By Tony Brockmeyer
“For the past year we have averaged 14 vacancies and Sparta Investment, the majority property owner in the Powell Terrace neighborhood has averaged 35 to 40 vacancies,” said Dennis Spellmann, President of Lindenwood University. President Spellmann was responding to remarks made by critics that Lindenwood University was swallowing up affordable starter housing in the area. “We have cleaned up the properties we have purchased and have turned the management of them over to George at Sparta Investment who owns most of the property in the area.”
According to President Spellmann, rents for property owned by the University range from $300 to $500 a month for one to four bedroom apartments. “If the people are retired, disabled and unable to be employed we will work with them. If they are able to work but don’t have a job we will work with them to get a job. There are plenty of jobs available just look at the many for hire signs throughout the City.”
President Spellmann told the First Capitol News, “We don’t want somebody living in our property laying around doing drugs. We want to make it a safe neighborhood and we have done that. We could fill our properties tomorrow but it would be people from a different culture. We do not want to put the unemployed, homeless, drug users from downtown St. Louis into St. Charles or into the school system.”
President Spellmann pointed out, “Our critics keep saying that we are taking away entry level affordable housing. We started purchasing properties in the neighborhood of $45,000. Now similar properties are now on the market for three and four times that. Why have those property values gone up? Because Lindenwood University has purchased properties in the area, cleaned up the neighborhoods, made them safe.”
“If there are single parents who need help we will give them an education and find them employment”, said President Spellmann. If there is someone who needs work and cannot find themselves a job we will help them find a job. It may be washing dishes, cutting the grass at Lindenwood or helping us clean up Powell Terrace but it will be a decent paying job.”
To the critics who say the University is taking away entry level affordable housing President Spellmann responds, “That is not true. The people need to have the correct information. We have an excess of available housing and in the event there was a shortage, that river is not 42 miles wide. There is plenty of entry level affordable housing in North County.”
President Spellmann points out that the Powell Terrace neighborhoods were built during World War II to be used only as temporary housing. He also told the First Capitol News that after the first of the year Lindenwood University would be holding a number of meetings with area residents to discuss plans for the neighborhood.
