- HOME
- NEWS
- SPORTS
- BUSINESS
- FYI/LIVING
- ENTERTAINMENT
- OPINION
- JOBS
- CARS
- REAL ESTATE
- RENTALS
- CLASSIFIEDS
- SHOPPING
- EXTRAS
A $673 million plan to replace the Honeywell nuclear weapons plant was introduced Thursday to the Kansas City Council with a key detail remaining — its final private financing.
The project would build a 1.4 million-square-foot, campus-style complex at Missouri 150 and Botts Road to replace the facility operated by Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies at the Bannister Federal Complex.
The agreement, which has been in the works for two years, would keep 2,100 jobs currently at the plant, which manufactures 85 percent of the non-nuclear parts for the nation’s nuclear weapons arsenal.
The City Council assigned the agreement to its Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which meets Thursdays, for a public hearing and review. It was sponsored by council members John Sharp and Cathy Jolly, whose district includes the proposed site near the former Richards-Gebaur Airport.
While the developer, CenterPoint Zimmer LLC, and the federal General Services Administration have come to terms on the 20-year lease, only CenterPoint Zimmer has signed the contract at this point. It calls for the developer to obtain final private financing for the project by March 31.
The project requires city approval because it calls for using a $2.6 million annual property tax abatement over 25 years to help pay for road improvements and other infrastructure.
Because the proposed project would be built privately, the new Honeywell facility would be taxable for the first time. The 185-acre site is currently a field that generates $1,072 in taxes. The Grandview School District would see its annual revenue from the site jump from $652 to $1.6 million.
The weapons plant operation currently is on tax-exempt federal property at the Bannister Road complex. Honeywell operates the facility under a contract with the National Nuclear Security Administration.
If the council approves the plan and final financing is obtained by the developer, construction probably will begin this spring. The timetable calls for the first buildings to open by July 2012.
To reach Kevin Collison, call 816-234-4289 or send e-mail to kcollison@kcstar.com.
@Nyx.CommentBody@