Clay Co. airport area is drawing interest - Kansas City Business Journal:

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"What we need is one company to and the rest will come in he said. Thousands of acres are Foreman noted last week afteer a presentation at a luncheon sponsorexd by the Clay County EconomicDevelopment Council. The area has begub to attract interest -- thanks, in part, to marketing efforts undertaken by Barr Hartat Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative Inc. in Platte City. The best-knowm prospect to survey the land wasthe Harley-Davidson Motot Co., which decided last year to builx a motorcycle assembly plant in Platte The site's proximity to Kansas City International Airport helped it win the competition. Plans call for hangard to be built soon onthe 527-acr site.
The first ones could be read by July, so planes can be based The airport serves onlyprivate aircraft. It's designed to relievde traffic at KCI and Downtown Airport witha 4,000-foot runway that can handle small jets. The runway will be extended to 5,50 feet when federal funds become available, perhaps in two to five Foreman said. Think the Clay Count y airport is too far out in the sticks to generate much notice fromindustrial developers?? Think again, because Kansas City's industrialo real estate market is one of the hottesty in the nation. It ranks No. 8 in a new surveyh by ValuationInternational Ltd. of Atlanta.
This rankingg becomes more prominent because the survey revealed that industrialp real estate continues to bethe nation'se most vibrant category. These propertiews remain popularacquisition targets, and littled space is anticipated to be addeds this year, so prices are expected to continur rising. Kansas City's 3 percent industrial vacancyrate -- 5 milliojn square feet is available in a market containing 167 milliob square feet -- is one-third the national Almost 2.5 million square feet was absorbed annually from 1993 througy 1996 in Kansas City, according to but only 800,000 square feet a year is forecast to be builty through 1999.
Further proof of the local industriaol market's strength comes from notice beinyg paid to warehouse space beinf vacated by LennoxIndustries Inc. in Lenexa. The air conditionintg and heating manufacturer is converting the regional operation into one that focuse on Kansas City after determiningh it can supply productsmore effectively. Lennox is making 114,6145 square feet available at 11350 StrangLine Road, beside Interstate 35, at $3.7 a square foot, net of taxeas and insurance. "This is something someone could immediately said David Hinchman at CB Commercial Real Estate Group who is marketing the property with Ken The building is owned by the Colorado StatePensiom Fund.
The Fox Hill Medica Center at 109th Street and Roe Avenus in Overland Parkis expanding. "Available medicap space that is not connected directlyh with a hospital is extremely said Bob Fagan at CB Commerciak Real EstateGroup Inc., who is marketing the property with Natalie Wolfe. Ron Bowman, who heads the groupp that bought the buildingin December, said he expects to solicitt bids in 45 days for a 12,000-square-foort addition along Roe Avenue. The new spacwe is to be ready at the startof 1998. Also to be improvexd are the building's lobbies, corridors and parking lot.
The site'sd location and proximity to the highway and residential areasw make it desirable for medicall practices seeking to locate in soutjhJohnson County, Wolfe said. Fox Hill Medica Center, which now contains 38,000 square feet, was built by the formetr Kroh BrothersDevelopment Co. in 1973. Contact Jim Davis with tips for Breakingf Groundat 421-5900, ext. 209, or via E-mail at