KANSAS CITY, MO. — Construction is underway on a new $1.5 billion terminal at Kansas City International Airport. Henderson Engineers is serving as the lead engineer and designed the technological infrastructure, which includes touchless kiosks and video walls. This infrastructure will also support a biometric verification system that will enable travelers to use their faces as boarding passes. Using three-dimensional building information modeling software, Henderson determined placement for security cameras throughout the 1 million-square-foot terminal. Siemens is assisting with innovative technology efforts. Completion of the project is slated for early 2023. The airport will transition from its current three-terminal layout to the new single terminal. Since airport operations will need to remain functional during the transition, air transport communications company SITA is designing an IT network that will prevent interruptions to security and other vital systems during the changeover. In addition to technology, Henderson’s array of building systems design services for the new terminal includes acoustics, audio-video, electrical, fire alarm, mechanical and plumbing. Skidmore Owings & Merrill is the lead architect for the project and Edgemoor Infrastructure & Real Estate is the developer.
Missouri
ST. LOUIS — Sensient Technologies Corp. has signed a 300,481-square-foot industrial lease at 255 Logistics Center in St. Louis. The company manufactures colors, flavors and fragrances. Sensient is leasing space currently occupied by Medline Industries, which is terminating its lease early and moving to a self-developed facility elsewhere in the market. The buildout for Sensient will include reconfiguring office space, the addition of locker rooms, dock upgrades and the installation of additional electric service and new lighting fixtures. SparrowHawk LLC owns the building, which was constructed in 2008. Patrick Reilly and Dave Branding of JLL represented SparrowHawk in the lease transaction. Matt Eastin of Cushman & Wakefield represented Sensient.
ST. LOUIS — Cushman & Wakefield has brokered the sale of two industrial buildings totaling 1.1 million square feet in St. Louis for $75.1 million. The buildings are part of Gateway Commerce Center and are situated within the city’s Metro East submarket. The facilities, Gateway East 520 and Gateway East 624, were both developed in 2016. James Carpenter, Mike Hanrahan, Ed Lampitt and Elizabeth Given of Cushman & Wakefield represented the seller, Dallas-based L&B Realty Advisors. Plymouth REIT was the buyer.
ST. CHARLES, MO. — St. Louis Funny Bone Comedy Club has opened a new location at the Streets of St. Charles, a 27-acre mixed-use development in suburban St. Louis. The family-owned comedy club has operated in St. Louis for more than 30 years. The club hosts talent from the St. Louis area as well as nationally touring comedians, and hosts a weekly open mic night on Tuesdays. Jerry Kubach is the club’s owner. Cullinan Properties Ltd., the owner of Streets of St. Charles, also unveiled new tenants at the property such as The Socialite and Hot Box Cookies.
KANSAS CITY, MO. — Ascendas REIT has purchased a 2.1 million-square-foot industrial portfolio spanning 13 buildings in metro Kansas City for $156 million. The acquisition marks the first entry into the U.S. logistics market for Singapore-based Ascendas. The infill properties are situated across the submarkets of South Johnson County, North Johnson County, Eastern Jackson County and Northland. The portfolio is 92.6 percent occupied by 27 tenants. Two entities doing business as ColFin 2017-11 Industrial Owner LLC and ColFin Cobalt I-II LLC were the sellers. Mark Long, John Hassler, Jim Linn and Andrew Briner of Newmark Zimmer brokered the transaction. Ascendas, an industrial REIT, is listed on the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited. Its portfolio comprises 210 properties across the globe.
CHESTERFIELD, MO. — Gateway Studios & Production Services is scheduled to break ground this Thursday, Nov. 11, on its new $130 million campus in Chesterfield, a western suburb of St. Louis. When complete, the 32-acre project will be the largest production services and rehearsal facility of its kind in the country, according to Gateway Studios. The project will include a hotel and four studios that will accommodate the development and creation of arena-size tours, movie and television productions as well as corporate events. The development will employ more than 100 music and production professionals upon completion, which is slated for the first quarter of 2023.
JOPLIN, MO. — Matthews Real Estate Investment Services has brokered the $7.8 million sale of a 79,454-square-foot industrial facility occupied by FedEx in the Southwest Missouri town of Joplin. The property is located at 3752 Enterprise Ave. Brett Davis and Alexander Harrold of Matthews brokered the transaction. Both the seller and buyer were private investors.
BRANSON, MO. — Outside the Lines (OTL), a design-build company specializing in water features, fountains, rockwork and themed environments, is building a show fountain within the lake at Branson Boardwalk in Missouri. The 12,500-square-foot lake is adjacent to the Aquarium at the Boardwalk. The $55 million project, the first attraction to be developed at the Branson Boardwalk, includes a 34-ton, 55-foot octopus sculpture by Demiurge. The octopus will be integrated into the show fountain with color-changing LED lights. Kuvera Partners is the owner and operator of both the Branson Boardwalk and Aquarium at the Boardwalk.
ST. LOUIS — St. Louis-based ElmTree Funds LLC has closed its largest commingled fund to date. Known as Net Lease Fund IV LP, the fund raised $888 million of investor commitments. Fund IV has approximately $2.5 billion in immediate investment capacity, of which roughly $800 million has been committed and deployed. The fund’s investor base is comprised of public and private pension plans, insurance companies, endowments and foundations. Fund IV targets investments in industrial and logistics assets across the United States. Annie Hsieh of ElmTree led the fundraising effort for Fund IV.
KANSAS CITY, MO. — The Cordish Cos. has broken ground on Three Light Luxury Apartments, a $140 million apartment complex in the heart of Kansas City’s Power & Light District. Three Light is the third apartment property to be built in the area, following One Light and Two Light, which are 97 percent occupied. Three Light will rise 26 stories with 288 units. The project will also include a seven-story parking garage and 7,600 square feet of ground-floor retail space. More than 30,000 square feet of amenities will include an exterior deck, infinity pool, entertainment kitchen, theater room, fitness center, business center, valet dry cleaning and coworking areas. Completion is slated for September 2023. More than 20 percent of the units in Three Light will be priced for residents who earn up to 80 percent of the area median income. The project team includes JE Dunn Construction, Hord Coplan & Macht, RD Jones + Associates and Selbert Perkins Design. The project was first announced in April.