KCRag Forum

This 200 million dollar Downtown project deserves a thread.

This project is really taking off. Steel is up on the north end. The Star says the north end will rise eight stories but I can't tell if the steel represents the height of the building or not. It might be 80' (a short eight stories), but doesn't look like it, so they might be adding more steel.

Anyway, here are some links and renderings, I will try and get some pics of the construction site soon.

http://www.kcstar.com/cam/

This is one of my favorite projects going on right now. The Star deserves a lot of credit and praise for remaining downtown, when many newspaper publishers are going to the suburbs.

GRID wrote:
Anyway, here are some links and renderings, I will try and get some pics of the construction site soon.

http://www.kcstar.com/cam/

Besides te live cam, that Web site has a section with biweekly construction photos.

Driving back from the game tonight I saw the ironwork going up...I had no idea that top overhang was going to be so visable from the freeway....I'm now almost pumped for this project....the glass rising up as visitors fly underneath on the highway will be an eyecatcher....

The end closest to the loop is supposed to be eight stories high. That's also the end where the presses will be, so with the glass exterior, you'll be able to see them running as you drive the loop. Should be very nice.

I have not been to the loop in a few weeks so when I entered the loop via I-670 from the east I saw this erector set overhanging Truman Road. What a great project. I then wondered how an arena and other development would frame in that entire stretch of freeway giving KC a whole new look for people passing through. Again, nice going KC Star!

For those who have not seen it, here are some pics of the new press building. It's going to be quite a
high profile building, especially for those entering Downtown via I-670.

Drove by, and saw the first panes of glass going up. wow! looking good!

Missouri Sen. Victor Callahan put The Star's TIFing on blast at the Missouri Senate. He might even shut their tax breaks down. I agree with him that it is hypocritical of The Star to praise downtown development and such and then not pay their fair share when all other normal citizens must. But this whole issue wouldn't have come to the forefront without The Star choosing a write-in candidate to endorse over Callahan.

[quote]In a telephone interview Tuesday, Callahan accused The Star of hypocrisy and said that “a major newspaper that often talks about downtown development should not always be asking for tax abatement.â€

What I forgot to mention is that if you buy a condo downtown you also receive tax abatements. Not on the same scale as a $199 million printing press, but something to keep in mind.

trailerkid wrote:Missouri Sen. Victor Callahan put The Star's TIFing on blast at the Missouri Senate. He might even shut their tax breaks down. I agree with him that it is hypocritical of The Star to praise downtown development and such and then not pay their fair share when all other normal citizens must. But this whole issue wouldn't have come to the forefront without The Star choosing a write-in candidate to endorse over Callahan.

IMO this is purely political. Callahan is notorious for hardball politics during his time as a Jackson County Legislator. Besides endorsing a write-in candidate instead of Callahan, the Star has also been critical of his home city of Independence using TIF for retail development in greenfield suburban sites. The Star has also been supportive of effors in the General Assembly to reign in the use of TIF for suburban retail projects. There might also be some sour grapes here: Callahan represents Eastern Jack, which was considered for the printing press site but ultimately passed over for downtown.

TIF was originally supposed to be used to make urban redevelopment sites competitive with vacant surburban land, and the Star's project definitely fits within the spirit and letter of the law.

If you read the entire article, the Star is actually only asking for tax abatement on the real estate portion of the building, not on the equipment, etc. The total tax abatement portion is only a very small portion of the $200 million. The printing presses themselves, and related equipment is $130 million of that, and they are paying FULL taxes on that. They are also paying the taxes on the building itself. It is only the actual real estate that they are receiving tax abatement on, and only for 10 years. As they put forth in the article, they are in fact eligible for full tax abatement on the entire affair, for 25 years, and had they asked for it, the city would have granted it. They only asked asked for the tax abatement that woudl have equalized the cost of aquiring land in the urban core as opposed to a suburban greenfield. It was entirely appropriate, and I bet they are one of the few companies that did not press the city for all the money they could get.

it is pure politics: the proposal would only apply to the Star's printing press downtown, nowhere else in the entire state.

Why in the world should we congratulate a business for paying taxes on $150 million in equipment? Because KMBC is trying to bleed KCMO dry we should look at The Star as a saint? This reminds of people who say "I take care of my kids" as if they are to be commended for doing what they are supposed to. Big f'ing deal that The Star did not try to bleed KCMO dry like so many others. Do they want a medal for not being entirely on corporate welfare?

And why is downtown competing with "suburban greenfields" anyway? If a business is dumb enough to want a suburban greenfield...LET THEM GO. Block too could've chosen Nall in Jo Co, but didn't because they knew it was a bad BUSINESS decision. Just how people were mentioning the Big XXII will never sign an arena in the 'burbs...it makes BUSINESS sense. The Star is part of Knight Ridder-- a global corporation that is in the BUSINESS of making money. Do not be fooled.

Block is moving downtown, partly because of the tax breaks and financial incentives that the city gave them. No one is congratulating the Star, but if you're gonna bitch, at least bitch accurately. The Star is not getting a tax break on a $200 million dollar printing press building, as the legislator is alledging. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think they are getting a tax break on 8.9 million of that.

All I know is that building looked awesome in the evening sunset on Saturday, just awesome.

On another note, it just freaks me out how people live in such a bubble.

Most people at my "Downtown" office do not know what it is, some don't even know it's going up. How??? I will never get that.

This project is really looking great. I wish the Star would build a mid-to-high-rise residential tower nearby and call it Star Tower.

maybe brit's tower that got rejected on the plaza....

it hasn't been fully rejected you know, it still has a chance.

i was wondering what that was when i was going on 670 east, that place is huge

The printing press is adding glass in this mostly brick section of town, the two of which will go great together. I am excited that this will lead to other new development in the area because there are lots of vacant lots and parking lots that need infilled. BAN ALL PARKING LOTS!