STL VACANCY COLLABORATIVE
  • About Us
    • General Info
    • Who We Are
    • Work Plan 2022-2023
    • Vacancy Strategy Initiative >
      • VSI Pillars
      • VSI Partners
  • Get Involved
    • Project Groups
    • News & Updates
  • Resources
    • For Neighborhoods
    • For Residents
    • For Rehabbers
    • St. Louis County Land Bank Coalition
    • Small Grants Program
    • Vacant Lot Toolkit >
      • Clean and Green
      • Naturescaping
      • Butterfly Garden
      • Rain Garden
      • Produce Garden
      • Urban Orchard
      • Play Space
      • Gathering Space
      • Public Art
  • Maps & Stats
    • Vacant Property Explorer
    • Demolition Explorer
    • Demolition Dashboard
    • Community Organizations
  • Donate

Who We Are

Who We Are

As a coalition, STL Vacancy Collaborative convenes neighborhood leaders, nonprofits, academics, community development corporations, and businesses into an advisory committee and several project groups to put our vacant properties back into productive use. These organizations work collectively toward agreed upon goals outlined in our work plan.   

Structure

The STL Vacancy Collaborative structure includes a board of directors and project groups that coordinate closely:
  • Board of Directors: a community-oriented committee made up of private, non-profit, and community members who represent a variety of viewpoints and expertise. The STLVC Board of Directors is made up of Project Group co-chairs and at large members.
  • Cross-Sector Project Groups: groups that work on priority projects that address diverse vacancy reduction strategies.
  • Staff: support the board and project groups and host quarterly STLVC-wide meetings to share updates and opportunities to collaborate.

Find out more about the Project Groups Here
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Courtesy of Chuck Ramsay and Legal Services of Eastern Missouri

STL Vacancy Collaborative Staff
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Torrey Park, Director 
​[email protected]

Torrey first became involved in community development and urban revitalization when she joined the grassroots organization, Metropolis St. Louis, in 1999, whose mission was to attract and retain young people to the city of St. Louis. As a leader on the steering committee, she embraced the values of developing community-centered collaboration, understanding the historical and political context of complex issues, and cultivating a “sense of place”. Since then, Torrey has been active in community-based groups and projects including re-establishing the Tower Grove South Neighborhood Association, implementing ward-level Participatory Budgeting, exploring and producing a Community Benefits Agreement, and supporting the Affordable Housing Trust Fund Coalition’s advocacy efforts to increase annual funding by the city of St. Louis. Torrey holds a B.A. in Parks, Recreation and Tourism from the University of Missouri – Columbia and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Washington University – St. Louis. Additionally, Torrey is proud to be a Coro Women in Leadership program alumni. Torrey believes when it comes to addressing vacancy issues, it is key to prioritize equity and systems level change. She is committed to radical listening and creating a welcoming, inclusive space that fosters greater synergy amongst all stakeholders.

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Zach Kassman, Vacancy Strategy Project Manager
[email protected]

Zach will be leading activities related to establishing, facilitating, and coordinating the efforts of the Vacancy Collaborative as it relates to the fulfillment of the City of St. Louis’s Community Development Administration (“CDA”) Vacancy Strategy RFP. As the Vacancy Strategy Project Manager, Zach will assist interdepartmental project teams in setting priorities, developing action plans, evaluating progress, and reporting back the City and community stakeholders.

Zach is passionate about St. Louis and has been dedicated to making St. Louis city a better place through his work in community development since 2019.  Zach has an MSW from the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis, where he studied Social and Economic Development, macro-social work, with a particular focus on economic development in historically disinvested communities.  He also holds a degree in History and American Cultural Studies from Fontbonne University.  

Zach has experience working at St. Louis Development Corporation, the City of St. Louis Mayor's Office, Green City Coalition, Metropolitan St. Louis Equal Housing and Opportunity Council (EHOC), the International Institute of St. Louis, and AmeriCorps St. Louis.  Most recently Zach spent the last four years working on the Prop NS Program after creating its pilot program and working with Green City Coalition on its community land trust efforts.  

Zach was also a Gephardt Institute Public Service Fellow and is a Neighborhood Leadership Academy graduate (2020 Cohort).  He is also a member of the Tower Grove South Neighborhood Association and has served on their Development Committee since the Summer of 2022.  

