Shawnee industrial park fills first spec building, plans two more

Rob Roberts

Reporter- Kansas City Business Journal

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The developers of WestLink Business Center, a new $50 million industrial park near 43rd Street and Kansas Highway 7 in Shawnee, have filled up the project's first building and plan to start two more.

Like the first, the second and third buildings in the park each will include 170,000 square feet and will be built on a speculative basis, meaning without advance tenant commitments.

Cassidy Turley brokers Whitney Kerr Jr. and Brad Jacobs are leasing space at WestLink for its developer, Airtex Inc. On Thursday, the brokers announced signing the final two leases in the project's first spec building.

Missouri Valley Wildlife Products, based in Suffolk, Va., leased 20,000 square feet at 23112 W. 43rd St. for five years, and Kansas City-based NWC of Kansas LLC leased 30,000 square feet at 23108 W. 43rd St. for 10 years.

In February, WestLink Business Center announced its first tenant when Denver-based Mile Hi Specialty Foods leased 31,000 square feet in the first spec building, which was completed in January.

RELATED: Shawnee industrial park attracts first tenant from Mile High City

The industrial park was the first project spurred by the Shawnee City Council's decision last year to suspend the city's excise tax on new development.

Airtex President Ric Rambacher said the $767,366 in excise-tax savings helped make the numbers work for the development. The developers also received a 10-year, 80 percent property tax abatement, which will be passed along to tenants of the first spec building.

RELATED: Airtex breaks ground on Shawnee's first spec of the century

The park will include a total of seven buildings, and two will be occupied by Airtex, a Canadian firm that operates the Engineered Air manufacturing plant in De Soto.

Rob reports on real estate and development.