“Size Matters”

There is some encouragement in Independence for the proposal to expand the existing Harry S Truman National Historic Landmark (NHL) District. Expanded boundaries were first drawn almost ten years ago (see map) by the National Park Service (NPS) and were intended to cover more properties connected to the story of President Truman. If you examine the current proposed boundaries and compare them to boundaries first presented to the community you will notice that it got smaller. Here in Independence, we actually have a history of one of the nation’s only shrinking historic districts. But why did the NPS shrink the proposed NHL district expansion? The most noticeable bite taken out the original plan happens to be in the SW corner adjacent to the Community of Christ Church properties, which ironically represents our community’s most significant and visible investments led by the Midtown / Truman Road Corridor (M/TRC) Neighborhood Revitalization Corporation. Did M/TRC and City Hall support too many demolitions during this work? M/TRC standards for their activities including their tax abatement program include adherence to federal historic preservation standards. So if federal standards were really followed during redevelopment, then why did the NPS remove these blocks from their proposed federal district? Because of this omission, those property owners will not be eligible for current or future federal and state financial assistance programs for historic properties. Will this encourage further reinvestment? These blocks are only a half a block from the Truman Home National Historic Site and include properties connected to the Truman’s. It appears to me that significant public investments in programs do not guarantee their successes (sound familiar?). With the limited resources available for historic neighborhoods, it is most critical that tax dollars are spent wisely and effectively. In this case, were we smart with our public investments? From the perspective of our nation’s assets, it appears not, but I guess we will let history be the judge.