Consultants give midterm update on Independence parks master plan; report gaps in acreage and recommend priorities

City staff and consulting teams gave the Independence City Council a midterm briefing on the parks and recreation master plan, reporting assessment findings, engagement results and an outline of next steps toward a draft strategic action plan.

The briefing matters because the master plan will guide capital investment, maintenance priorities and staffing for parks, trails and historic assets across the city and will inform funding choices, including potential bond measures or other revenue options identified in the resident survey.

City Manager Younger introduced the discussion and asked Morris Heide, Director of Parks and Recreation, to present the status of the plan. Heide said the plan is "a little bit more than halfway through" the process and that consultants are reporting findings but making no recommendations at this briefing.

Prosch Consulting (Travis) presented demographic and service‑level analysis: Independence shows a modest population increase forecast over the next eight years, an aging population trend, and increasing racial and ethnic diversity. Prosch used Esri data for a market potential index and noted…