NSP - No Schedule Provided

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?”

Stakeholders Losing Their Grip

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. 

Maple Street goes HD - "High Density"

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.

Pier Review of Hiram Young History

It appears that Kansas City has adopted Hiram Young as one of the top ten most influential historical figures for the pioneer trails history of this region and beyond.  An image of Hiram Young has been prominently placed in marble and concrete at one of ten bridge piers alongside images and interpretive information of Jim Bridger, Kit Carson, Alexander Majors, and others on the new bridge over the Blue River adjacent to Red Bridge in South KC.  The site was the river crossing for the wagon trains heading west and is now adjacent to a City Park and golf course.  This innovative historical presentation has led to upgrades in infrastructure (roadways & bridges), improved public safety, biking & walking trails, and community pride touted by city employees, politicians, and citizens.  “This Red Bridge is so important in our district that it can’t be understated,” Councilman Scott Taylor said. “It’s not only an improvement for commuters but for joggers and bikers. As we attract new families to Kansas City, this is one of the amenities that families are looking for.”  Patrick Klein, Director of Capital Projects, stated “This bridge has had more public input than any bridge in the city.”  Community-minded folks saw the potential for a big infrastructure improvement to negatively impact an adjacent nationally designated resource so all the stake holders got together and created something special.  The improvements actually enhance the history of the site and make it more assessable to the public.  There are huge lessons to be learned here, especially for Independence.  The first lesson is that our history is not an obstacle to progress but a tool for progress.  Our history can enrich our development and redevelopment of housing, retail, infrastructure, and recreation while integrating a valuable dimension to our community assets.  No other community has the tools that we have here in Independence for community improvement.  The second lesson is that we need to keep the history communities engaged in discussions early in projects and not after decisions and directions are already determined.  It’s called “City Planning” not “City Reaction.”  We should be flattered that other adjacent communities see Independence history as an asset to the presentation of their stories.  It’s time for us to jump on the covered wagon and get with the program.  Our history is our biggest asset.  Every project in Independence should be reviewed with respect to its impact on not just our local history but this important national and international history.  And every project should be evaluated as if it would be reported in the New York Times.

Are You Privy to Local African-American History?

The census records for 1860 indicate that over 17 percent of the population in Jackson County were enslaved African-Americans.  But some in the local African-American community were actually free.  One of those former slaves who went on to become not only a free man but a successful businessman was Hiram Young.  Just imagine, if you were wanting to start up a small business and the first purchase on your business plan was your own freedom and that of your wife.  Hiram Young manufactured some of the best and most durable wagons for a long trip from Independence, across the Rocky Mountains, all the way to California and Oregon.  This was probably the most important aspect of this journey.  Local African-American history is rich and important to our local, national, and international stories.  Years ago, the Independence School District recognized their responsibilities to educate children of all races and established segregated black school while naming the school Young School after Hiram Young.  And when surrounding towns in Eastern Jackson County actually refused to educate the very few African-American youths in those communities, the Independence School District and Young School welcomed those students.  This we should be proud of.  Our local African-American heritage is integrated into our local story, a story that shaped and guided a great nation and beyond.  So what is the fate of the old Young School?  At one time, the Independence School District was in partnership with a local civic club to create a community center with an African-American Heritage Room.  But what is the status of that commitment to the African-American community?  This is something that certainly needs to be explored, but in the meantime the school district unloaded the building to Habitat for Humanity who is using the building as a warehouse for house parts and plumbing fixtures.  The photo above shows a row of white porcelain toilets that line the area just outside the old historic building where young African-American students used to line up to enter their school.  Now I’m all for recycling and salvage but not when it dishonors a commitment and a suppressed component of our rich history.  Unfortunately, this is not the only example of public school assets being flushed away while ignoring previous commitments.  It is important for all citizens of the City of Independence to have a voice in the management, maintenance and disposal of public resources.  When these assets have national importance and federal funding is involved (whether from HUD programs, tax credits, CDBG grant programs, etc.), it is actually federal law.  And one might also add, it’s also good government.  And we shouldn’t just look at the law to determine whether we choose to respect or disrespect our own rich heritage which, by the way, does include our fellow citizens of the African-American community.

