BacklotCars shifts downtown to KC's Lightwell Building

BacklotCars, a wholesale auto inventory service provider currently located in the Crossroads, will be moving to the the newly rebranded Lightwell Building at 12th and Main in August.

With the recent signing of the 20,000 SF full-floor lease agreement, Somera Road and their partner AREA Real Estate Advisors, added the second major tenant following a landmark lease agreement with WeWork.

Lightwell currently boasts 180,000 SF of contiguous availability, the largest existing block of space in downtown Kansas City.

“When we saw the vision Somera Road and AREA Real Estate Advisors had for the Lightwell project, we knew it was something we had to be a part of,” said Josh Parsons, BacklotCars founder/ COO.

“The location, design and amenities of the project are exactly what is needed to attract the top tech talent to Kansas City. We are very excited to be moving into the new Lightwell Building and feel that it will be a great place for our ever-growing team to call home,” Parsons said.

BacklotCars is a significant disrupter of the wholesale automotive space, and recently closed a $25 million Series B funding round. The company seeks to ease pain points for automotive dealers though building one wholesale platform for all dealers to transact efficiently.

“BacklotCars is exactly the type of forward-thinking technology company that understands what we’re creating at the Lightwell. They’re a major contributor to Kansas City’s growing technology ecosystem and we’re excited to provide them with a home that’ll enable their next phase of growth.” said Basel Bataineh, Somera Road vice president.

“With its fantastic bones and premier location, we believed that Lightwell would attract the fastest-growing segments of employment including tech, marketing, and creative-driven companies. BacklotCars is certainly a great example of what we thought would happen,” said Tim Schaffer, AREA Real Estate Advisors president.

HOK and JE Dunn joined AREA and Somera Road on the renovation.

Jones Development acquires manufacturing and distribution facility in New Century, KS

Sumner Investment, L.L.C., a local partnership arranged by Jones Development, recently acquired a manufacturing and distribution facility in Johnson County, KS. The warehouse is situated on 17.71 acres in the New Century AirCenter, with close access to I-35.

As part of Jones Development’s newly created value-add portfolio, the facility is currently undergoing capital improvements and being offered for lease or sale, divisible as small as 100,000 SF.

The entire building includes 311,100 SF, with 12,000 SF of office space and 22’ – 26’ ceilings. The facility includes 36 dock doors, six drive-in doors and over four acres of paved, fenced and lighted outside storage for product or 95 trailer parking stalls.

“Jones Development has been developing, buying, selling, and managing industrial properties since the late 80’s,” said Chris Jones, executive vice president of investments at Jones Development. “The main difference today is that we are looking to aggressively expand this side of our business by forging some new, external relationships and pursuing more value-add facilities similar to Sumner.”

As part of their emphasized investment efforts, Jones Development also hired Cameron (Cam) Duff in March as vice president of investments.

Locally, Jones Development is also developing the master-planned Olathe Commerce Park, a new industrial business park occupying 66 acres at Dennis Avenue and South Grant Street, near KS Highway 7 and I-35.

Additionally, Jones recently completed a 99,600 SF speculative warehouse in Shawnee, KS, repurposed and sold a 88,000 SF facility in Riverside, MO, acquired a 2.5 acre parcel of land in Riverside, MO for future development, purchased two parcels of land at the intersection of Troost and Truman, and is investing with other local developers. Beyond the area, Jones is underway on several build-to-suit industrial development projects.

Grocers Warehouse Development adds commercial office space to Midtown KC

The Grocers Warehouse development is continuing its expansion, adding four new commercial office spaces for lease, ranging from 1,500-4,200 SF.

The mixed-use community, which existed as grocery distribution facilities in the early 1940s, is comprised of two buildings located at 3525 Roanoke Road and 3612 Karnes Boulevard. The site offers picturesque views and convenient access to one of Kansas City’s finest green spaces- Roanoke Park.

"The Midtown location is unique, just minutes from both the 39th Street Shops and Restaurants and I- 35, yet nestled into a park setting. With both residential and commercial use, the development has an energy both day and night, every day of the week," said Jesse Hufft, principal and co-founder of Hufft, who is overseeing the expansion's design and fabrication.

Anchored by Hufft, the current campus tenants also include ZancTank Corporate Office (locally known as Red Door Grill), Roanoke Park Conservancy, MEDiAHEAD, PURE Workplace Solutions, Real Fitness and Conditioning and the Studio Loft Apartments.

“Preserving and finding new uses for existing buildings can prove to be a labor of love; however, the increased property value and positive synergy from a creative community translate into good business,” Hufft principal, Matthew Hufft said.

For tours or leasing inquiries, email info@grocerswarehousekc.com. More photos can be viewed here: ADDITIONAL PHOTOS.