Proposed Independence Historic Site Master Plan recommends city sell 2 sites due to maintenance costs

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — KSHB 41 reporter Claire Bradshaw covers eastern Jackson County, including Blue Springs and Grain Valley. Share your story idea with Claire.

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The city of Independence is considering a proposal to sell some of its historic sites, including the Vaile Mansion and Bingham Waggoner Estate, due to expensive maintenance needs.

The proposal comes a year after voters almost passed $12 million in general obligation bonds to support the city's historical sites. Without that funding, consulting firm PGAV put together a newly proposed Historic Sites Master Plan with recommendations for the properties.

PGAV noted Vaile Mansion and Bingham Waggoner Estate have expensive maintenance needs. The firm recommends finding a private buyer who could fund the necessary work while keeping the spaces protected through deed restrictions or preservation easements. The firm even pitched selling the sites for a token price of $1.

If the sites are not sold, PGAV estimates improvements would cost at least $12 million to $15 million.

The master plan also recommends transferring five other sites to a conservancy. Those sites include Historic Fire Station 1, the Chicago Alton Train Depot, Pioneer Spring Cabin, the Waggoner Gates Building and the Truman Depot.

Tod Palmer/KSHB

The Independence City Council will discuss the proposal at its study session at 6 p.m. Monday. The plan is currently just a proposal, and the council will not be voting at the study session.

Societies for both mansions posted on social media, encouraging people to attend the meeting.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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