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College Hill's LIHTC Housing: A Decade of Demographic Shifts
CATEGORY
Affordable Housing
DATA
LIHTC Projects
Median Income
Racial Distributions
Population
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Affordable Housing
LIHTC Projects
Median Income
Racial Distributions
Population
College Hill, a neighborhood in St. Louis, Missouri, contains a significant amount of Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) funded affordable housing. The neighborhood's LIHTC inventory consists of 40 total units, with 29 designated as low-income units. Based on the 2022 population of 965 and using the national average household size, there are approximately 370 housing units in the neighborhood. LIHTC funded affordable housing accounts for about 10.8% of the estimated housing inventory, representing a substantial portion of the neighborhood's affordable housing stock.
College Hill has received LIHTC investment over several decades. The earliest recorded LIHTC project in the neighborhood was completed in 1987, with projects such as "4303 Strodtman Pl" and "4417 N 20Th St" among the first constructed. The most recent dated project, "4300 Strodtman Pl," was completed in 1992. This indicates at least five years of continuous affordable housing development in the area.
The 1980s witnessed the most significant LIHTC development activity in College Hill. The year 1989 was particularly notable, with five projects completed, including "4407 Strodtman Pl," "4413 Strodtman Pl," and "1903 Ferry St." This surge in affordable housing development during the late 1980s suggests a concentrated effort to address housing needs during that period.
The LIHTC projects in College Hill include 15 two-bedroom units, 11 three-bedroom units, and 2 four-bedroom units. This distribution indicates a focus on accommodating families of various sizes within the affordable housing inventory.
College Hill has experienced a decline in population over the past decade, from 1,615 in 2013 to 965 in 2022. Despite this population decrease, the median income has shown some volatility but overall growth, rising from $21,744 in 2013 to $23,459 in 2022, with a peak of $30,346 in 2020.
The racial composition of College Hill has remained predominantly Black, with the percentage consistently above 90% throughout the last decade. There has been a slight increase in diversity, with small increases in the Hispanic population and those identifying as two or more races.
The absence of new LIHTC projects in the last decade, combined with the declining population and slight increase in median income, may suggest a stabilization of affordable housing needs in the area. However, the persistent high percentage of Black residents and the still relatively low median income indicate that affordable housing remains an important component of the neighborhood's housing stock.
College Hill's LIHTC funded affordable housing inventory, while not recent, represents a significant portion of the neighborhood's estimated housing units. The concentration of LIHTC development in the late 1980s and early 1990s established a foundation of affordable housing that continues to serve the community. Despite population decline, the neighborhood's demographic profile, characterized by a predominantly Black population and modest median income, underscores the ongoing importance of maintaining and potentially expanding affordable housing options to meet community needs.
