy rate reflects the economic slowdown of the late 1980s, which created a surplus of rental units.

The flood of 1993 effectively wiped out any housing vacancies remaining in the city, particularly for lower income households. Rental units became very difficult to find. With the permanent relocation of most of the flood victims, the housing crunch has eased overall, although low-income households continue to have problems finding affordable units. Two larger mobile home parks in the flood area were purchased by St. Charles County for open space. Those parks were home to many low-income households.

Affordable Housing Needs

In the city of St. Charles in 1990, 82 percent of extremely low-income households were burdened with housing costs above 30 percent of their income, and 65 percent paid more than 50 percent. While 47 percent of owners had housing problems, 96 percent of renters had housing problems related to cost, crowding, or substandard structures.

Incidence of housing problems, usually related to cost burden, dropped rapidly with increasing income. Only 14 percent of moderate-income households had housing problems.

St. Charles has used its own definition of substandard housing as related to the housing codes. The city estimates that 16 percent of rental units are substandard, most suitable for rehabilitation. Units built before 1950 were most likely to be considered substandard.

Homeless Needs

The Salvation Army provided shelter for 456 individuals in 1990, but an additional 1,414 persons were turned away due to lack of facilities. Three facilities in St. Charles provide shelter and services to the homeless:

• The Salvation Army operates a 14-bed emergency shelter which serves the general population. Services such as food, clothing, and counseling are provided, as well as referrals to other agencies to find permanent housing.

• Youth In Need has a 12-bed emergency shelter for runaway and abandoned youth between the ages of 10 and 18. Services include schooling and intensive family counseling. Youth are reunited with families in an average of 14 days, or are provided with State child protective service placement.

• The Women's Center operates a 15-bed shelter for battered women and their children.

In addition to the homeless population, other families and individuals are at risk of becoming homeless, including extremely cost-burdened, very low-income households and persons. In 1990, 803 renter households and 255 owner households in St. Charles fell into this category.

Public and Assisted Housing Needs

The St. Charles Housing Authority operates 58 public housing units. Of these, 12 are one- bedroom units, 21 are two-bedroom units, and 25 are three-bedroom units. All 58 units are in the process of substantial rehabilitation, and three of the units are being renovated to become accessible to disabled persons.

In an effort to improve the quantity and quality of its public housing stock, St. Charles plans to build 14 Family Self-Sufficient units throughout the city. Rental assistance for these units will be available through Section 8 certificates.

Barriers to Affordable Housing

The city reports that zoning regulations, the permit process, and building codes do not negatively affect the ability of developers to construct affordable housing. However, land available for development is now quite limited.

Fair Housing

Because of its small minority population, St. Charles focuses on economic rather than racial diversity in its fair housing policies. As part of the Consolidated Plan, the city will continue to develop strategies that promote diversity in the size and affordability of housing in every section of the city.

Lead-Based Paint

Although the State Health Department, County Health Department nurses, and St. Joseph Health Center Laboratory have no recorded incidence of lead poisoning, it is probable that lead-based paint poisoning does occur because of the age of housing in the city. It is estimated that 2,776 very low- and low-income households reside in housing with lead- based paint hazard potential.

Community Development Needs

St. Charles needs additional recreational activities for its growing community, particularly in the vicinity of new residential development south of I-70. Boonslick Park, a park in an older low- to moderate-income area, needs upgrading to provide additional activities and to improve security. The creek in the park will be enclosed in a storm sewer to reduce erosion. The Senior Center needs more parking.

The infrastructure -- particularly streets and sewers -- in the older areas of St. Charles continues to need upgrading, reconstructing, and improving. Code enforcement needs to be strengthened.

Certain groups of people need services to help them be productive members of the community and to cope with daily living. These include senior citizens, handicapped persons, disadvantaged youth, low-income parents of infants and children, and homeless persons or those at risk of homelessness.

Housing and Community Development Objectives and Priorities

The Consolidated Plan for St. Charles lists a number of long-range housing and community development objectives, including:

• Protecting established residential areas from commercial encroachment.

• Encouraging the formation of neighborhood and merchant associations which strive to make neighborhoods and business districts more attractive and viable.

• Preserving the city's existing housing stock and minimizing the amount of housing converted to non-residential use.

• Developing a building code for historic buildings to ensure their preservation.

Housing Priorities

St. Charles has four priorities for improving and expanding its housing stock:

• Rehabilitation assistance to low-income homeowners. The city will increase its efforts and explore resources that allow lower income homeowners to rehabilitate their homes. The city will continue to administer the Home Improvement Loan Program which provides low-interest loans to low- and moderate-income residents.

• Rehabilitation assistance for housing occupied by low-income renters. Through its Rental Rehabilitation Program, the city will continue to enhance its housing stock by providing owners of low-income rental units with low- interest loans to rehabilitate their units.

• Lead-based paint hazard reduction. St. Charles will use CDBG funding to design a comprehensive survey and strategies aimed at identifying and fixing homes with lead-based paint hazards.

• Prevention of homelessness and transition of homeless persons to permanent housing.

Non-Housing Community Development Priorities

In its 5-year plan, St. Charles identifies long-term community development strategies to improve the following public facilities and services:

• Parks and recreational facilities ($229,000).
• Streets and sewers ($449,000).
• Senior, disabled, and youth services ($125,000).

The city aims to upgrade two public parks, Boonslick and West Winds, adding activities and security. These parks are located in lower income neighborhoods with limited community activities. St. Charles is also strongly committed to maintaining and expanding its social services programs for populations with special needs, including disadvantaged youth, senior citizens, disabled persons, and low-income families.

Anti-Poverty Strategy

The Consolidated Plan emphasizes the need to reduce the number of residents in poverty by helping people find jobs and increase job skills.

Housing and Community Development Resources

In addition to CDBG funds, the city plans to use funds from the Federal Emergency Shelter Grant, public housing, and Section 202 housing for the elderly.

Coordination of the Strategic Plan

The St. Charles Department of City Development was the lead agency in preparing the Consolidated Plan. Over the course of the plan term, city staff will continue to meet with members of the community and representatives of social services agencies to discuss housing and community development issues and concerns.

Description of Key Projects

During the coming year, St. Charles will spend $456,000 in CDBG funds for 18 housing, infrastructure, and social services activities, including:

• $100,000 to fund the Home Improvement Loan Program which helps low- and moderate-income households rehabilitate their homes.

• $12,000 for the Salvation Army to prevent homelessness and for homeless shelter operating expenses.

• $5,000 for services provided at the Women's Center for victims of domestic violence.

• $210,000 for improvements to Boonslick Park. Improvements include relieving creek drainage problems and installing of parking lot lighting. The park is located in a low- and moderate-income area.

• $15,000 for a new playground area and equipment for the West Winds Park playground which will increase community activities in a low- and moderate- income area.

• $5,000 to contract for in-home meals for the elderly.

Maps

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.

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 projects within another of the four neighborhoods indicated in MAP 6.

MAP 9 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, unemployment levels, and proposed HUD funded project(s) from a street level vantage point; in addition, a table provides information about the project(s).