Higginsville Connectivity Master Plan

When the Missouri Pacific Railroad was
completed through Higginsville, Higgins
constructed a small hotel, and laid out the main
14 blocks of the town. He liberally gave to all
denominations of churches their lots and aided
them in construction of their houses of worship.
When the Chicago & Alton (the Kansas City, St.
Louis & Chicago) Railroad was first contemplated,
Higgins was an organizer and became its Director
when it was formed. The completion of this
second successful railroad resulted in a rapid
expansion of the town.
Connectivity
local civic building. Enhancing the navigation of
the City by foot or bicycle increases the draw of
visitors, magnifies safety, increases health as more
people get out and move, and boosts mobility
for those who can’t always depend on a motor
vehicle to get them where they want to be.
With a deep vein of agricultural heritage, today
the City is called home by approximately 5,000
residents and supports a variety of industry
and commerce. Once dominated by rail travel,
Higginsville, like most American cities, has
adapted to support the use of the automobile.
And, again like most cities, has lost focus on
alternate forms of transportation such as walking
or biking. A lack of infrastructure exposes
pedestrians and bicyclists to unnecessary traffic
risks, and is a disincentive for residents to lead an
active lifestyle.
Today, you can still find traces of Higginsville’s
originating features. Higginsville’s historic Depot
stands faithfully restored and listed on the
National Register of Historic Places. It now serves
as the location of the Harvey J. Higgins Historical
Society. Higgins’ city home, a two-story, brick
masterpiece he had constructed in 1883, remains
at the corner of Shelby and 22nd (formerly
Talmage) Streets. Of Higgins’ two railroads, the
Chicago & Alton line is still actively in use today.
Higginsville, Missouri
In 1869, the City of Higginsville was founded by
Harvey J. Higgins, a prominent farmer of hemp,
wheat, corn and livestock which he took to
market in nearby Lexington, Missouri. An 1893
biography noted him as “the owner of twentyone valuable slaves”, yet Higgins was also a
prosperous businessman with stock ownership
and management responsibilities in several
businesses. After the Civil War ended, Higgins
became the director of the Higginsville Branch
of the Missouri Pacific Railroad. He secured a
depot and bought two hundred and five acres to
begin a town unanimously voted to be named
Higginsville.
The original, Missouri Pacific line has since been
closed, but the corridor is still a visible presence,
running north-south along Shelby, through the
heart of town.
For today’s residents and the generations that
will come, the City of Higginsville is applying a
forward-thinking approach to accommodating
future development while accounting for the
needs of its residents. This Connectivity Master
Plan is designed to set forth the priorities
of the citizens of Higginsville and to lay the
foundation for safety improvements for those
who currently walk, run, and bike in Higginsville’s
neighborhoods.
How the Plan came about:
A developed network of walks and trails within
a well-designed system provide safe corridors
for children walking to school or the park, and
accommodate those who choose to walk rather
than drive to destinations such as the grocer or
Master Plan
Higginsville’s Connectivity Master Plan is the
product of a collaborative effort between the City
of Higginsville, Health Care Collaborative of Rural
Missouri, University of Missouri Extension and
Lafayette County Health Department through the
Lafayette County Live Healthy, Live Well project, a
Social Innovation for Missouri grant initiative. The
Plan was guided by the supervision and input of
the Plan Steering Committee.
Funding for this project was provided in part
by the Missouri Foundation for Health. The
Missouri Foundation for Health is a philanthropic
organization whose vision is to improve the
health of the people in the communities it serves.
Additional funding for this project was provided
in part by the Health Care Foundation of Greater
Kansas City and Blue Cross Blue Shield of
Kansas City.
How the Plan will be used:
Plotting the community’s priorities on paper
is the first step in the process of getting
improvements constructed. Higginsville’s
Connectivity Master Plan is a tool to assist
state and local decision-makers as future road,
streetscape, sidewalk and trail projects are
planned, funded and designed.
Connectivity Network
(Map continues, see inset)
Higginsville’s Connectivity Network is a collection
of interconnected circuits that provide a
backbone of prioritized walkable and bikeable
corridors.
