Former Kansas City Star press building to become $100M AI-Powered tech ampus

Patmos Hosting Inc. is advancing to the next phase of redevelopment at the iconic former Kansas City Star printing press building, located at 1601 McGee Street in downtown Kansas City, Mo., marking a major milestone in the site’s transformation into a futuristic technology hub. The mammoth, 421,112 SF, four-story structure — once a bustling newspaper production facility — is now being reinvented as the Patmos AI Campus, a state-of-the-art data center and multi-use technology destination.

The centerpiece of this redevelopment is a $100 million Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) loan arranged by PACE Loan Group through the Show Me PACE program, the largest C-PACE financing secured in Missouri to date. This long-term, private-sector financing will fund energy-efficient infrastructure upgrades — including advanced cooling systems, electrical support, HVAC, plumbing, and other equipment — that are critical to supporting the facility’s powerful computing loads.

Patmos has continued construction since late 2024, quickly building out initial capacity and attracting multiple long-term tenants that have already signed leases for space in the facility. Once fully upgraded in early 2026, the campus will offer 35 megawatts of power tailored for high-density GPU, HPC, and AI infrastructure companies and serve as a flexible hub for modern computing workloads.

Beyond its core role as a data center, the vision for the Star building extends to community-oriented and business-friendly spaces. Patmos plans to convert nearly 150,000 SF of the building into multi-tenant technology offices, co-working space, and event venues, helping foster collaboration, innovation, and downtown activity. There are even plans for features such as suites, a potential Kansas City Police Department outpost, and large open spaces facing Truman Road to engage the surrounding neighborhood.

The redevelopment reflects an adaptive reuse approach, bringing new life to a landmark that had sat largely empty since The Star moved operations out in 2022. By repurposing the structure instead of building anew, the project aims to accelerate deployment timelines, reduce environmental impact, and anchor significant economic growth in the Crossroads district.

Key partners in this transformation include PACE Loan Group and the Show Me PACE program for financing, with Patmos managing the build-out in collaboration with construction and engineering teams (specific vendors and general contractors have not been publicly detailed). As Kansas City continues to grow as a tech and AI hub, the Patmos AI Campus stands out as a landmark example of urban revitalization and next-generation infrastructure investment. 

---

Header image: The former Kansas City Star printing building at 16th and McGee in Kansas City, Mo. Image | Patmos/LoopNet

Future apartments set to revive the historic Moline Plow Building in Kansas City’s West Bottoms

One of the West Bottoms’ most recognizable brick landmarks—the historic Moline Plow Building—is poised for a second life as housing, signaling another step in the district’s steady transformation from industrial powerhouse to mixed-use neighborhood.

Built during the heyday of regional manufacturing and rail commerce, the Moline Plow Building has long anchored a prominent corner with its masonry façade, tall arched windows, and timber-and-steel bones. The planned conversion would adapt those historic features into modern apartments while preserving the building’s character through a combination of selective restoration and sensitive infill. Early concepts typically call for studios to two-bedroom units, with high ceilings, exposed brick, and large openings that capture daylight—hallmarks of successful warehouse-to-residential redevelopment.

Amenities under consideration align with West Bottoms living: secure entry, fitness and co-working lounges, bike storage, and street-level activation that could include small-scale retail or maker space. Given the neighborhood’s growing event and vintage markets scene, ground-floor uses are expected to complement weekend foot traffic and create an everyday “front porch” for residents and visitors alike.

The project’s broader value extends beyond new housing supply. By reusing an existing structure, the rehabilitation would leverage embodied energy, reduce construction waste, and stabilize a block that has historically seen underinvestment. It would also knit together nearby projects, adding lighting, landscaping, and safer pedestrian connections to the 12th Street Viaduct, Riverfront Heritage Trail links, and emerging transit options.

Designers are expected to follow established preservation guidelines, including window rehabilitation where feasible, masonry repair with historically appropriate materials, and the careful integration of modern building systems. Where code requires new interventions—elevators, life-safety upgrades, and ADA accessibility—the team will likely tuck them behind primary historic elevations to maintain the building’s visual rhythm.

If approvals proceed on schedule, construction would be phased to minimize disruption to adjacent businesses and weekend markets. Lease-up would follow substantial completion, with interest anticipated from renters who want proximity to the Stockyards District, Downtown, and the Crossroads while living in a building that tells a Kansas City story.

As plans advance, the Moline Plow Building stands to become a case study in adaptive reuse done right—honoring industrial heritage while meeting today’s demand for well-located urban homes.

---

Above: A conceptual street view rendering of the Moline Plow Building in Kansas City's West Bottoms reimagined as apartments. Image | SomeraRoad Inc.

