On September 7, 2013, 80 years from the last rededication
ceremony which was under the guidance and leadership of Presiding Jackson
County Judge, Harry S Truman, we are blessed with a wonderful interior and
exterior restoration of the historic County Courthouse. I applaud Mike Sanders, County Executive, and
his partners at the County Legislature and County Public Works and the
professional designers, restoration consultants, and construction contractors for
the completion of this three phase project.
And it was accomplished using county resources, delivered on time, and
under budget. This project fulfills one of the main goals in
the City of Independence’s “Tourism Strategic Plan,” complied in 1998 by
consultants from Arizona, to create a tourist visitor’s center within the
courthouse. Yes, it has taken 15 years to
fulfill that goal stated in that Tourism Plan that, frankly speaking, is a strategy
that was outdated years ago. The City of
Independence tried to take the leadership on the courthouse restoration project
about 6-7 years ago and even produced floor plans on how they wanted every
corner of the space used in the courthouse.
Then somebody from the city figured out the obvious, “It’s a County
building, not a City building, and we have no control over it!” Thanks again to the County of Jackson and
for providing wonderful space for the priceless collection of the Jackson
County Historic Society archives and a research center. Also the McClain’s deserve a big “Thank You”
for the display of their priceless collection of artwork in the County’s wonderful
second floor gallery and adding another dimension of importance to the historic
courthouse and the Independence Square.
Job well done!
When I observed the location of one of the new “Independence
– Real People – Real Progress” billboards on 24-Highway, it seem fitting and actually
says a lot about our actual progress here in the historic area of town. It’s adjacent to an unkept lot with overgrown
vegetation and code violations, adjacent to the oversized and prominent
high-voltage lines that traverse in front of the Truman Library and dissect a
National Historic Landmark District, adjacent to a used vehicle lot where
vehicles are displayed on grass and gravel, across from the scrap metal dealer
where stolen copper lines and bronze artwork end up, a corridor where about 40
businesses have abandon property, and a once prominent corridor that moved
wagon trains towards the west that now handles migrant vagrants traveling east from
KC. It’s a street that KC has
prominently named “Independence Avenue” but locals here call it by its State
Highway 2-digit number. And to top it
off, the PR campaign that brought us this billboard was financed with public
funds from our Heritage Tourism budget.
Yes, that’s right, this billboard at this location does send a message.
Luke 21:25 – “And there shall be signs ……” and here they are! St. Mary’s Catholic has begun marketing their
property with these large 2-sided commercial signs. Three of these signs are prominently posted
on three of their four corners of the city block that makes up their church and
school buildings embedded in our historic neighborhood. Not sure if only some or all of their
property and buildings are for sale.
Last year, they announced they were closing only their school. Most churches like to maintain ownership of
the property around them for the potential of future expansion or, in at least one
case here in the neighborhood, for “self-defense.” Good luck St. Mary’s. It was a great 160-year run. And maybe posting this blog and photo will
assist in marketing the project.
Razor Wire! Yes, that
is right. The introduction of this architectural
element is a first for the Truman National Historic Landmark District, thus
making history. I missed the unveiling
ceremony at the First Baptist Church. It’s my understanding that
razor wire and even barbed wire (which they have also) are not legal in
residential areas. The adjacent
neighbors have quite a view from the backs of their lots and not to mention
that this is what church members see as they enter their building through their
main entrance.
As
yet another construction season is passing, we wait again for a sign that the
City’s chosen developer, Builders Development Corporation, has access to a
calendar. Three properties sit vacant,
boarded-up, and deteriorating here in the Truman National Historic Landmark
District shown above (417 W. Farmer, 423 N. Pleasant, and 419 N. Pleasant) with
the promise from City Hall that they will be restored to preservation standards
for owner-occupied single-family residential.
This activity was funded through a federal program, NSP – Neighborhood
Stabilization Program, intended to put foreclosed and abandon houses back on
the market. 417 W. Farmer currently sits
with an active extension cord running over the front sidewalk. It had been the source of 8 code complaints
in the last 2½ years. 423 N. Pleasant
sits with huge holes in the roof and was the source of 17 code complaint over
the last 10 years. 419 N. Pleasant was
acquired by the City 3 years ago with the plan for its eventual
restoration. It has been the source of
15 code complaints over the last 7 years.
Imagine living adjacent to all three of these properties while trying to
apply for a refinance or rehabilitation loan on your property and convincing
the bank that this neighborhood is worth investing in. Our First District Councilperson doesn’t have
to image being close to these properties since they are visible from her front
porch. And the Mayor lives about a block
away. As the City routinely goes into
debt to fund projects in the Little Blue Valley, we are told to be patience while
the irreplaceable rots and drags down the adjacent blocks representing a significant
part of the heart of the historic district.
