What appears as a quaint household sitting at the intersection of Commercial and Division streets may play a pivotal role in the city’s long-term ambitions for the downtown business district.

Dowagiac City Council authorized the purchase of a residence at 307 Commercial St. during their meeting Monday night at city hall. The city has agreed to pay $20,000 for the property, with the deal expected to close on Wednesday, said City Manager Kevin Anderson.

The Commercial Street property is situated on the left corner of the downtown intersection, located perpendicular to the Beckwith Theater Company building and two spaces away from Dowsett Chiropractic.

“[The property] would be a complementary piece to some of the other properties we have already purchased or have under contract in the area,” Anderson said. “It would allow not only for some cleanup of some properties [and] that area, but it could also ultimately help us to redefine that intersection [of Commercial and Division].”

The purchase could allow the city to realign that particular intersection, with Commercial meeting Division Street at a softer angle, versus the traditional 90-degree angle like most downtown intersections. As a result, the crossing presents a difficult sight line for many motorists, Anderson said.

“While we haven’t had a lot accidents there, we’ve had a lot of near misses,” he said. “It’s very difficult to see at that angle it comes in.”

The city is hardly a stranger to the idea of purchasing downtown real estate. Over the last 20 years, local officials have worked to acquire and resell certain pieces of property to help improve the central business district. One example of this was the city’s rehabilitation of the Front Street building that now houses the popular Wood Fire restaurant.

In February, the city acquired another piece of property on Commercial Street, the Weaver Insurance building at 214 Commercial, for $75,000.