Blunt details revitalization-assistance initiative

Dubbed the Downtown Revitalization Economic Assistance for Missouri Initiative, or DREAM, the program allows any Missouri city the opportunity to apply for various incentive packages, such as tax credits and federal block grants.

“As I travel Missouri, I see once-prosperous downtowns that have no economic activity and a tremendous amount of blight and dilapidation, and we want to turn that around,” Blunt said at a morning news conference.

Blunt said he chose Springfield because of ongoing center-city redevelopment, specifically mentioning the Jordan Valley Innovation Center — an abandoned mill complex on Boonville Avenue being transformed into

research facility for Missouri State University. Springfield is the first of eight cities Blunt will visit today and tomorrow to publicize the DREAM initiative.

The program seeks to re-establish a community’s downtown core and thereby increasing property values, expanding sales tax opportunities and creating new jobs.

The state will select between six and 10 communities each year, and each city will be designated for three years.

Communities interested in applying are asked to submit a comprehensive downtown revitalization plan to the state. To learn more, visit www.dream.mo.gov.

See SBJ’s June 26 issue for more on the DREAM Initiative and the possibilities it has for southwest Missouri.