Discover Downtown

City of Excelsior Springs Brings Home Premier Partner Award

July 31, 2023

Missouri Main Street Connection Inc. (MMSC) presented downtown awards recognizing performance excellence during Missouri’s Premier Downtown Revitalization Conference in St. Louis on July 28, 2023. The event was hosted at the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark.

The ceremony Friday night honored communities, individuals, businesses, and organizations from across the state that have completed exemplary work in downtown revitalization. Competitive nominations were submitted for project, activities, and individuals in 13 different categories that covered aspects of design, economic vitality, organization, promotion, and other efforts in downtown revitalization.

Missouri Main Street Connection is the leading statewide nonprofit organization devoted to preservation-based economic development. Through the Main Street America movement and their partners, they empower community revitalization by celebrating, supporting, and sustaining Missouri historic commercial districts in both rural and urban settings.

In 2022 Missouri Main Street communities have created 332 net new jobs, 146 net new businesses, saved 303 buildings, received $105.5 million dollars in public and private investments, and accumulated 62,165 volunteer hours in their districts. The cumulative total investment between 2006-2022 surpassed $1.26 billion or adjusted for inflation $1.63 billion.

Premier Partner Awarded to City of Excelsior Springs

The City of Excelsior Springs has been a creative and supportive partner for the Downtown Excelsior Partnership, Inc. (DEP). The city has used its ARPA funds and other resources to help with various projects and activities that benefit the downtown district and the community. Some of these include:

  • Securing $850,000 in Clay County ARPA funding to create a watershed masterplan for Downtown Excelsior Springs and to manage stormwater in relation to the Community Center aquatics facility. These project will help prevent flooding in the downtown area and improve the quality of life for residents and visitors.
  • The City and DEP entered into an Economic Development Agreement to use Placer.ai, a location analytics company that collects geolocation data from mobile devices. This agreement has helped DEP better understand the behavior and origin of visitors, as well as the feasibility of hotels and road improvements.
  • The City provided $50,000 of ARPA funds to DEP to administer a facade grant program for the businesses and property owners in the Historic District. The program is designed to improve the physical appearance and structural integrity of historic buildings, restore historic character, make downtown more attractive, and encourage additional business investment. DEP received 18 applications and awarded 14 grants, which resulted in a private building investment of nearly $150,000…a great return on investment!
  • The two organizations partnered to complete a Real Estate Redevelopment Strategy with Joe Borgstrom through the Missouri Main Street Downtown Strong Grant Program. The strategy provided market data, retail gaps, opportunities, market segmentation, and district strategies for redevelopment. It also provided property specific market data and reports that are helping DEP rehabilitate some of the white elephant buildings in downtown.
  • Lastly, the city helped DEP add custom bike racks to the streetscape of downtown, promoting biking to the growing biking community.

The City of Excelsior Springs supports DEP as an economic development organization and believes in its mission of downtown revitalization. The city has been instrumental in strengthening DEP and advancing its projects and activities.

To read the full award nomination for the City of Excelsior Springs click here.

For more information on this award contact the Downtown Excelsior Partnership, Inc. Executive Director, Lyndsey M. Baxter at 816-637-2811 or exec@visitesprings.com.