of Liberty. In addition to that, we are “To have an economically vibrant community, you have to have a community that people want to live in and work in,” says Mayor Greg Canuteson. “We believe that economic development is the attraction of talent, so you want to have a community that has a great feel to it, and has a lot of amenities. We have a beautiful downtown, we have a local college. We have a great school system and a great park system, and it’s all nestled around the county seat.” REVITALIZING DOWNTOWN LIBERTY Over the past five years, significant investments have been made to enhance Downtown Liberty’s appeal. Canuteson highlights, “We have a town square that has been the county seat since 1822, and we believe that revitalizing the downtown and adding amenities for the rest of the area is imperative to remain an economically diverse and prosperous community.” The mayor shares details of a comprehensive revitalization plan spearheaded by a Downtown Task Force, which envisions a vibrant mix of residential, retail, and entertainment options. “It presents a vision that the downtown would be redeveloped in a way that promotes more living and more amenities downtown,” he details. One project includes the redevelopment of a dilapidated building which will see the introduction of 16 residential lofts and underground parking in the downtown. “It’ll be the single largest private sector development project on the town square in Liberty’s history,” boasts Canuteson. To incentivize development, Liberty has initiated programs such as Chapter 353, which offers property tax abatements to encourage investment in the downtown. “We believe that tax incentives are the primary motivating factor for developers in areas that are hard to develop,” says Mayor Canuteson.“ It’s hard to compete with just greenfield development in the suburbs.” Economic Development Director, Brandon Smith emphasizes the value of the chapter 353 incentive, noting, “We recently completed our 36th project to help revitalize and refresh our downtown square. That’s been a key driver for investment, and it’s been a huge benefit to the other businesses on the square, as well as the city from a presentation standpoint when people come to our downtown.” The intention is to extend this successful program for another decade, to encourage further investment. “Ultimately, what we’re looking for are businesses that will continue to help our downtown thrive. We’re looking for walkability, uniqueness, something that 111 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 02 LIBERTY, MO
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