IRS HQ Relocation

[ShowMeKC]

The IRS will be bringing 6,000 new jobs to downtown. They are going to move into the Post Office Building, and will construct a huge 9 floor building next to it.

The Post Office will move to Union Station across the street.

We drove by this area yesterday on our commute and I noticed they are already breaking ground in part of the area.

Here are some articles on the project:

April 9 03

Congress OKs $300M KC post office plan for IRS

Congress gave final approval Wednesday to a $300 million plan to turn the main post office at 315 W. Pershing Road in Kansas City into a regional service center for the Internal Revenue Service.

Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond, R-Mo., said that consolidating the IRS's Kansas City-area operations will complement Science City at Union Station, across the street from the post office building, and Crown Center, immediately to the east. Bond shepherded the project through Congress and the White House as a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

"It's an anchor for the south part of Downtown," Bond said.

The post office building will house about 4,000 permanent IRS workers and 2,000 seasonal employees.

The 70-year-old structure has been underused since 1999, when the U.S. Postal Service moved out about 1,600 workers.

Retail postal services and other remaining operations in the building will move to Union Station.

DST Systems Inc., a Kansas City-based financial services data provider that has redeveloped the West Side of Downtown, is the post office project's developer. DST officials could not be reached for comment.

Jan. 15 04

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.

Feb 06 04

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

[ShowMeKC]

they are still breaking ground for it, i would estimate from 1/3 to 1/2 the land has been cleared (but not flattened)

[ShowMeKC]

Ground has long been broken and now the first tower crane has been erected.

I will update this several times with photos from Liberty Memorial (which overlooks the entire construction site)

[ShowMeKC]

Two tower cranes are now up and more equipment and materials are at the site...

Not much of a change yet.