"Cold November Rain"

Twenty years ago, the Rock-n-Roll hit “Cold November Rain” by Guns N’ Roses hit the US Billboard Hot Chart and peaked at Number 3.  In 1992, November came, it rained, and, yes, it was cold that Sunday morning when about eight neighbors stood on North Spring Street with protest signs to catch the attention of members of the First Baptist Church as they were heading to and leaving from church services.  The issue of the morning was to save the 2-story Victorian home of Bess Truman’s uncle, Judge Gates, at 322 North Spring.  More than just attempting to save a single home, the goal was to save an important Presidential neighborhood that had taken some huge hits in the previous decade by church expansion.  The 300-400 block North Spring, once part of the city’s Truman Heritage District, was possibly the only remaining block of uninterrupted Victorian structures in Independence (and many of those still had carriage houses until a few years before that).  At that time, the home was an important stop for tourists on the National Park Service neighborhood walking tour guided by Park Service Rangers.  In fact, in the early 1990’s, we had several times more tourists visiting Independence than we do today.  Those neighbors with the signs did get the church’s attention but enough to get them to expedite the demolition process, pull in a few strings, get their demolition permit the following day, then run a bulldozer through the home that afternoon, just hours before the City Council meeting.  The First Baptist Church choreographed the event to the minute and pulled off the upset like a Peyton Manning 2-minute offense.  Neighbors were told by city officials that there would be time to discuss and debate, but there wasn’t.  The outrage in the community and on the City Council was so prevalent that the council unanimously approved a demolition moratorium that covered the entire city (the moratorium still exists today in the form of our demolition ordinance).   With the demolition of 322 N. Spring, the First Baptist Church was allowed to construct another entrance into their large parking complex and add a few parking spaces.  The church now had eight entrances from four public streets and alleys.  The church also constructed a suburban-style brick and marble entrance monument that didn’t meet code and size standards in the zoning ordinances.  Neighbors filed a complaint and even convinced the City Board of Adjustments it was wrong and that it needed to comply.  But, as usual, it really didn’t matter; the sign was already built, set in marble and brick, and allowed to remain.  Keep in mind, 9 years before this event, the church demolished several historic homes on west side of Pleasant Street located in the National Historic Landmark District in order to have expanded parking facilities.  And remaining church-owned rental properties on Pleasant and Spring Streets continued to deteriorate awaiting their judgment day.  These local stories of community preservation are well-documented have even been discussed in national venues and conferences.  I’m bringing it up because it’s the twentieth anniversary of the Gates House demolition and because we still, even today, haven’t learned from these stories of our recent past.  Just a few months ago, another prominent institution submitted to the Heritage Commission for demolition a home at 112 N. Crysler (which wasn’t an isolated case).  The Commission rejected the demolition because it was considered “Demolition by Neglect.”  In November of 1992, in the aftermath of the loss of the Gates Home on Spring Street, there was a neighborhood meeting held at the Memorial Building.  Many neighborhood folks showed up including the NPS Superintendent, Ron Mack.  The most memorable person ended up being an elderly gentleman dressed up in a suit and tie claiming to represent the RLDS Church.  He made the most profound statement of the evening:  “We're not here to preserve history.  We’re here to make history!”  He was certainly correct.  History was unfolding then and even today.  It’s the story of one of the most historic communities in the nation that was content to witness much of the visual evidence of that history disappear through Urban Renewal, expansion of churches, and neglect, then wonder why heritage tourism numbers are down. When there is pride in your community, and more importantly, pride in the history of your community, then self-promotion comes naturally.  And successful self-promotion fills not only museums but retail stores, restaurants, hotels, and seats at the Events Center.  Every time I hear "Cold November Rain" on the radio, it reminds me of that Sunday morning 20 years ago.

Patriotism still a Puzzle

We happened to have the TV on "Wheel of Fortune" last night where the evening's theme was a salute to our country's military veterans combined with patriotism.  After all, it was the day after Veterans Day.  Active military soldiers in uniform with their spouses participated in the popular word game for cash and prizes.  In the drama of the "Final Spin" under the category of "On the Map," the puzzle in the picture above was presented.  The word "Missouri" was solved quickly but, for some reason, they all had difficulty in coming up with the name of a city in the state with 12 letters that aligned with the patriotic theme.  It seems we need to get Independence, Missouri ready for primetime!