St. Luke's Northland Hospital is nearing completion of a $39 million expansion on northwest Barry Road. The project will add two new floors atop of the existing hospital and increase the number of inpatient beds from 59 to 83.

In western Wyandotte County, construction is underway on a 25,000 s.f., $4 million medical facility near the Kansas Speedway. The proposal was finalized in the summer of 2004 when the devel-oper Westmed LLC and the Unified Government agreed on a tax abatement plan.

In Independence, HCA Midwest plans to close both the Independence Regional and the Medical Center of Independence, the city's two existing hospitals. HCA plans to replace these aging facilities with a new $250 million hospital on 39th Street, near the future extension of Little Blue Parkway. The facility is expected to be complete by June 2007.

Several downtown health-related projects are also in the works. Western Missouri Mental Health Center is completing a new facility at 1000 E. 24th Street. The $40 million project encompasses approximately 218,000 s.f., and will include a 115-bed acute mental health facility due for completion in 2006.

At 25th and Holmes, the University of Missouri-Kansas City Life Sciences Building will cost $39 million. Set for completion in 2007, the new structure will provide more space for research and instruction.

Airport Taking Off Development of a different sort is occurring around Kansas City International Airport. The most visible work includes $258 million in terminal renovation that began in 2001 and is expected to be complete early next year. In January, a $62 million, 15,000-space economy parking lot replaced an old satellite lot. That older space will be converted into a consolidated rental-car terminal scheduled to open in 2006.

These physical improvements mirror important organizational changes, including a new aviation administration. The results are bringing a more aggressive marketing emphasis that sees the airport as an economic development engine, as well as a transportation hub.

Near the airport, two large mixed-use projects are signs of activity in the area's office and light industrial development. Opus Development is building the $156 million Congress Corporate Center. Karbank & Co. is developing the KCI Airport Technology Park.

The Corporate Center focuses on office, office/warehouse and distribution. Build-out could eventually exceed two million square feet. Technology Park will contain eight buildings totaling approximately 900,000 square feet for office, technology, research, development, and distribution.

In southern Jackson County, the Kansas City Port Authority is converting the former Richards-Gebaur Air Base into a 855-acre intermodal facility. The Authority selected Hunt Midwest Enterprises, Inc. and CenterPoint Properties to develop the $500 million project. Expected to generate more than 4,000 jobs, the facility will include more than 13 million square feet of distribution, manufacturing and commercial facilities. Outside the base, the city of Kansas City and Kansas City Southern Railway are cooperating to build commercial and industrial sites.

(left) Plans for the Bass Pro Shop’s Outdoor World include a hotel, restaurants, a lake and trails. (right) Riverside has used funds from the Argosy Casino for a dramatic, city-wide rebirth.

In nearby Belton, 600,000 s.f. of new retail has been built in the last two years. Residential growth there, and in the neighboring communities Ray-more and Peculiar, is among the strongest in the metro area.

The Port Authority is involved in another significant project, a 55-acre "urban village" near Berkley Riverfront Park. The authority recently chose Forest City Enterprises of Cleveland to oversee that project. This 2 million s.f. development will include residential development, smaller retail and office uses.

Northland Focus One of the largest residential developments in the region is underway at Shoal Creek Valley in Clay County. A 1,700-acre residential and commercial development near Highway 152 and I-435, the project is expected to bring 15,000 residents over the next 20 to 30 years. The development opened the fourth of an eventual 10 separate neighborhoods in the fall of 2004.

Nearby, the city of Liberty has achieved success with its "Liberty Triangle," an 88-acre site at Highway 152 and I-35. One of the last open highway exchanges in the metro area, the acreage was significantly underdeveloped until the city packaged separate properties and lured major development. A Lowe's Home Improvement Center is under way and will be followed with a mix of retail and commercial construction.

The oldest areas of Clay County are seeing signifi-cant development as well. In North Kansas City, Hunt Midwest's unique Northgate Village represents more than $100 million in multi-use development. This city's industrial development remains strong--National Starch recently announced an $11 million renovation--while new, high-tech development expands. Cerner Corporation has nearly $1 billion in investment under way while the city is developing a $4 million fiber optic network for residents and businesses.

Neighboring Platte County is especially strong in retail growth. The area along Highway 45 west of I-29 is seeing the most recent growth, with the Tuileries Plaza project located at the corner of North Cosby Avenue and 64th Street. The 35 acres and 227,100 square feet will house banks, restaurants, a whole-foods grocery, a drug store and office buildings.

The Northland's largest growth corridor is along Missouri 152 in Platte as well as Clay County. The recently opened Zona Rosa, the new North Glen Cinema and Wilshire Plaza are examples of severalnew developments along this strategic route. Zona Rosa opened in early 2003, bringing a new identification to the area as well as an influx of new sales tax monies.

Northland's Newest Another significant Northland development is in Riverside. The Horizons project, recently protected by a new levee, will include approximately 1,200 acres adjacent to the Missouri River. A new I-635 interchange and municipal investments should boost dramatic development of mixed retail and light industrial. Work on Horizons is expected to begin next year.

Riverside's success was partly funded by another metro growth industry, riverboat gaming. In Riverside, the Argosy Casino announced a $75 million hotel and parking garage expansion in June, 2004 only months after completing a $105 million project that replaced its original riverboat with a Mediterranean-themed facility.