SHOCK!!! COUNCIL LADY KATHERYN SHIELDS OVERPOWERS KANSAS CITY MAYOR QUINTON LUCAS ON SHADY DEAL FOR STRATA CORPORATE WELFARE!!!



The showdown over Downtown Kansas City corporate welfare reached the tipping point this week and reveals a scary faction developing bewixt the council.

To wit and because Mayor Q is just one vote out of thirteen . . .

IS COUNCIL LADY KATHERYN SHIELDS THE NEW MAYOR OF KANSAS CITY AFTER WINNING ON THE DIRTY STRATA DEAL?!?

Just to keep everybody on the same page, here's the highlight recap pulled/quoted from a few difference sources . . .



"The $133 million tower, called Strata, will be built atop existing retail on the southwest corner of 13th and Main streets. Its developers, Jon Copaken, Ron Jury and H&R Block are building it speculatively, meaning they’ll build it without first securing a tenant . . .

"Under the agreement council members passed Thursday, the city will guarantee $36 million in debt on a 750-space garage for the 250,000 square-foot building. Developers dropped a request that the city also guarantee $27 million in debt on the tower itself in exchange for a stake in the revenues generated off of tenants’ rent payments.

"The updated deal cuts out a $27 million investment in city money that would have given the city a 28% revenue stake in the project. However, the city still would be a financial backstop for a $36 million parking garage, but it wouldn’t put any upfront money into the deal."

Translation: Once again Kansas City is on the hook if anything goes wrong and basically serves as developer collateral.

Behind the scenes, we noted that 4th District At-large Council Lady Shields told developers to go back the drawing board after an EPIC ask and they mostly seemed to be working with her to get this deal finished.



And here's the part that just about everybody wants buried:

The council voted 7-4 in favor of the ordinance. Council members Heather Hall, Kevin O’Neill, Dan Fowler, Katheryn Shields, Eric Bunch, Ryana Parks-Shaw and Kevin McManus offered their support.

Mayor Quinton Lucas and council-members Brandon Ellington, Melissa Robinson and Teresa Loar voted no. Councilwoman Andrea Bough recused herself because of a potential conflict of interest, and Councilman Lee Barnes was absent.

Further reading . . .

KCUR: 25-Story Office Tower Gets Green Light From Kansas City Council After Contentious Hearing

KC Biz Journal: Strata gets green light from City Council after contentious hearing

There's only one bright spot here . . .



Second District Councilwoman Teresa Loar put the situation in the perfect perspective during the debate:

"We argued for an hour and a half in my committee yesterday trying to find $8 million for free bus fares," she said. "We have a housing problem in this city, where we don't have affordable housing. Children don't have coats in this kind of weather," she said.

"We have so many problems, we have potholes we need police officers on the streets, we need firefighters. And yet, we're putting $36 million in another development (in) Downtown. Who is going to benefit from that? I tell you what, I am tired of this, I am tired of greedy developers getting all of the money from this city and the poor folks getting the short end of the stick."

Sadly, that's exactly what happened.

However . . .



Going forward, the aftermath of this vote has greater implications than cowtown luxury office space and parking spaces that most broke-ass voters will never get to utilize.

This vote demonstrated Mayor Q isn't going to have an easy time putting together 7 votes on tough big money issues. Moreover, Council Lady Shields and her coalition are far more "biz friendly" with taxpayer cash.  

Council Lady Heather Hall and Eric Bunch look like the swing votes they don't seem to mind handing over more freebie cash to big biz.

Meanwhile, whilst Mayor Quinton Lucas earned impressive victories on gun control and conversion therapy culture war issues this week . . . As usual, as always, the real fight and the only fight that matters is where City Hall puts taxpayer money . . . This time around the placement of cash follows a familiar pattern and helps to put more money into the pockets of developers. 

You decide . . .

Comments

  1. Meanwhile the KC tenants will have to keep on waiting for their day in the sun. If they get voted down, all bets are off.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No time for love Dr. Jones11/15/19, 10:38 AM

      But where were they with their signs? I guess nobody told them that this money is coming right out of their rent control department?

      Delete
    2. Strata?

      Don't you mean straddle?

      That's what they did to this council. They didn't seem very gentle either.

      Delete
  2. ^^^ Don't be gross.

    Some of the arguments for Strata weren't so bad. KC needs more decent office space if we're going to keep growing downtown. It can't be all condos and coffee shops. Having a strong office stock is what helped KC survive the lean years inside the downtown loop.

