Major stakeholders in Sikeston, including city, BMU and school officials along with developers, real estate agents and other members of the community met Thursday morning to discuss housing in Sikeston.

Organized by Sikeston Mayor Greg Turnbow, the summit was an information and brainstorming session of how to get more affordable single-family housing in Sikeston.

Former Sikeston Mayor Steven Burch spoke with the group and said that increasing the number of households in Sikeston could have the single greatest economic impact of our time.

“Housing is economic development,” Burch said.

Local realtor Tim Merideth said the interest of those relocating to Sikeston is significant and there is a need for homes, typically three-bedroom, under $200,000.

The city worked diligently to bring Carlisle Construction and its 100 jobs to Sikeston. But many of those employees don’t live in Sikeston.

Burch asked what the worth is if 100 families moved into Sikeston, adding that it would positively impact the schools, hospital, local taxes and much more.

Several people at the meeting said it would take the entire community investing into the housing issue while some said home ownership needs to be promoted in Sikeston with less rentals.

While new houses are needed, some in attendance suggested that other areas of town need to be revitalized as well, including by the high school and on the west end of Sikeston. On the west end there are several available lots from the LCRA, however some don’t have the credit to rebuild, or they can’t make their money back by building in that area.

A study on housing was also suggested, as there are different tiers of housing needed. While some can afford $200,000 homes, many others are looking for homes in smaller price ranges.

Other communities with housing incentives are being looked at like St. Charles who used the CID program.  

One issue with building new homes is the cost of infrastructure that must be put into place. Once that infrastructure is added, the cost of the home increases to the buyer. Officials discussed ways to offset these costs, including the CID program used in St. Charles.

Another meeting is being planned in a month’s time, and Turnbow said he hopes at that meeting they can look at different options and come up with a plan moving forward.