KCRag Forum

MO giving extra TIF package worth $48M for this project today....what a great reuse.

Seems like things will come together for the area. Injecting that many employees in one area will be a huge boost for the business community. Tons of new upstart businesses will come to the area, Union Station will pick up the pace as well. I agree with the idea of creating housing on the former Trinity-Lutheran site. With the Federal Reserve occupying a portion of the area and other businesses sprouting along 31ST st, the area will begin to grow with a domino effect. I see great potential along 31ST east of Main. The construction of the new store fronts is fantastic. They are rehabing many other old store fronts. Once again, my argument focues on infill. Small construction, with rear parking is essential. This will put people back on the street. It will give vitality to the street. I don't want to sound like a broken record, but the city needs to take the lead in these areas by providing new sidewalks, curbs and streets. The streets should be narrowed, made rough with textures and stone, brick, etc... where plausible. This city has tons of brick underneath the pavement, it would be fantastic to let lots of that brick be exposed again. It lasts forever, and needs little upkeep. The brick isnt very rough, but rough enough to slow traffic, and provides a beautifual alternative to endless asfault. If anyone has any info on the 31ST st corridor, I'd love to hear it.

so could someone tell me where they are/might build and if there are renderings and what the chances are?

Holy cow, that's a ton of stuff...

If we had landed the IRS project 5 years ago, would the federal government have paid for the Union Station renovation (including Science City, I guess)?

I am 100% in favor of this project, but it does seem really odd that the city and state governments are giving massive tax breaks to the federal government.

dangerboy wrote:I am 100% in favor of this project, but it does seem really odd that the city and state governments are giving massive tax breaks to the federal government.

The feds just lease the space from DST Reality, who is developing the project. So they are not very different from any other tennant.

Update... Construction begins this winter. Post Office will move to Union Station in spring of 2005. Parking garage at Union Station also opens in 2005. IRS will move to the old post office building in summer of 2007.

The city and state aren't giving tax breaks to the federal government on this project, but to the developers, DST Realty. The federal government (or any government for that matter) doesn't pay taxes to another government. Governments are exempt from taxation--including sales taxes on any purchases they make. DST is receiving tax breaks as an incentive for redeveloping the Post Office property.

KCTV5:

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- An agreement has been reached to build a new $370 million Internal Revenue Service Center that will bring 6,000 jobs to downtown Kansas City, Sen. Kit Bond said Thursday.

Bond said the General Services Administration and DST Realty have agreed in principle on all major business terms and conditions needed to build the IRS center at the 70-year-old post office building. Plans also call for construction of three office annexes on 27.5 acres of land next to the post office building.

Postal operations would move to nearby Union Station.

The project also includes a 1,500-space parking garage, a 25,000-square-foot day-care center and a pedestrian overpass that will link Union Station with nearby restaurants, offices and art galleries.

When completed, the center could bring 4,000 permanent and 2,000 seasonal IRS jobs to the site from seven locations throughout the metropolitan area, Bond said.

Bond, who is chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for Housing, Veterans and Independent Agencies, said the project will bring "a huge infusion" of private investment money into downtown Kansas City.

"The (Economic Development Commission) of Kansas City estimates this project will have a $4 billion impact on the local economy," Bond said. "We are revitalizing a major segment of downtown Kansas City."

The project will be done in phases, with a final completion date of January 2007. according to state figures. The developer would contribute $30.5 million in equity and borrow $214 million. The state is expected to furnish historic tax credits of about $13.5 million.

Downtown plan to cost city more
By KEVIN COLLISON
The Kansas City Star

Tough bargaining involved in bringing as many as 6,000 Internal Revenue Service employees downtown has made the deal costlier, forcing the city to dip into its treasury.

What was once strictly a tax-increment financing deal, one that would divert future tax revenues over 23 years to help redevelop the old Main Post Office, will now require hard cash from the city — $523,000 it already receives annually from earnings taxes paid by IRS employees working on Bannister Road.

The state also is being asked to shoulder some of the additional burden. It had been committed to diverting $48 million in new tax revenues over 23 years to help finance the new IRS processing center on West Pershing Road, but that request has now been increased to $72 million.

Although the revised plan has become more expensive than the one presented last April, growing from $358.6 million to $380.7 million, city officials say the payoff still makes it worthwhile. The plan will consolidate IRS employees already working in the outer area of the city with 1,800 Overland Park-based colleagues to establish a new employment center near Union Station.

“I would have loved to have stuck to the terms of the original agreement,â€

[quote="KCDevin"]“I don't know when a decision will be made,â€

construction of three, two-story office annexes on the west side of the historic building,

.... can you say "typical Kansas City style sprawl" ? I want the project to work but gosh... they could have built one 8-9 story structure next to the old Post Office Buiding.

oh also, we wouldn't want a highrise at the IRS Complex, it would block alot of the view of Penn Valley Park...

Aren't the annexes pretty much to scale of the building? The Post Office can't be over 4 stories right?

Actually it's 114ft tall

Demolition has begun on several of the buildings on Broadway/West Pennway, southwest of the post office.

are they actually going bye bye right now? (I love saying that, it's just funny IMO, but it's not...)
I'll get photos tomorrow (I have two new 256mb cards plus my 64mb for my camera )

trailerkid wrote:Aren't the annexes pretty much to scale of the building? The Post Office can't be over 4 stories right?

I think the post office facility is six stories tall. unconfirmed....

Star reports a parking deck starts construction on Monday...

Construction is set to start Monday on a three-story, 1,500-space parking garage on the surface parking lot west of Union Station.

The good news is, the garage is part of the U.S. Post Office/Internal Revenue Service relocation project that should bring a little more life to the struggling landmark. The bad news is, the construction will take away some of the station's parking.

Everything except Annie's Lofts will be torn down on the site. Sure it's kinda sprawly etc, but this development is big, real big. It will clean up a high profile area in the part of Downtown that would take at least a decade to do with smaller projects, in the meantime, this development will spur new developments in the area even faster. It's all good...