He is passionate about community land trusts, equitable development across St. Louis, and playing soccer with friends.  You can find Zach hosting monthly Community Ownership get-togethers (which you should ask him about if you want to know more). ​


Steering Committee
Laura Ginn, Co-Chair, SLDC
Sundy Whiteside, Emeritus Co-Chair, SLACO

​Aisha Muhammad, Missouri Department of Conservation
​Angela Drake, SLACO

Bob Lewis, SLU Urban Planning 
Crystal Avery-Morris, Commerce Bank
​Dana Malkus, SLU Law 
Keith Crawford, SLACO & Northpointe Neighborhood Association
​Peter Hoffman, Legal Services of Eastern Missouri
Sean Spencer, Tower Grove CDC 

Vacancy Strategy City Departments
Office of the Mayor
St. Louis Development Corp. & Land Reutilization Authority
Community Development Agency
Information Technology Services Agency 
Problem Properties Unit
Parks, Recreation & Forestry
Planning & Urban Design Agency 
Building Division 

Citizens’ Service Bureau & Office of Neighborhood Stabilization
Streets Department
SLMPD Trash Task Force
Department of Health

Project Group Co-Chairs
Small Grants for Greening Vacant Lots
Aisha Muhammad
Samantha Smugala
Recognized Community Organizations
Dana Malkus
Code Enforcement & Building Improvements
Laura Ginn
​Henry Brown
Law, Policy & Implementation

Peter Hoffman
​Anti-Displacement Guide for Community Conversations
Dan Pate

Vacancy Collaborative Pledge 
Signing the Vacancy Collaborative Pledge helps us identify our network, but more importantly, it allows us to celebrate the work that organizations and individuals have put into reducing the negative impact of vacancy in St. Louis.
Add Your Name To The List

The following organizations have signed the pledge:
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Covenant Blu Grand Center Neighborhood Association

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The following individuals have signed the pledge:
Anders Walker, Saint Louis University  

Angela Serwin

Brian Adler

​Brian Matthews
, Cultivation Capital ​ 
​
Candy Boyd

Cara Spencer, City of St. Louis 

Cecilia Dvorak, Planning and Urban Design Agency 

Charlie Hinderliter, St. Louis REALTORS 

Chrissie Barfield, The Ville and Hyde Park  

Christie Holland  ​​ 

​Christy Fry, Southampton Neighborhood Association 

Dana Gray, Tower Grove Neighborhoods CDC 

Dave Menninger, Volunteer Web Developer
Erica Hallman, St. Louis Roots  ​

​Fatimah Muhammed, Hyde Park Neighborhood Association

James Fister, Southwest Garden Neighborhood Association

John Fisher, YouthBuild  

John Albright, Missouri Community Service Commission 

Joshua Lawrence 

Julia Allen, Retired Social Worker 

Kacey Cordes Mahrt, U.S. Bank CDC + ULI St. Louis  

​
Katy Shackelford, Lochmueller Group 
Keith A. Crawford, North Pointe Neighborhood Association  

Latasha Barnes, Legal Services of Eastern MO

Leela Moon

Leo Walker, 1978 
 
Lorine Pattin, Hyde Park Neighborhood  

Marva Colvinx, Construction Management Services

Marsha Nelson, GROUND$KEEPERS 

Mark Groth, St. Louis City Talk  

Michael Deeba, Urban Revitalization Strategies, LLC

Nick Howlett
​
Nikki Woelfel,
Carrollton Bank 

Paradise Smith

Peter Hoffman
, Legal Services of Eastern Missouri  

​
Peter Taylor

Ravi Rao
, Grace Hill Settlement House 

​Richard Walter Savin 

Sahir Majid


Sandra Jacobson

​Simon Nogin
, HeartLands Conservancy 

Sophie Abo, Des Sales CDC 

Stephanie Co  

Trisha H Whelan, Lindell Bank
​
Troy Guzman,
Arcturis 

Yoni Blumberg 
Add Your Name to the List

Support

​Funding to support coordination of the Vacancy Collaborative was provided, in part by:
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4818 Washington Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63108
  • About Us
    • General Info
    • Who We Are
    • Work Plan 2022-2023
    • Vacancy Strategy Initiative >
      • VSI Pillars
      • VSI Partners
  • Get Involved
    • Project Groups
    • News & Updates
  • Resources
    • For Neighborhoods
    • For Residents
    • For Rehabbers
    • St. Louis County Land Bank Coalition
    • Small Grants Program
    • Vacant Lot Toolkit >
      • Clean and Green
      • Naturescaping
      • Butterfly Garden
      • Rain Garden
      • Produce Garden
      • Urban Orchard
      • Play Space
      • Gathering Space
      • Public Art
  • Maps & Stats
    • Vacant Property Explorer
    • Demolition Explorer
    • Demolition Dashboard
    • Community Organizations
  • Donate