Redevelopment on the Horizon for Clinton-Peabody: How Preservation of Affordable Housing is Preserving a Community-Focused Revitalization
By Sophia Black, Washington University Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement 2025 St. Louis Fellow
Clinton-Peabody’s taking a community-focused approach for their historic redevelopment through partnerships across organizations.
Clinton-Peabody, St. Louis' oldest public housing community, is on the brink of a historic transformation. Originally built in 1942, the public housing development has long awaited a neighborhood transformation—this new revitalization will inspire a new horizon for Clinton-Peabody.
This revitalization comprises many things, including a complete demolition and rebuilding of affordable housing units, creating green spaces and walkways, a sports field, and more—creating a new vision for the historic Clinton-Peabody complex.
This vision is being made possible through a partnership between the St. Louis Housing Authority (SLHA) [www.slha.org], the Preservation of Affordable Housing, Inc (POAH) [www.poah.org], and the Community Development Administration (CDA), showing how collaboration amongst different organizations are working to foster community and growth across the St. Louis area.
POAH is a national organization that focuses on real-estate development with a mission to “preserve, create and sustain affordable, healthy homes that support economic security and access to opportunity for all.”...
...“The Clinton-Peabody redevelopment will be a long process but it is a totally resident- and trauma-informed process,” Stephanie Co, POAH project manager for Clinton-Peabody said. “It will take a lot of time, funding, and patience for this project to come to fruition but it is important for residents to be seen and heard throughout the process.”
This development is truly a co-creation between partner organizations and the residents of Clinton-Peabody, as there are also regular meetings with developers and the Clinton-Peabody Tenant Advisory Board, developed to be an act of transparency for the residents. This is a standard set by the development team to preserve the neighborhood's character and community-based mission, as they follow their principles of transparency, inclusion, and consistency.