Three Million-Square-Feet of the Bannister Federal Complex up for Sale

By Gabriel Circiog, Associate Editor

One of the biggest real estate transactions in Kansas City history could soon happen as the federal government is searching for a buyer for part of the Bannister Federal Complex. The Kansas City Star reports the sale targets the 3 million square-foot section of the complex where non-nuclear parts for the country’s atomic arsenal have been manufactured since 1949.

The National Security Administration started soliciting proposals for the section of the complex, referred to as the Kansas City Plant, last month and has set January 9, 2012 as the deadline for submissions. The sale could be difficult not only due to the huge size of the property in question, but also because of its environmental baggage. Kansas City Councilman John Sharp said the key will be the willingness of the federal government to clean up the contamination on the site.

The nuclear administration’s description of the property confirms the soil is contaminated with chlorinated solvents, petroleum hydrocarbons, PCBs and beryllium. Officials have committed to cleaning up the property and mentioned that any disposition must be approved by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

Currently the Kansas City Plant is operated by Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies which is under an NNSA contract and is scheduled to relocate to a new facility at Missouri 150 and Botts Road in 2014. Honeywell occupies 60 percent of the 5.1-million-square-foot complex; the remaining 40 percent is occupied by the regional offices of the federal General Services Administration. Patrick Hoopes, deputy manager at the Kansas City Plant, highlighted that the NNSA is more interested in finding a responsible buyer with a viable plan supported by the community rather than the sale value of the property.