East St. Louis housing boom sells out fast

Affordable Housing Development in East St. Louis Sees High Demand

A new affordable housing development in downtown East St. Louis has quickly become a success, with all 38 units—comprising apartments and townhomes—already rented out just a few months after going on the market. This project, named Winstanley Park, is a $13 million initiative designed to support working families by offering one- to four-bedroom units that are both safe and accessible.

The development was led by the economic development arm of a Baptist church and the Illinois Housing Development Authority. These organizations aim to revitalize East St. Louis and serve as a catalyst for further growth in the area. According to Dennis Jackson, executive director of the Mt. Sinai Development Corp., creating a strong community is essential for long-term success in the region.

"Long-term success here requires us to build the community around us and be the anchor for that community," Jackson explained. He emphasized the importance of attracting back residents who have left over the years and bringing in new businesses. Providing quality, affordable housing is the first step in this process.

Jackson pointed out that the high demand for the units, as evidenced by the lengthy waitlist, highlights the need for such developments. "We're trying to bring back what was," he said. "Having a 100-person waiting list really speaks for itself."

The Illinois Housing Development Authority funded nearly 95% of the Winstanley Park project through tax credits and pandemic-era grants. Additional financial support came from St. Clair County, which provided a $400,000 loan, and Midland States Bank, which covered the remaining $335,000 with another loan.

Most of the tenants at Winstanley Park earn 60% or less of the median income in the St. Louis metropolitan area. For a family of four, the median household income in the area is just below $67,000, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

This isn't the first time the Illinois Housing Development Authority and Mt. Sinai have worked together in East St. Louis. Over the past 17 years, they have been involved in various redevelopment efforts in the neighborhood, including the construction of 60 rentable single-family homes nearby.

The site where the state agency and Mt. Sinai previously renovated 10 loft-style apartments used to be an industrial area that had been vacant for years. In addition to those units, Mt. Sinai plans to transform the space into a community center. This will expand the church's free after-school child care and family services for elementary students up to teenagers. Construction on the community center is expected to begin later this year.

There is also a broader master plan to build more than 220 new homes, establish a home repair fund for existing homeowners, develop new recreation facilities, and attract commercial investment in East St. Louis. According to the Illinois Housing Development Authority, these initiatives are part of a larger vision to revitalize the entire community.

"We plan to have more housing and more projects in hopes that more businesses will come and make Winstanley Park what it used to be years ago," Jackson said. The success of Winstanley Park represents a significant step forward in the ongoing effort to restore East St. Louis to its former vibrancy.