JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — City leaders in Missouri's capital are hoping that new legislation will help rejuvenate the state's former prison and the largely dilapidated area around it.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Gov. Eric Greitens signed a measure last week turning over 32 acres of state-owned land to Jefferson City. The city plans to build roads, hotels and new housing in the shadow of the old Missouri State Penitentiary, which closed in 2004.
Greitens says the redevelopment will help create jobs with higher pay to attract more people to the area, which had been considered a manufacturing hub due to cheap inmate labor.
The former prison is now considered a tourist destination for visitors who want history tours during the day or ghost tours at night.
