Hutchinson said the team is taking its cue from the community’s North Central Plan, which outlines how Vandeventer residents want to see their neighborhood redevelop. After this phase, he wants to build starter homes that sell closer to the mid-$100,000 range. But already, he and Horstmann said one of the higher-end models has presold.

“Our intention here is to have a diverse community with diverse housing and diverse price points throughout,” Hutchinson said.

The neighborhood has already come a long way in the last decade, said state Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis, who attended the groundbreaking. Just down the block, the North Sarah development, built in partnership with the St. Louis Housing Authority, offers affordable rentals alongside market rate units.

“It was total decay,” she said. “Hopelessness all around this place.”