A roadmap designed to guide historic preservation in Jefferson City was recently adopted, and suggestions laid out in it could shape the historical areas of the city for years to come.
The Historic Preservation Plan is a more detailed, historic preservation-focused section of the city's comprehensive plan, last updated in 1996 and currently being revamped by city staff, which covers the community as a whole.
The Jefferson City Planning and Zoning Commission approved the plan during its November meeting. As the keepers of the city's comprehensive plan, the commission's approval of the HPP was the final approval needed to adopt the plan.
In late 2018, city staff started the process of creating the Historic Preservation Plan. In December 2018, the Jefferson City Council approved a $30,000 contract with Pennsylvania-based Heritage Strategies LLC to develop the plan. Half of the contract cost was paid by the State Historic Preservation Office.
City Planner Ahnna Nanoski said staff from the Department of Planning and Protective Services worked closely with the consultants over the months it took to develop the plan, including having regular meetings, overseeing in-town visits from the consultants and providing data and research.
"All throughout the process, people were involved, stakeholders were there," Nanoski said. "They did one-on-one interviews with a few stakeholders to dive deep into what is important to the community, where is our history, how can we move forward with it."
As part of the development of the plan, Heritage Strategies also sought community engagement through focus groups including Historic Preservation Commission members and other stakeholders, one-on-one interviews with stakeholders and public meetings.
HPC President Mary Schantz said the commission was heavily involved in the plan.
"Every step of the way, the consultants had a timeline where they would gather information, come up with a first rough draft, then they would come to town, and we would have a discussion and give them some directions and feedback, and that continued throughout the entire time," Schantz said.
The Historic Preservation Plan is a 188-page document designed to provide the community with productive measures to guide historic preservation efforts throughout the city, Nanoski said.
The plan presents a multi-year action plan for incorporating historic preservation into the broad range of the city's programs and initiatives, and it's meant to aid stakeholders like the Historic Preservation Commission, City Council, city staff and the public in making well-informed decisions about historic preservation.
"It's a whole compilation of different recommendations that can help spearhead activities," Nanoski said. "The city can use it, stakeholders can use it, the public can even use it to guide their historic preservation efforts."
It's broken down into nine chapters - overview, historical development, preservation approach, strengthening Jefferson City's preservation program, planning and development, improving historic commercial centers, strengthening historic neighborhoods, welcoming visitors and storytelling, and conclusion and implementation.
It also includes a short section about the May 22 tornado that hit Jefferson City in the middle of the creation of the plan, discussing the effects of the storm and how it relates to historic preservation. The storm hit some historic areas including the Missouri State Penitentiary and East Capitol Avenue.
"We wanted to make sure that it was reflective of the current conditions, and since it hit those neighborhoods, what to do with those historic neighborhoods was going to be a big talking point for people," Nanoski said.
The plan lays out possible actions the city or other stakeholders could implement regarding historic preservation, categorized in different chapters, to guide the city through historical preservation.
Nanoski said having a plan, the first of its kind for Jefferson City, is important because it can keep everyone on the same track.
"I think, especially for us as the capital where we have so much history for us to be all on the same page with what's significant, how we can improve it - even a few outline recommendations that you might not consider are relevant to historic preservation - it's all important for us to have that documented so we can work together, so we don't lose that significant aspect of our Jefferson City culture," she said.
Schantz said the plan provides a "blueprint" that can join together various city departments or commissions and the public to a common goal - groups that may not always work together.
"For the first time, I think it really gives a direct link between us all, so we're not just independently tearing down this building or making this decision in a vacuum," Schantz said. "We've got No. 1, a plan to look at, and No. 2, we can see what the interconnectedness is between what we're doing and what another commission or department is doing."
Making sure historic assets of the city are preserved is an important goal, Schantz said.
"Without our history, we don't have a beginning," she said. "I chose to live in Jefferson City for many reasons but to me, valuing our past and the historic nature of our city is important and certainly improves my quality of life."
Schantz said Jefferson City is lucky to have historic aspects remaining, even if some of it has been lost.
"So many cities in America today really are mostly new cities, or there's very small portions that still have a historic core and flavor to them," Schantz said. "We've been really lucky. Go through Jefferson City - we've got a wide swath of historic buildings and neighborhoods."
Some of those areas - Old Munichburg on the south side, the downtown area, West Main Street and the Millbottom, among others - are highlighted in the plan, with recommendations for revitalization and treatment.
Like the city's comprehensive plan, the actions in the plan for historic preservation are recommendations not requirements.
"Nothing is being forced to happen, it's just a critique from the consultants saying, 'These are pros, these are cons of your community. This is how you can continue to lift up historic preservation in these ways,' and then we implement the plan as appropriate," Nanoski said.
Having the plan can not only guide the decisions of policymakers or other stakeholders, but can bring attention to historic preservation for residents, and shows the community that those stakeholders feel historic preservation is important.
"The significance is that they know that stakeholders in the city find this to be a priority, and there are steps in place to preserve the history," Nanoski said. "It's one thing to say 'Yes, this is important,' but it's another thing to have the plan written on paper."