Ingram's June 2022

I N T H E N E W S

Tidbits of Business News from Around the Region

MISSOURI CASS COUNTY Drury Sets Up Shop

wrap up in early 2023.

traffic, the Buck O’Neil Bridge might not be very wide as parks go, but the 540-foot span over the Missouri River would make for an ideal linear park, advocates say, and they’re pressing for state and local funding to salvage the structure from next year’s scheduled demolition. Kansas City has issued requests for proposals on a feasibil ity study to determine whether such a park could complement the multifamily boom in the adjacent River Market area. PLATTE COUNTY KCI Update Now, less than a year from its projected opening, Kansas City International’s new single-terminal design is coming down

Plaza-Area Tower Plan LANE4 Property Group, a long-time powerhouse in retail development, is flexing its residential muscles with plans for a 12-story multifamily tower on the block northwest of the Country Club Plaza. The 342-unit building at 47th and Belleview Ave., where two previous multifamily pro posals failed to gain traction, would include a four-story underground parking garage and street-level commercial space. Bridge-to-Park Study With a width of just four lanes of

Springfield-based Drury University is stepping up to help fill the dearth of higher-education opportunities in Cass County with night and online classes. With 104,000 residents, Cass County is the biggest county in the region without a hometown higher-education program. Drury will plug some of that workforce training gap with courses that include orga nizational leadership, business foundations, business and professional presentations, introduction to law, and legal reason ing. This fall, that will expand to 16-week undergrad courses in business, education, public safety, health, and behavioral science. Ford Motor Co. says it will invest $95 million to establish a third shift at the Kansas City Assembly Plant, increasing production of the Transit van series—a move the company says will add 1,100 union jobs at one of the region’s biggest employers. Already the nation’s top employer of hourly auto workers, more than 7,000 of them already working at the Claycomo plant. Ford says the overall expansion will produce 6,200 new union jobs in the Midwest, plus tens of thou sands more in indirect hiring at suppliers making various automotive parts. JACKSON COUNTY Lee’s Summit Mega-Warehouse The first bulk Class A speculative industrial development in Lee’s Summit is now underway with groundbreaking for the Lee’s Summit Commerce Center. The 75-acre site will include 781,000 square feet of industrial space NE Douglas Street and NE Tudor Road, with access to nearby I-470 and 50 Highway. Spaces for tenants will start at 30,000 square feet, with three buildings. The largest, 430,000 square feet, will offer cross-dock space, with sin gle-load buildings of 238,000 and 113,000 square feet. Construction is expected to CLAY COUNTY Ford to Hire 1,100 More

Correspondent News Updates from the Capital cities

Washington | Senate Snuffs Out Small Business Aid Despite bipartisan work to craft the language, the Senate has killed a $48 billion lifeline to restaurants, gyms, and other small businesses crushed by the pandemic that started nearly 2½ years ago. On a 52-43 vote—well short of the 60 votes needed to advance—opponents prevailed with their arguments that the additional spending would further balloon the federal deficit and add more fuel to the fires of inflation. Supporters said the money was desperately needed to help keep thousands of debt-riddled small companies stay afloat. The goal was to get $40 billion into the hands of restaurant owners and $8 billion to various other companies. Jefferson City | Funding Bonanza for MTC0 Before wrapping up its 2022 session, the Missouri General Assembly went big on technology funding, designating $31 million in fiscal 2023 funding for the Missouri Technology Corp.—more than 10 times MTC’s allocation for this fiscal year. A spokeswoman said Gov. Mike Parson was still studying the measure and had not yet determined whether to sign off on that increase, which significantly shot past his $4 million recommendation for MTC when the assembly convened in January. The MTC, a public-private partnership, was created to promote entre preneurship and funnel start-up funding and ongoing assistance for organizations that support entrepreneurs. Topeka | Sports Gambling in Kansas? You Can Bet On It Gov. Laura Kelly has signed a bill that allows sports betting, including a provi sion for four casinos with state affiliation to use online gambling platforms and allows them to create sportsbooks. Under the measure, restaurants and nonprofit fraternal or veteran organizations can offer sports betting, making Kansas one of 32 states that have legalized sports gambling. Supporters say the measure could yield as much as $45 million for the state, based on a 10 percent tax rate, which itself is projected to grow by $5 million a year. In Kansas City, the measure is being eyed warily for its provision to create incentives that could be used to lure pro sports teams to Kansas, potentially even the Chiefs or Royals.

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Kansas City’s Business Media

June 2022