The routes chosen were based upon several
factors:
• location of retail, public services and
amenities available to the community;
• location of residential neighborhoods;
• safety needs;
Prepared for the City of Higginsville in partnership with the HCC of
Rural Missouri, MU Extension and Lafayette County Health Department
through the Lafayette County Live Healthy, Live Well project,
a Social Innovation for Missouri grant initiative.
McCord
Park
• terrain;
• presence and quality of existing walks and
pedestrian facilities;
• public projects already in the planning
stages; and
• historically significant corridors and sites
and tourism planning.
The Master Plan is a springboard for organized
and focused provision of amenities that make
Higginsville more walkable.
Connectivity Legend
Priority 1A Connection
Potential Future Rail-trail
Wyncup
Employement
Golf Course
City Lake
Airport (2 mi)
Current Safe Routes to School Project
Network Link
Alternate or Additional Link
Completed
John Knox
Village
Healthy Community
Farmers
Mkt.
The Higginsville Connectivity Masterplan was
made possible through a Social Invocation for
Missouri (SIM) Grant. This competitive Grant was
awarded to seven communities within the state,
and was funded by the Missouri Foundation for
Health with matching funding from the Health
Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City and Blue
Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City.
Redbud
Senior
Housing
LONG GROVE RD.
MO
20
The two-part goals of the SIM Grant are Obesity
Prevention and Tobacco Cessation. Achieving
these goals requires a variety of strategies to
realize a positive impact on health. The Lafayette
County Live Healthy, Live Well objectives
recognize that providing a built environment that
encourages safe physical activity, accessibility,
and increased community use is essential to
increasing community health.
6th ST.
Piggly
Wiggly
7th ST.
AU
ER LI
NE
M
TU
N
DR
.
LIPPER AVE.
TIM
B
DR.
E. 12th ST.
W. 13th ST.
W. 14th ST.
Fairground Park
W. 14th ST.
W. 15th ST.
MO AA E. 15th ST.
W. 15th ST.
LOCUST ST.
W. BROADWAY ST.
W. 29th ST.
W. 30th ST.
0
E. 27th ST.
E. BROADWAY ST.
E. 29th ST.
OAK ST.
MAPLE ST.
CYPRESS ST.
PEACH ST.
MO T E. 26th ST.
E. 26th ST.
W. 27th ST.
MAIN ST.
PINE ST.
.
ST
.
ST
.
ST
AIN
th
24
BY
E.
TM
T.
Elementary
School
.
.
ST
EL
rd
23
E
AV
MO
E.
ND
.
ST
WILLOW ST.
OU
TS
School Campus
GR
M
EL
US
CHERRY ST.
300 600
1200
CHERRY ST.
HICKORY ST.
SPRUCE ST.
MO 13 HIGHWAY BLVD.
PEACH ST.
W. 35th ST.
W. 32nd ST.
W. 33rd ST.
W. 34th ST.
36th ST.
W. 37th ST.
Walk Score®, an organization promoting and
mapping walkable communities through their
web interface and real estate tools, measures the
availability of services and amenities within 1/4
to one mile of any given address, then assigns a
score based on what’s available and its distance
from that address.
Parcels
Parks
Walkability, as defined by the non-profit
Walkable and Livable Communities Institute, is
“the measure of the overall walking and living
conditions in an area; the extent to which the
built environment is friendly to the presence of
people walking, biking, living, shopping, visiting,
enjoying or spending time in an area.”
Creating a walkable community involves
providing alternatives to car-dependant travel.
This means providing bike lanes, sidewalks and
trails that interconnect within the city, and is
dependant upon the provision of services and
amenities in close proximity to those who will
use them.
W. 31st ST.
City Limits
Railroads
AIR
3F
.
ST
25th ST. TERR.
OAK ST.
Roads
S1
SH
MO
BU
SHELBY ST.
CYPRESS ST.
N. PEACH ST.
CEDAR ST.
23rd ST. TERR.
PINE ST.
.
