There's nothing like seeing framing go up on a lot that's been empty for years. That's what neighbors are watching at the corner of Morgan Ford Road and Oleatha Avenue in Tower Grove South, where a former gas station site is turning into four new homes.
Tower Grove Community Development Corporation is building four affordable single-family homes at 3502 through 3508 Morgan Ford Road, and two of them already have framing, according to First Alert 4. The station reported in August that the groundbreaking that week ended roughly 15 years of vacancy on the site.
"It's an amazing progress in such a short period of time," said Sean Spencer, the CDC's executive director.
What's being built
The builder is Rubicon Corporation, according to a project update on the CDC's website. Each home is a two-story house of about 1,600 square feet, with three bedrooms, an unfinished basement, a deck and a dedicated parking pad. First Alert 4 has described them as three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath homes.
Spencer laid out what comes next: finish framing the other two homes, put roofs on, then move to interior work. He expects the homes to be listed for sale in "that late summer to early fall time period." In August, the CDC told First Alert 4 it expected the homes to go on the market sometime next year.
The homes are expected to sell for about $230,000, depending on updated income calculations, Spencer said. To qualify, buyers would need an annual income of about $80,000 for a family of four, or $60,000 for an individual. "We've already had a bunch of people call us about purchasing the properties," he said.
That price has crept up along the way. The CDC's May update anticipated pricing in the $210,000 range, and in August the station reported a range of $215,000 to $225,000. For comparison, First Alert 4 found that recently sold and off-market homes in the area on Redfin ranged from $120,000 to $289,000.
The project doesn't have a property tax abatement. Spencer said the homes will be taxed based on values set by the assessor's office.
Why it took so long
This one has been in the works since 2018, the CDC says. The biggest holdup was the gas station history. First Alert 4 reported that the environmental cleanup was handled through the St. Louis Development Corporation before the Land Reutilization Authority transferred the property to the CDC. One of the funding sources required a full environmental review, including a tribal consultation period and a public comment process through HUD, before grant funds could be used. The property also had to be subdivided into four parcels, and the CDC rebid the job in the spring because time had passed since the original estimates.
The money comes from several places. The city says the CDC secured grants including $785,000 from the Community Development Administration, and First Alert 4 reported the project is funded through the federal Community Development Block Grant program. The CDC's update said it planned a loan closing with the CDA and its banking partner, Midwest BankCentre.
At the August groundbreaking, Alderman Daniela Velazquez of Ward 6 said the project reflects broader goals for the neighborhood. "I think it's really important that all kind of people can live here," she said. Neighbor Walter Holly put it more simply: "Well, it's definitely better than just sitting empty."
Spencer sees the project as a signal for the block. "When people see disinvestment, it really craters somebody's outlook on a neighborhood or a city," he said. "So this is just a great sign of momentum and that we're in a position to be successful."
Why it matters for Contractors
Four 1,600-square-foot houses with basements on one infill corner is classic small-builder work, and Rubicon Corporation is the name on this one. The next steps Spencer described spell out who's needed: framers to finish the last two houses, roofers, then plumbers, electricians, HVAC installers, insulation and drywall crews, and finish trades for cabinets, flooring, trim, decks and paint. The price creep from about $210,000 to about $230,000 is a reminder of how tight the numbers are on affordable for-sale homes, and why rebidding and schedule control matter. The other lesson is the delay: a former gas station meant years of environmental review before anyone could dig. Contractors who work these sites should budget time for that paperwork, not just the build.