Jefferson City officials say the historic buildings used for prison tours would not be impacted by the conveyance of 32 acres of the Missouri State Penitentiary to the city.
Gov. Eric Greitens on Tuesday signed Senate Bill 486 - sponsored by state Sen. Mike Kehoe and carried in the House by state Rep. Mike Bernskoetter - which would give 31.82 acres of the old prison grounds to the city.
Of the site's 140 acres, 128 are undeveloped. The city plans to develop 32 acres, and the state would control 95 acres to the east.
Ryan Burns, Office of Administration communication director, said the next step is for the Office of Administration to "negotiate and finalize the conveyance terms," which Mayor Carrie Tergin said is a "normal part of land conveyance."
Following this, Tergin said the city would start working with the county and state to develop a plan for the MSP Parkway and redevelopment of the area. The city plans on using a master plan developed by a redevelopment commission in 2001 as a guide, which encourages features such as hotels, retail shops and offices.
The parkway would take up 4.4 acres. The railroad uses 6.2 acres, and the Lafayette Street right of way would use 1.5 acres, leaving 19.7 acres for the city to develop.
Even though the city would own a portion of the MSP land, Tergin said this would not impact the historic buildings. The historic buildings would remain in the state's possession.
"The 32 acres does not include the historic quadrant," Tergin said. "That will remain as it currently is in the very successful partnership where the Convention and Visitors Bureau has tours, so the tours will not change or be affected in any way by this development."
The gas chamber would be on the land the city would possess, which Tergin said the state would still own. She said the gas chamber would not be affected by the redevelopment.
The gas chamber would still be used for prison tours, which are provided by the Jefferson City Convention and Visitors Bureau. The CVB leases the prison from the state for tours.
MSP operated as a prison for 168 years, from 1836-2004, when prisoners were moved to the Jefferson City Correctional Center.
Since the tours began in 2009, the number of visitors has increased from about 3,000 the first year to 33,000 last year.
Katherine Reed, communications manager for CVB, said the tours would not be affected by the land conveyance, and the CVB would continue to work with the Office of Administration to maintain and preserve the historic buildings.
Part of CVB's agreement with the state is revenue from the prison tours be put toward operational expenses and preservation projects.
In 2016, the tours brought in about $648,000 in revenue, with a net profit of $87,000, Reed said. About $100,000 went toward improvements, and some of it was put in reserve for future projects. The rest of the revenue was used for operational and marketing expenses.
Tergin said she hopes redeveloping the 32 acres will help increase tourism in the city and state. She said people like going to penitentiaries, referencing two high-tourist penitentiaries - Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary on Alcatraz Island.
"By holding the bill signing and showcasing and highlighting the historic quadrant, this shows the potential that once we develop the other part of the land that borders near the historic area, we know it would be successful based on the great response we've had based on our great partnership with the tours," Tergin said. "We want to highlight the historic quadrant, and by developing the undeveloped land, it would complement what we currently have in the historic quadrant and with the tours."
While the historic buildings would not be impacted by the conveyance, Reed said CVB is looking forward to the redevelopment of the area the city now owns.
"We are excited for the future of the area surrounding the prison and believe that any development that may occur will enhance the tours and continue to bring visitors to Jefferson City," Reed said.