With the April 3 election fast approaching, Jefferson City Council Ward 5 candidates and incumbents express their hopes for East Capitol Avenue and the soon-to-be-city-owned 32 acres at the Missouri State Penitentiary.
East Capitol Avenue now sports new and repaired sidewalks, improved curbs and gutters, historic-style lights, trees and new bicycle lanes after a joint Jefferson City-Cole County project. Several property owners also fixed their properties as part of the East Capitol Avenue Urban Renewal Plan.
The Jefferson City Housing Authority sent rehabilitation letters to several property owners last year, requesting they fix up their properties or risk condemnation. After receiving input from the public and city staff, they filed a civil suit to condemn 101, 103 and 105 Jackson St. The Housing Authority gave Cole County a check last month in hopes of taking possession of the three properties and a hearing is scheduled for March 26.
Ward 5 candidate Jim Crabtree said he completely supported and encouraged the Housing Authority's actions, adding the buildings were in a dire state. While having cooperative landlords would have been ideal, he said, the city must decide whether the buildings are worth preserving.
"When you look at Jefferson City when I first came here, I would drive down Capitol Avenue and just smile because the sense of place that that has with the Capitol at the terminus of the street and these wonderful homes was significant," he said. "To me, preserving those (buildings) is paramount. I think the city would lose a lot of its sense of place and culture and history if we didn't do that."
Uncontested City Council incumbents Ward 1 Rick Prather, Ward 2 Rick Mihalevich, Ward 3 Erin Wiseman and Ward 4 Ron Fitzwater said while the process is slow, they supported the Housing Authority moving forward with the condemnations since they think it is the only way to save the historic homes at this point. They noted if the Housing Authority gains the properties and sells them, there will be several people waiting to purchase and rehabilitate them.
Ward 5 candidate Ashley Jones-Kaufman said the buildings along East Capitol Avenue could have been maintained better and the improvements along the street are rejuvenating the area. However, condemnation should be a case-by-case basis and the city should do everything it can to work with the property owners before considering that route, she said.
"I do think the property owners should have a chance to take a look at their properties and get a chance to fix it or turn it over. But urban decay doesn't happen overnight," she said. "Am I in favor of just taking properties? No, but it's a case-by-case thing. If a building is sitting there for 10 years and nobody's noticed it, if we want to upkeep our city, a notice should be sent to a homeowner and if the notice is not followed up on, then something needs to be done. It's a beautiful city, and we do want to upkeep our city."
Ward 5 candidate Jon Hensley said while he supports the improvements on East Capitol Avenue, the city needs to remember other improvements around the city.
"There are parts in the 5th ward that are depreciated in streetscape and lighting, so it's understandable frustration when I talk to folks because they're like, 'It's pretty up there (on East Capitol Avenue) but our sidewalks crumble down to gravel, our guttering isn't effective, our sewer and stormwater systems are pretty rough and the streets are falling apart,'" he said. "So, spread that attention around. I don't think there's an excuse for some neighborhoods to have to endure deteriorating infrastructure while they then have to watch so much money being poured into other parts of the town. That's a major concern of our (Ward 5) neighbors."
Several council members and candidates said the improvements to East Capitol Avenue will tie in with the redevelopment of the 32 acres at the Missouri State Penitentiary.
The Missouri State Penitentiary Community Partners met last month for the first time to discuss redevelopment of the 31.82 acres, which was signed over by Gov. Eric Greitens to Jefferson City in July after the House of Representatives and Senate approved the bill.
All Ward 5 candidates and council incumbents thought the redevelopment would be an asset to the community, but some had varying ideas for the site.
The most common wish-list item for the site was a conference/civic center. The City Council approved a resolution in November stating MSPCP would work on a request for proposal to see if a conference/civic center would be an ideal feature for the redevelopment area.
Fitzwater said the city needed a conference/civic center to spur tourism and add to the city's economic development.
"I still think the Capitol City needs an appropriate facility for groups to come to town and be able to strategize and do their meetings and meet with legislators, so I'm going to continue to push for some type of facility," he said, adding he would also be interested in a possible hotel or state offices for the area.
Prather and Mihalevich, also running uncontested, said while the priority is getting a developer for the area, MSPCP needs to find a resolution for the lodging tax, whether it be a conference/civic center or another facility the public wants to encourage tourism.
Since voters approved a lodging tax increase in 2011, the 4-cent tourism fund accumulated more than $4.43 for the conference/civic center. The estimated funds available for the center totals $12 million, Jefferson City Financial Department Director Margie Mueller said in December.
Without a conference/civic center, Prather said, the city is losing business and potential revenue.
"I just had this conversation with other leaders in Jefferson City (and) they indicated that we're losing conferences because we do not have the conference space," he said. "A lot of people think conferences are dying off but that is not necessarily true because talking to the city leaders, we don't have the room for conferences so they're having to go either to the Lake (of the Ozarks) or Columbia."
Jones-Kaufman said while she thinks the city needs a conference/civic center, she needed more information to decide whether it would be feasible or appropriate to place it on the 32 acres. She added the city should also look at restaurants for the redevelopment area to provide more options for residents.
Other council members and Ward 5 candidates said they did not have a wish list for the redevelopment since they did not know what the state would want or what a developer might recommend.
The MSPCP plans on using the Missouri State Penitentiary Master Plan to guide its redevelopment plans. The state and city are also still finalizing the land conveyance and memorandum of understanding, which will also heavily influence redevelopment plans.
"We have a great relationship with them, and I wouldn't want to say, 'I wish for this to go over at MSP,' and the state says, 'I don't think that's a great idea,'" Wiseman said. "I wouldn't want to ruin that relationship over what my personal wish list is. I think we need to do what's best for the state, what's best for the city and we're moving on that."
The city must be responsible when moving forward with the redevelopment, Hensley said, and a contractor or developer needs to conduct an in-depth feasibility study to decide what the best possible features are. He added he anticipated the redevelopment area being a mixed use, residential space that fits in with the surrounding neighborhood.
Flexibility is key when looking at features for the redevelopment, Crabtree said. While the proximity to the Capitol and transportation corridors markets the redevelopment site as a "wonderful opportunity" for several businesses and assets, MSPCP has to remember the economy is constantly changing.