UNIVERSITY CITY, Mo. — It’s been exactly two months since the St. Louis area was hit with historic flooding. More relief could be on the way for some of the hardest hit properties in University City.
Officials here want to buy out 12 houses on Wilson Avenue and 12 houses on Burch Lane, along with the Hafner Court apartments.
“We will end up approaching each of those homeowners about a possible buyout," Gregory Rose, the University City city manager, said.
This covers 25 damaged properties, but the city said more than 300 properties were damaged by most recent flooding.
“It was far less than what we would have liked to be submitted,” Rose said.
He said although it’s something, the potential help the city could get is not as much as it hoped for.
“At the advice of [State Emergency Management agency] (SEMA), we decided to pair that (number of properties) down significantly and really focus on the homes that were frequently flooded,” he said.
If approved, Hafner Court Apartments would qualify for 100 percent government funding.
But up to 25% of the buyout funding would need to be matched by the City for the homes on Wilson and Burch. This matched funding would come from the Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD).
“We’re partnering with them MSD," Rose said. on this project to try to get funding for residents that frequently flood."
For now, Rose said all they can do is wait, in hope that this small step will bring some people back home.
“We’re certainly hopeful that we’ll get federal funding in order to provide those families with some relief,” he said.
5 On Your Side asked Rose what could come for the rest of the properties in University City that wouldn’t be a part of this potential buyout.
He said University City plans to keep using its infrastructure projects and to keep working with MSD to manage the city’s flooding.
To watch 5 On Your Side broadcasts or reports 24/7, 5 On Your Side is always streaming on 5+. Download for free on Roku or Amazon Fire TV.