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Kansas City, It’s the Rise of the Underground
That’s the title of a new
article posted in The Wall Street Journal, which explores Kansas City’s
thriving underground industrial scene.
Occupying more than 21.8
million square feet, Kansas City’s industrial underground space – 80 to 150
feet deep, in former limestone mines – is the largest in the United States,
comprising more than seven percent of the metropolitan area’s total industrial
area.
The largest underground industrial space in the city – and
the country – is a facility called SubTropolis. Owned by Hunt
Midwest Real Estate Development, SubTropolis has 8.2 miles of paved roads, 2.1
miles of railroad tracks, more than 500 truck docks, 1,600 parking spaces, and
50 million square feet of space below ground. Its six million square feet of
leasable space is fully occupied by 55 companies and their 1,600 employees.
The underground facility offers companies many advantages,
including a near-constant 65 degrees all year. The constant temperatures mean
little need for heating and air conditioning, which in turn mean lower
operating costs and rent. Over the past months, several companies have taken
advantage of these added benefits and made the move to SubTropolis, including LightEdge
Solutions ($58 million investment, 21 new jobs announced in April 2013),
and FoodServiceWarehouse.com
($1.75 million investment, 40 new jobs announced in July 2014).
 Demand for KC underground industrial space continues to
grow. In fact, SubTropolis is answering this demand with plans to build additional
space. After adding one million square feet of new space in the past year, the
facility plans to build another 750,000 square feet of space in the coming
year.
To find out more
about Kansas City’s flourishing underground industrial market, please click
here to read the Wall Street Journal’s full article.
Help us spread the news through Facebook and Twitter! Are
you a growing company looking to expand or set up shop in the Show-Me State?
Check out all of the resources available through the Missouri Department of Economic Development.
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