Missouri’s state capitol building is located one block from where Wears Creek enters the Missouri River in Jefferson City. The creek has the potential to be restored and transformed into an attractive public space, a "recreation destination," as community members call it, with environmental, social, and economic benefits.

In 2010, Jefferson City requested help from EPA's Greening America's Capitals Program to develop an environmentally and economically sustainable vision for the Millbottom area, a gateway to the state capitol building. EPA's project team developed design options for the Millbottom area through a three-day workshop in Jefferson City that engaged a range of state and local stakeholders, including the mayor and city council, business and property owners, state and local government employees, and members of the public.

The vision proposes cleaning up and restoring Wears Creek, connects services and amenities to the riverfront via trails, adds parks and gathering spaces, identifies sites for adaptive reuse of buildings, and proposes street and parking improvements. Together, these improvements could improve the environmental performance of the creek and adjacent areas and restore the waterway as a centerpiece of Jefferson City’s community life and economic growth. The report also includes incremental steps the city could take to achieve the vision.

Jefferson City, its partners, and stakeholders can use the design options and action steps in Greening America's Capitals - Jefferson City, Missouri  (2011) to guide revitalization of the Millbottom area into a destination with vibrant public spaces, walkable streets, new attractions, and a cleaner and healthier Wears Creek that will serve residents and visitors of this historic state capital.

• Greening America's Capitals - Jefferson City, MO (PDF)(70 pp, 5 MB)