T ST
E. 21st ST.
E. 22nd ST.
C
LO
NU
WAL
High School
Legend
RR.
W. 21st ST.
K
OA
TE
ST.
W. 20th ST.
TRACY BLVD.
ELM ST.
WILLOW ST.
W. 22nd ST.
24th ST. TERR.
24th ST. TERR.
25th
PINE ST.
D.
E. 18th ST.
W. 19th ST.
ELM ST.
T.
MS
PLU
WILLOW ST.
BLV
WALNUT ST.
W. 18th ST.
MO 20 W. 19th ST.
PLUM ST.
SYCAMORE ST.
TR
ACY
E. 17th ST.
OLIVE ST.
Rolling
Meadows
State School
W. 17th ST.
CT.
SPRUCE ST.
13
MO FF TRUMAN RD.
K LN .
.
RY ST
W CREE
E. 16th ST. TERR.
W. 16th ST.
O
HICK
O
M
WILLO
E. 13th ST.
E. 14th ST.
W. 15th ST.
WILLOW TRE
E
What is Walkability?
E. 12th ST. TERR.
LIPPER AVE.
W. 12th ST.
OLIVE ST.
W. 11th ST.
LIPPER AVE.
MO BUS 13 & 20 MAIN ST.
ELM ST.
WALNUT ST.
E. 9th ST.
MO MM
Church
MO 13
Access Constraint
Map Inset
Habilitation
Center
The techniques for improving a community’s
livability and walkability are many, but all have
one thing in common: they take the focus off
of the automobile. That is not to say the car is
completely ignored in all future improvements,
it means the car begins to take a back seat to the
people who will be using the site/neighborhood/
community. Here are some of those techniques
and guiding principals as described by the
Walkable and Livable Communities Institute:
JENNINGS RD.
SUMMER AZURE LN.
ER L
INE
DR.
Higg.
Estates
OU TE
R RD.
I 70 E
9600
W. 11th ST.
HAZEL DELL RD.
(Map continues, see inset)
DR
.
E. 9th ST.
W. 12th ST.
W. 13th ST.
E. 12th ST.
LIPPER AVE.
2400 4800
N
E. 12th ST. TERR.
OLIVE ST.
0
MO BUS 13 & 20 MAIN ST.
I 70 W
OLD US 40
A
UM
UT
LIPPER AVE.
TIM
B
Bright Futures
Daycare - New
WALNUT ST.
HUD Housing
Post Office
Magnolia Manor
Pharmacy
Elementary School
Meyer Care Center
Golf Course
Fairground Park
Farmers Market
Special Needs Housing
7th ST.
ELM ST.
Medical Clinic
Banks
Higginsville Estates
Veterans Cemetery
Walmart Pharmacy
Bucks Country Market
Casey’s
Break Time
Rolling Hills School
McDonalds
Safe Routes to School (SRTS). Programs designed
to encourage and enable children to safely walk
and bike to school. See www.saferoutesinfo.org
for more information.
6th ST.
GRANGE RD.
Higginsville’s Connectivity Network is based upon
the location of retail, public services and amenities
available to the community including:
Library
Community Center
Schools and Day Care
City Lake
Depot and Museum
John Knox Village
Churches
Group Home
Shelter Wkshp
Piggly Wiggly
4800
MO
Community
Destinations
1200 2400
20
Confederate Park
0
Walk Score® lists several of the benefits walkable
neighborhoods experience. Some of these
benefits are logically derived, while others offer
a fresh answer to the question, “Why make my
community walkable?” Here’s how Walk Score®
answers that question:
Environment. Cars are a leading cause of
climate change. Your feet are zero-pollution
transportation machines.
Health. The average resident of a walkable
neighborhood weighs 6-10 pounds less
than someone who lives in a sprawling
neighborhood.
Finances. One point of Walk Score is worth
up to $3,000 of value for your property. In
other words, real estate in highly-scored
communities commands a higher sales price.
Communities. Studies show that for every
10 minutes a person spends in a daily car
commute, time spent in community activities
falls by 10%.
How Do We Make Higginsville a
Walkable & Livable Community?
