tax abatement

The new Pennway Point entertainment district, which makes use of space that sat empty for years as industrial storage, is already making some neighbors in the Westside neighborhood uneasy. Developers are building the project without using tax money, but say they plan to seek incentives for the years ahead.

Chicago-based Mac Properties was seeking tax incentives from the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority for a $100 million apartment and retail project in Midtown with no units designated as "affordable." City Council rejected a similar request last year.

The Keystone is Washington County's biggest source of property taxes for schools and other local government, but the company didn't pay for 10 years.

The state entered an agreement with Integra Technologies to provide $300 million of incentives for the company to build the plant and create 2,000 new jobs in Wichita. But the deal still hinges on federal funding.

City estimates show Kansas City Public Schools missed out on $45 million in tax revenue last year because of tax breaks for developers and businesses — and that amount has only been growing over the last five years.

KCATA's development arm aims to create walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods with easy access to public transit. But some Kansas City leaders are concerned about the agency's use of tax incentives — and lack of affordable housing requirements.

Critics say that the streamlined tax incentive process under Ordinance 220701 would prevent Kansas City residents from providing input on developments that could affect their children’s schools or their own cost of housing.

De Soto, Kansas, will be the home of a new $4 billion Panasonic plant to make batteries for electric cars. Officials promise the plant will create 4,000 new jobs and bring thousands of new residents to the region, but it took a lot of tax incentives to land the deal.

State officials announced that Panasonic Energy chose Kansas for the plant because of its tax rates and taxpayer incentives.

St. Louis-based Lux Living is proposing to turn the historic building into amenities for residents of nearby luxury apartments. The Kansas City Council approved tax abatements for the project last summer.

Kansas City Council approved a $7.5 million tax break for the local company, which is moving less than a mile away, despite opposition from neighbors and the public school system.

The head of the Kansas City Public Schools district wants more say on future development projects, and the impact climate change could have on urban environments like the Kansas City metropolitan area.