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  3. KCjd, then how do you explain the fact that we already have too low of an occupancy rate in existing office space downtown, and some past developers are asking for subsidies so they can remain open?

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    Replies
    1. ^^^ That's easy. This is Class-A office space. New, with parking. That presents a much better option than some of the old run down office space stock that already exists.

      It's not fair but people spending big money want something new and nice. It has been more than 20 years since we built new office space downtown. This is the right time to do it.

      Frankly, we need more.

      Delete
    2. Unfortunately, 10:52, this corrupt, incompetent city administration has demonstrated it can't walk and chew gum at the same time.

      Delete
  4. I like old Katie but can’t stand her husband, the pussy Fellatio Phil.

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  5. Then KCjd if it's so in demand why are you not fronting this deal with your own money and leaving taxpayer money out of it?

    Good business is all about supply and demand. If the demand is so there and money is to be made then why hasn't a developer jumped all over this before now?

    Simply the demand isn't that great and the taxpayers should not be the ones putting millions into a development so the likes of you and a few other lawyers can go move into a shiny new building.

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  6. People mostly work from home. Office space is overrated.

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  7. The developers run this city . Just see who they give money to
    If downtown so great what all the tiff money , why so must money to Power and Light ? P&L to get $1700 million and more money for the Jazz district .And u wonder what the neighborhoods get left out because it all goes downtown

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  8. Eric 'Spandex' Bunch supported this in hopes the council will return the favor when his $450 million bike/walk proposal goes before the council.

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  9. The people that work in the office building are the people that will have income sufficient to pay taxes; taxes to pay for the "benefits" associated with the tenant organization. The free bus solution is a solution in search of a problem. Owning a vehicle in Missouri isn't expensive in light of the lack of vehicle or emissions regulations. And I doubt very much the vehicles missing one bumper or another are insured.

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  10. Passing an ordinance that duplicates existing federal law is hardly a big victory. More like a stupid waste of time.

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  11. I do hope KC Tenants finds a member with grammatical skills sufficient to correct the spelling on the signs. Brandon Ellington doesn't look good with all of the misspelled words on the signs in the background. Reminds me of a Trump rally...

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  12. Super Dave for the win. Again.

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  13. ^^What's he win? English lessons? God, I hope so.

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  14. The city isn't putting any money up front for this like they will for bike lanes, free bus fares and coats for kids. They are just putting their credit at risk, the same way someone goes out and applies for a loan. The city is betting on the increased property and earnings tax in addition to parking revenues to help fund its other initiatives, like free stuff for people.. The projections for the parking garage are positive so it looks like a good bet.

    Private money could be involved but they wouldn't stand to benefit from the increased taxes generated by the project, only the revenues from the parking garage. That is why city credit is involved as opposed to private money.

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  15. Poor "ole Quinton has been rolled by pretty much every single special interest group that he's encountered so far
    Anyone else that wants something from city hall that costs any money better hurry up and push their way to the front of the line.
    At this rate, the treasury will be empty by early next year.
    The endless KCMO carnival continues!

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  16. I like Katheryn Shields, but she does seem to be turning into the new give-it-away Kay.

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  17. You people seem to forget that the clowncil has the power, not the mayor. The taxpayers got screwed when bow tie the clown sLIE was mayor because he was a tyrant and they were scared of him because he stole their power from them.

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  18. If not for Katheryn Shields, Jolie Justus would be mayor. Quinton Lucas sold his soul to Katheryn Shields to be mayor. Jolie Justus was the one candidate with the wherewithal to deal with Katheryn Shields. And now we have Mayor Q; AKA, Katheryn Shields.

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  19. If you rent - you are a LOSER!! Problem solved!! If you are a landlord - you are a loser to becuse you rent to losers!!

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  20. Agree with the comment that the council has the power but usually the mayor has the support of the voters and the bigger bully pulpit to influence those votes. Quinton is going to have a hard time in the future, but we already knew that. What's dangerous about this and what the post points out is that now the developers are just going straight to counsel to get their way. That is a very bad precedent for this mayor.

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  21. Super Dave has a passion of calling out the idiots you all elect to office each election. The hilarious part about it is he's right 99% of the time.

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  22. You got what you voted for...

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  23. Somebody kick 1:20 in the face please. Idiot.

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