The Blue River Commerce Center will begin to rise from what was long known as the Bannister Federal Complex in south Kansas City.
Vertical construction should start in September on a 242,353-square-foot Class A distribution center. Six additional buildings eventually may join it, transforming a formerly contaminated 229-acre site into a hub for perhaps 1,500 employees, enriched by plans for an on-site learning and career center.
Kansas City’s next multimillion-dollar, multimillion-square-foot industrial park will serve as concrete testament to what can be built through patience, teamwork and the right vision. That also applies to the developer behind the project.
The $135 million Blue River Commerce Center represents but one of a handful of large projects NorthPoint Development is working on throughout the Kansas City metro area, including industrial parks and apartment projects. And that’s just the start.
The Riverside-based company operates in 35 markets in 22 states. Tenants include General Motors Co., Amazon.com Inc., The Home Depot Inc. and Chewy Inc.
NorthPoint built more square feet of industrial space in the past five years than any developer nationwide, according to Real Capital Analytics. NorthPoint built 46.5 million square feet — roughly 807 football fields — of industrial space during that span.
Even as NorthPoint extends its tendrils, it continues to strengthen its roots. In national dealings, the company highlights Kansas City as a good place to do business, said Brent Miles, chief marketing officer and a founding partner.
“I think that’s one way that our network across the country only benefits Kansas City, in that we’re always selling the attributes of Kansas City to many of our tenants across the country,” he said.