Clearing The Way For The Strip's Future: Lake Ozark Planning More Building Demolitions

LAKE OZARK, Mo. — The Bagnell Dam Strip is about to get a major makeover after the City of Lake Ozark received a $300,000 Community Development Block Grant to support a demolition project.

The grant, awarded by the Missouri Department of Economic Development, will help improve safety and redevelopment opportunities near the historic Bagnell Dam Strip, according to a press release. The project includes demolishing 23 structures on or around the area.

“We are grateful to the State of Missouri for recognizing the opportunity to breathe new life into the Bagnell Dam Strip corridor," said City Administrator Harrison Fry. "This project begins by removing long-standing, dilapidated structures so that safe, meaningful redevelopment can move forward."

All properties included in the project are owned by Reese Development, which will provide another $133,030 to the City of Lake Ozark to complete the work.

One structure slated for demolition is the former Shoreland Motel on the Strip. A series of residential and commercial buildings along Carls Drive, Ballenger Road, Thornsberry Road, Beach Drive, and School Road will also come down during the project.

According to the City, these structures were eligible for the CDBG funding "due to their advanced state of blight and lack of structural safety." Each structure was required to have been vacant for an extended period of time to qualify for the grant.

"Several of the buildings contain asbestos and other environmental contaminants, and all have been formally certified by the City as dangerous buildings," officials said in a press release. "Buildings were prioritized based on safety concerns, structural deterioration, and overall risk to the public."

Demolition work is expected to commence in 2026.

“We are proud to partner with the City of Lake Ozark and the Missouri Department of Economic Development to continue the momentum of the last two years on the historic Bagnell Dam Strip,” stated Peter Colovos, Chief Operating Officer of Reese Development. “Brick by brick and block by block, we are committed to redeveloping this jewel of the Midwest."

Reese Development has invested more than $600,000 over the last two years in cleaning up the Strip and demolishing dilapidated structures.

Fry expressed his thanks to the company "for their cooperation and commitment to property revitalization," and extended his gratitude to grant writer Tonya Raines "for preparing a successful application that made this project possible.”