Grant provides downtown investment information

The bank presented UDA with $10,000 in grant money to help foot the bill for Downtown Opportunity Packets. The packets, which will be provided to parties who express interest in downtown development, will include standard information about downtown spending habits and demographics.

However, according to UDA President John Simmons, each packet will also have information that is tailored specifically for the people that receive it.

“If someone came in and said, ‘I want to open a women’s apparel shop,’ the information that I would give them would be vastly different than should someone come in and say, ‘I want to purchase a building and develop five lofts in it,’” Simmons said.

Downtown’s renaissance is progressing, Simmons said, although he would like to see more professional services and corporate operations to support existing retail and dining venues. “It’s just a matter of finding the right tenants,” he said.

John Wilson, president of U.S. Bank’s Springfield-Branson region, said the bank has a vital interest in seeing downtown grow.

“As the area grows, we see the opportunity for commercial and consumer loans and deposits. We want to play a role in the overall economic development of Springfield,” Wilson said.

SBJ free-lance writer Ashleigh Behlmann contributed to this item.

For the full story from the July 25 issue of SBJ, click here.

For related coverage from July 18, 2005, click here.