KCRag Forum

KCDevin sounds like he is the right age for a long overnight stay at Neverland Ranch. Just dont touch his monkey (bubbles?); but then again, you might want to touch it then sue him and settle for $10+ million. I would touch his monkey for $5k (got to keep gas in the Beamer)

brookside yuppie--out

DIE YUPPIE SCUM!

KCDevin wrote:g2g you sound you really freaking hate me and I wanna know why...
btw bud, IM 15!
besides that honoring the arch would only be an excuse to make it go taller.

Devin, nobody hates you. You just anoy the sh*t out of us with your erection fixations.

JACKO's Innoccent!

but you gotta remember, this is KC Development and Skyscrapers so I belong to here too

This petition is a great idea, we can kill alot of trees wit it.

H&R Block has much to lose if they go to Kansas. Like respect! They will lose respect from Missouri residents as well as the Kansas City Star, Pitch Weekly, etc. It will definitely ignite a border war. Does H&R Block want to be the subject of negativity in the press and public eye jus' to save a few bucks by skippin' across State Lines?

Block HQ decision will come soon

Jim Davis
Staff Writer
Business Journal

Downtown boosters won't have to wait for Groundhog Day to know whether they'll enjoy an early spring.

Kansas City's climate for downtown development would heat up in a hurry should H&R Block Inc. move its headquarters to Downtown.

But the deal's complexity may thwart city leaders' localized version of global warming. Failure to align the sometimes-conflicting agendas of government leaders and private landowners could doom Downtown to Bill Murray's role in "Groundhog Day" -- endlessly repeating its inability to attract private investment.

Block spokeswoman Linda McDougall said she still expects a headquarters decision before winter begins Dec. 22. The company continues to explore alternatives on both sides of the state line, she said.

The downtown Block party has attracted some unlikely guests. Among those hoping the company will move Downtown is Bob Marcusse, CEO of the Kansas City Area Development Council.

Marcusse, who usually steers clear of relocations within the area, said Block could become a bellwether for Downtown that would help the KCADC's recruitment.

"It's important that Kansas City companies select Downtown before they can expect firms from outside the region to," he said. "We have to first fix our own problems. When we have demonstrated that Kansas Citians have made an investment, it is reasonable to expect others to.

"A decision to locate in Downtown can help create some very positive news."

Block (NYSE: HRB) began looking to consolidate offices spread among three locations in November 2002. Company executives have been mum about the selection process. Public officials and private developers chasing the deal also are tight-lipped; none returned phone calls seeking comment for this story.

The company's need for about 750,000 square feet probably will prompt new construction on a scale not seen for decades in Kansas City because few public incentives would be available for Block if it occupied existing downtown space.

A new building, whose size would approach that of 15-year-old One Kansas City Place and surpass Shook Hardy & Bacon LLP's headquarters, which opened in November at 2555 Grand Blvd. in Crown Center, would complement a proposed downtown entertainment district.

Although the district is being pursued independently of Block, the 1,000-person headquarters could generate enormous economic support for the district. Tax increment financing could defray construction costs of parking garages and other public amenities. Block's employees would become prime customers of the district. Dave Feehan, president of the International Downtown Association in Washington, gauged downtown business workers' average annual downtown spending at more than $2,000. Downtown advocates salivate at that potential, but realists caution that Kansas City's recent record at landing these catches has been less than stellar. The latest disappointment came in November, when Waddell & Reed Financial Inc. iced protracted negotiations to come Downtown. The city's inability to assure Waddell & Reed of a new parking garage helped scotch plans for the mutual fund company to move into One Kansas City Place. Assembling land for H&R Block promises to be even more problematic. A coalition of landowners will need to be fashioned amid a checkerboard of disparate interests.

Although no single owner controls enough property on its own, economic development leaders have hinted that DST Systems Inc. will call the shots. DST CEO Tom McDonnell is suited to be kingmaker; he's co-chairman of the Greater Downtown Development Authority, and DST owns property throughout Downtown. But Larry Bridges, president of Executive Hills Inc., can't be ignored.

His holdings include One Kansas City Place. His tough negotiating tactics command respect, if not admiration. "(Bridges) acts like he controls 90 percent of the deal even if he only has 2 percent," said one real estate official who requested anonymity. Bridges and DST officials did not return phone calls. Kansas City's sometimes-lumbering bureaucracy presents another challenge.

R. Lee Harris, president of NAI Cohen-Esrey Real Estate Services Inc., said incentives offered by each state are roughly comparable. The difference has more to do with government officials' attitude.

"Kansas is easier to work with -- more eager, less bureaucracy," he said. "People make decisions quickly." The process is clunkier in Missouri, where local municipalities have greater latitude in crafting incentives, but they still must get buy-in from the state. Once-frosty relations between the Economic Development Corp. of Kansas City and the Missouri Department of Economic Development have warmed. Buzz Willard, CEO of Tower Properties Co., said local government officials have become more responsive as Downtown has become a higher priority. "Six or seven years ago, you could call City Hall and wait a month to get your phone call returned," Willard said. Bill Dietrich, CEO of the Downtown Council of Kansas City, said he's encouraged by improvements such as the Kansas City Public Library's new Central Branch, which will open next year. Dietrich said he still wants to strengthen the downtown office market, where one-quarter of available space is vacant. Snaring Block's headquarters "would represent a ground shift in people's thoughts and attitudes toward Downtown," Dietrich said, acknowledging that no comparable prospects exist. "You only get so many of these major opportunities when you're moving forward with revitalizing your downtown," he said. "We've got to keep focused and deliver some of them. With every opportunity that goes away, the others become more critical. You don't have infinite opportunities."

A new building, whose size would approach that of 15-year-old One Kansas City Place and surpass Shook Hardy & Bacon LLP's headquarters, which opened in November at 2555 Grand Blvd. in Crown Center, would complement a proposed downtown entertainment district.

oh yes this is good no great.
Anyone know how likely it is they will move downtown?

I'd say the odds are 2-1 that H&R Block will move downtown--i.e. good likelihood. Why? Because the subsidies are too good to pass up, and their headquarters will be the anchor for an entertainment district--and next to the proposed arena. If the arena is built, literally hundreds of thousands of out-of-towners will be exposed to Block's presence in the city. If, for example, the arena was named the H&R Block Arena, it would provide national exposure everytime an event is held there. Block would become omnipresent in KC, and all visitors would associate the company with KC. It would be similar to Hallmark being the anchor for Crown Center.

In addition, H&R Block would have a headquarters building that would dominate the skyline, which would be free advertising everytime a KC postcard was sold or mailed. The building would be featured in all KC-related advertising (convention and tourism mailings). Because of its proximity to the downtown freeway and interstate system, the building would have exposure to millions of travelers driving through KC on I-70, I-35, and Highway 71 in future decades. No other location in the metro area would be as prominent, and offer such visibility. If the leaders of H&R Block don't consider that in the decision, they are fools.

Also, both H&R Block the company and the Bloch family have a good track record in the urban core. Plus as a private company, they don't have the responsibility to shareholders to accept the most generous relocation incentives - they can also consider other less tangible factors.

zonk wrote:rumor mill has it that they will make an announcement within 10 days. GET THE BUBBLY AND CIGARS OUT!!! Sound like their comming downtown!!!!

Please say it's so...

locking this one up, move to the "official" thread....

http://www.kcskyscrapers.com/kcforum/vi ... .php?t=774