Shaping Kansas City: Copaken Brooks' century of real estate innovation

In its more than 100-year history as an on-going business, Copaken Brooks has changed and enhanced the commercial real estate landscape throughout the metro area.

The company’s owners and principals, Jon Copaken, Keith Copaken, Bucky Brooks and Bill Crandall, discussed their current projects and future plans as the guest speakers at last week's monthly breakfast hosted by CCIM Kansas City.

Copaken Brooks has developed 20 million SF of properties throughout its history, but they are not just developers.

“We have five million SF currently under management. We have equity interests in most of it, not all of it. We put together partnerships. The partnerships we’re involved in own anywhere from five percent of the asset to 100 percent of the asset. . . . We serve as the developer or the manager. We arrange the financing with banks,” Keith Copaken said.

Twenty years ago, the property located at the corner of 87th Street and Renner Road in Lenexa, Kansas was merely a cornfield. The city of Lenexa acquired the land and engaged Copaken Brooks to help them master plan the development which today is Lenexa City Center.

Keith Copaken said 1.6 million SF of the property has been developed, and Copaken Brooks has been involved in the development, facilitation, brokerage and everything else related to the site. The mixed-use property is zoned for two million SF. The project has public spaces, including the Lenexa Rec Center, Lenexa City Hall, Johnson County Library – Lenexa City Center, Shawnee Mission School District Aquatic Center and Lenexa Public Market. It also boasts residential, retail and office spaces. Kiewit Corporation occupies 650,000 SF.

SmartStorage Lenexa under construction and scheduled to open before the end of the year. Photo Credit: Strickland Construction Company

Also under development from the ground up in Lenexa is SmartStorage Lenexa, a three story climate-controlled 695-unit facility, scheduled to open in December.

Hoping to replicate the success in Lenexa, the City of Independence, Missouri has engaged Copaken Brooks to redevelop its Independence Square area with mixed-use. Crandall said he anticipates the redevelopment plan, which covers approximately eight acres, to be adopted by the end of the summer. There are still several parcels to assemble.

“When we talk to municipalities, my mantra is that you’ve got to control the real estate. I tell municipalities, you’ve got to get the real estate. You’ve got to go buy land. You’ve got to go buy buildings. . . . Until you have control, you don’t have anything. . . . Nothing happens unless you start, and the city has had the will to do this thing. The city is really owning this and trying to be a cooperative partner,” Crandall said.

Copaken Brooks wants to do infill development on the site and repopulate the Square.

“There’s lots of good tenants on the Square now. . . .We want to make it a destination,” said Crandall.

Brooks said there are development opportunities at Cambridge Business Park, another Copaken Brooks property, located along the hillside where I-35 swings west into Kansas traveling from Downtown.

According to Crandall, multifamily is probably the most robust asset class that the company is chasing currently. But, the timeframe to get new projects up and running is long.

One multifamily project under development is Third and Grand, a project that has been in the works since 2018 when the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA) issued a request for proposal. Copaken Brooks entered into a development agreement in early 2019, and after 18 amendments to that agreement, it closed on the land in February 2024.

Third and Grand has been in the works since 2018 but is expected to be completed the beginning of 2026. Image credit: Klover Architects

Copaken Brooks broke ground on the 245-unit luxury apartment building with parking in April, with completion scheduled for January 2026

“It’s on probably the best TOD [transit-oriented development] site in the city. The streetcar literally runs right in front of us on Grand Boulevard. Third Street is a major east-west bus route. We’ve got automobiles, we’ve got scooters. We’ll have EV parking inside the building as well as outside the building. . . . It’s really a spectacular location,” Crandall said.

Another planned multifamily project is 1818 Main, the land for which Copaken Brooks put under contract in 2021. It will be a 16-story structure with 147 units on 13 levels atop three levels of structured parking. Jon Copaken said they expect to begin construction in September.

“When all is said and done, it will be about a five or five and one-half year endeavor. . . but that’s about how long these things take,” he said.

Copaken Brooks is an active Downtown player. Among its holdings are 1111 Main (previously known as Town Pavilion) and 1201 Walnut. Jon Copaken said the activity on those properties is “really good” even though tenants are still trying to figure out space needs to get employees back in the office.

The company also controls the two blocks directly north of the T-Mobile Center.

“Controlling two blocks within the center of the city is kind of a rare thing,” said Jon Copaken.

Keith Copaken said Copaken Brooks as a company does placemaking.

“We make places, and we make spots that people want to go to. . . . In order to make great places, you have to have time and you have to have control,” he said.

---

Header image features Lenexa City Center. Image credit: Klover Architects