Brickline North Community Development Corporation Secures Community Development Administration Grant from City of St. Louis

Posted on Monday December 1, 2025

The Brickline North Community Development Corporation (BNCDC), in collaboration with neighborhood associations and community partners, has been awarded $279,500 from the City of St. Louis’s Community Development Administration’s Neighborhood Plan Implementation Grant to operationalize initiatives across the Covenant Blu-Grand Center, Jeff-Vander-Lou (JVL), and St. Louis Place neighborhoods. The funds will implement the shared goals of the existing NorthCentral Plan and Project Connect – Our Plan, which were driven by community engagement.

Top Priority: Community Land Trust & Anti-Displacement Programming

The team will develop anti-displacement programming, planning, and pre-development for a Community Land Trust (CLT), to identify and address opportunities for vacancies and/or renovation. This will serve as a tool in assisting residents to stabilize vacant and nuisance properties while building equity and ensuring long-term affordability. Programming could include workshops on tenant rights, legacy property retention and affordable housing protections for at-risk residents, with a goal of serving 300+ residences across the three neighborhoods.

Second Priority: Business Corridor Reactivation

  • Bringing Vacant Lots to Life With Container-Based Business Pop-Ups
    The team will also pilot three incubator sites for container-based small businesses on vacant lots within the service area along the Brickline Greenway, to be activated at least 8 days per month in the first year. These activations could include vendor markets, cultural events, and pop-up services that mirror the unique identity and creativity of the surrounding neighborhoods.
  • Small Business Support Through Training & Technical Assistance
    In addition, BNCDC will launch an entrepreneurial training and technical assistance program, in collaboration with community partners including Mission St. Louis, Tabernacle CDC and others, targeting up to 6 early-stage business owners, with a focus on Black, Indigenous, People of Color, women, and immigrant-owned enterprises within the project footprint. Programs will include entrepreneurial consulting, financial analysis, marketing metrics, technical services, communication and legal support.

The project draws inspiration from successful models such as the Atlanta BeltLine Marketplace, Pittsburgh Yards, and The Churchill in Phoenix, demonstrating the efficacy of container-based markets as catalysts for equitable development and place-based revitalization. By activating community spaces and investing in resident-led enterprises, this initiative aims to foster inclusive economic growth, enhance neighborhood identity, and demonstrate how public spaces and local entrepreneurship can work together to create vibrant, walkable commercial areas in North St. Louis.

Example layout of pop-up shipping container site, from our partners at Atlanta Beltline:

A Few BNCDC Board Members (Left to Right):
T. Christopher Peoples, Director of Equity + Economic Impact for Great Rivers Greenway
Audrey Ellermann, President of BNCDC, President, Covenant-Blu Grand Center Neighborhood Assoc.
Jeremy Main, Jeff-Vander-Lou neighborhood resident, staff at Mission: St. Louis
Daphne Redding, Vice President of BNCDC, St. Louis Place neighborhood resident