Congrats to the Village Arts Team -- and North Central Columbia -- for their prominent mention in the City of Columbia's new DREAM (Downtown Revitalization Economic Assistance for Missouri) application.

(Warning: the document is 354 pages long and takes an hour to download).

On page nine (9), it reads:

"Another opportunity for downtown Columbia is to help integrate the Orr Street Studios and the Warehouse Studios through cultural development plans and technical assistance.

These art studios are part of a larger program to attract artists and creative workers to the neighborhood adjacent to and north of downtown, known as 'the Village.'   Located in North Central Columbia, the Village is an ideal place for people involved in the arts to live and work.  It is an 'artist-friendly' neighborhood and encourages creative people to settle there."

Referred to as "exciting art development projects," both the Diggs Warehouse renovation by Brian Pape and the Orr Street Studios project by Mark Timberlake are prominently mentioned and described on page 3.  Both are north central Columbia projects.

This application was formally adopted by the city council and in many ways represents a formal acknowledgement of all the hard work the Village Arts Team, Corner Action Committee, NCCNA, the neighborhood, Columbia College, and entrepreneurs such as Pape, Atkins, and Timberlake are bringing to the city, particularly downtown.

Many kudos!

Thanks to Linda Rootes for bringing this to our attention at the Corner Action Committee meeting.

-- Mike Martin