It was also the area of concern when the Missouri Alliance for Historic
Preservation listed the Truman NHLD on their Top Ten List of most endangered
landmarks. That was over five years
ago. It’s ironic that a federally funded
program intended to bring up the value of neighborhood blocks is, instead,
making the situation worse in a federally designated historic district. Is this what the city calls “Real Progress?”
The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 passed by the
US Congress requires that all federal agencies, including HUD, take into
account the effects of projects that include their involvement, funding,
permits, and/or approvals on historic properties. The historic preservation review process is
mandated by Section 106 and provides valuable opportunities for all
stakeholders to play a part in the planning of those projects. If adverse effects to historic properties are
determined, then there is a formal mitigation process agreed upon by all
parties and usually results in making these important projects a better fit
into their historic built environments; win-win situations. Property owners who have voluntarily agreed
to have their exterior improvements under the control of the city’s Heritage
Commission deserve to be included in the early discussions and planning stages
of adjacent properties. It’s good community
planning, it builds neighborhood/public support, leads to more successful
projects and neighborhoods, and can encourage the expansion of our local
historic districts and programs. Successful
communities that are proud of their history and place value on their historic
resources understand this and use it as a tool for community betterment. And then there is the City of
Independence. Recently, two publicly
funded projects, Heritage House Apartments and Palmer Senior Housing, were
planned and designed without the input of major stakeholders and neighbors
directly affected by them. Meetings and
decisions were made behind closed doors.
Official votes of the City Council were conducted without even allowing
opportunities for open public comments.
Heritage House is an 11-story, 166-unit, low-income housing complex that
includes Section 8 housing assistance. Neighborhood
meetings were promised, then that promise was broken. For Palmer, a neighborhood meeting was
conducted, but only after the design was finalized while never bothering to
contact two churches during the planning/design phases whose parking facilities
will be impacted. Palmer is the school
building abandon by the Independence School district that was contaminated with
toxic mold after their failed attempt to restore and occupy the space. While City Hall makes strict judgments and
mandates on the property owners for the tiniest level of detail within the
small local historic district while ignoring their concerns on big picture
items, they should not be surprised to witness little support for the expansion
of our historic preservation program and the incremental disinvestment of our
historic housing stock. We have multiple
examples of where projects that have disregarded historic preservation
interests have eventually failed. And as
the city starts a campaign making proclamations that we have “Real People,”
they need to understand that people have real opinions and can provide valuable
input when given the opportunities, especially people who are taking risks in
investing with their own money, without government subsidies, in our
community’s historic neighborhoods.
“Real Progress” occurs when all stakeholders participate in the
preservation and revitalizations of their neighborhoods and are included in the
planning of these large publicly funded projects by out-of-town developers. Otherwise, the current trends will continue
to drive owner-occupied investments and young families away from the heart of
Independence.
This morning, the Missouri Housing Development Commission (MHDC) had their annual meeting in Columbia, Missouri. On the agenda is a list of new projects getting public subsidies for affordable housing throughout the state, including the proposed 41-unit Palmer Senior housing in the heart of the Truman National Historic Landmark District. Also on the agenda is a review of past projects on the “Watch List” that have not been managed properly. Ironically, one of those projects is Cohen-Esrey’s Maple Avenue Apartments, a 64-unit rental development right next door to the proposed Palmer housing development. MHDC's official report states there has been a “decline in economic conditions causing increased skips and evictions for non payment of rent. Management is offering incentives to attract residents. Staff inspected the property in October 2012 and found the physical condition, marketing techniques, and overall management of the property needing improvement.” This once celebrated and award-winning project that had overwhelming public support from the very beginning is now lowering its standards for property management and maintenance and in selecting renters. Neighbors on Maple Street are also noticing the difference. What was once full-time staff is now only part-time. Even upholstered furniture has been left out on the sidewalk for weeks. The executives from Cohen-Esrey, an Overland Park based property management corporation, probably don’t get out this way very often. So why would MHDC approve another development right next door to the Maple Avenue project? Won’t the economic conditions noted on Maple Avenue in the MHDC report challenge and negatively impact the Palmer project? Do officials in Jefferson City connect the dots? Is this the normal business cycle for these for-profit corporations as they get into the last half of their housing contracts? The MHDC report fails to mention the most important fact concerning the Maple Avenue project. It’s happens to be located in the most important residential neighborhood in the State of Missouri. And Maple Street is a prominent pedestrian corridor that links the Truman Home National Historic Site with the Square. As Maple Street goes "HD", stay tuned to the reality programing and drama to come.