OSBORN RD.
LONG GROVE RD.
The focus on enabling active living through the
built environment allows the community to
address the trends of obesity, chronic disease,
and sedentary lifestyles head-on with real and
tangible solutions such as greater walkway
connectivity and interconnected trails, bikeways,
and sidewalks. By removing barriers that limit
access to transportation, services and open space,
all user populations will be given the opportunity
to live a more active lifestyle.
E. 13th ST.
Road Diet. The practice of removing width or
full lanes from a road section in order to build
balanced, holistic, healthy, safe and economically
prosperous street networks.
Multi-modal transportation. A connected
transportation system that supports cars,
bicycles, pedestrians, and public transit.
Complete Streets. Street designs that support
all modes of transportation and serve all people
making use of a street, with a special emphasis on
age-friendly strategies, livability and performance
of retail life, placemaking along the street and
in the corridor; any roadway having a bike lane,
sidewalk, and room for mass transit.
Wayfinding. Enabling a person to find his
or her way to a given destination through
the use of effective signage or other graphic
communication, logical space planning, audible
communication, tactile elements, and provision
for special-needs users. Wayfinding encompasses
all of the ways in which people orient themselves
in physical space and navigate from place
to place.
Aging in place. The ability to live in one’s own
home – wherever that might be – for as long as
confidently and comfortably possible; not having
to move from one’s present residence in order to
secure necessary support services in response to
changing needs.
Smart Growth. An urban planning and
transportation theory that concentrates growth
in compact walkable urban centers to avoid
sprawl. Smart Growth advocates compact,
transit-oriented, walkable, bicycle-friendly land
use, including neighborhood schools, complete
streets, and mixed-use development with a range
of housing choices.
Low Impact Development (LID). An approach
to land development that uses land planning
and design practices and technologies to
simultaneously conserve and protect natural
resource systems and reduce infrastructure costs.
LID allows land to be developed, but in a cost
effective manner that helps mitigate potential
environmental impacts.
Main STREET View:
Downtown
Looking South
existing
Main Street transforms from stark to inviting
with shade and comfort provided by street trees.
Landscape planters soften the environment,
reduce the heat island effect, clean the air and
filter stormwater runoff from the pavement.
Safety and ease of crossing streets are boosted
by the addition of bump-outs which reduce the
amount of pavement and shrink the width of
street pedestrians must cross.
possible
th
13 HIGHWAY BOULEVARD
& 34 STREET
View: Looking Northesst
possible
With new development, comes new
infrastructure, and there’s no better time to
build-in needed pedestrian facilities to make
the retail destination a walkable destination.
Signalized crosswalks provide safe, ADA friendly
passage across busy 13 Highway. Street trees and
pedestrian refuge islands allow persons of all
abilities to travel without a car more comfortably.
existing
North Main
STREET
View: Looking South
existing
A trail connection is made between the central
business district (and other priority walkable
corridors) and Confederate Park, providing
opportunities for recreation at the Park without
the necessity of an automobile to get there.
Long corridors, like this one, also serve aspiring
athletes well as they provide the distance needed
for advanced levels of exercise.
possible
13 HIGHWAY BOULEVARD south of Fairground AVENUE
View: Looking South
possible
existing
13 HIGHWAY BOULEVARDView:
@ Rail Overpass
Looking South
The 13 Highway railroad overpass offers a current constraint
to pedestrians and tall vehicles. Widening the pass to
a “Super Two” highway configuration will allow safe,
pedestrian walkways to be included on each side of the
highway. As illustrated, the roadway elevation can also be
lowered (or the rail bed raised) to allow for larger truck
access. Stormwater can be filtered in roadside infiltration
basins that add to the aesthetic charm with lowermaintenance landscapes.
possible
Visualize
a Connected Higginsville
Higginsville, Missouri
Connectivity Master Plan
Trees, a bike lane and sidewalks make all the
difference between a car-dominated sea of
asphalt and a space where people aren’t afraid
to walk. Business opportunities increase where
people gather, increasing economic viability in an
already highly commercial area.
existing