Hunt Midwest's SubTropolis expands to meet today’s need for speed

Hunt Midwest has announced plans to build out an additional 700,000 SF of Class-A space in SubTropolis, the world’s largest underground business complex.

This expansion, built on speculation, provides an excellent solution for warehousing and distribution operations struggling to meet the current supply chain and speed-to-market demands created by today’s online shoppers.

With more than 7,000,000 SF of industrial space, SubTropolis offers benefits beyond traditional above-ground industrial buildings. Lower operations and leasing costs top the list, along with a naturally temperature-controlled climate, ideal for storing inventory with a limited lifespan or specific temperature needs.

“The naturally climate-controlled environment in SubTropolis provides a low-cost solution for distribution space in the heart of the logistics corridor,” said Mike Bell, senior vice president with Hunt Midwest.

SubTropolis delivers warm-shell warehousing with demisable space from 50,000 – 300,000 SF and occupancy in 90 – 120 days. The short build-out period ensures that businesses experiencing rapid growth can scale operations to continue to meet consumer demand in a timely manner.

“Building a business complex into limestone cliffs isn’t something that’s done every day. But Hunt Midwest has been able to successfully leverage one of Kansas City’s natural resources to create a unique environment that benefits many business models,” Bell said.

A substantial portion of SubTropolis’ footprint is currently occupied by e-commerce, archival and document storage, pharmaceutical and animal health facilities and food distributors.

The complex’s location also adds value, as Kansas City is the most centrally-located of major U.S. markets. KC is at the heart of a railway corridor reaching from coast to coast and Canada to Mexico and the Kansas City International Airport moves more air cargo each year than any airport within a six-state region.

Tenants residing in SubTropolis reach 90 percent of the country with their products within two days via ground or air, resulting in reduced delivery costs.

Combined with other features such as an on-site, low-latency fiber network and 24/7/365 armed security, the expanding footprint of SubTropolis is poised to support the future growth and business needs of industries focused on keeping up with today’s fast-paced economy.

About Hunt Midwest: Hunt Midwest is a dynamic real estate development company privately held by the Lamar Hunt family. Based in Kansas City with over 50 years of development, construction and management experience, Hunt Midwest’s wide range of projects include industrial, commercial, mission critical, self-storage, residential, multifamily, senior living, mixed use and SubTropolis, the world’s largest underground business complex. Hunt Midwest is part of the Lamar Hunt family’s diverse portfolio of entities involved in real estate, sports/media, energy/resources and private equity investments. In addition to Hunt Midwest, marquee entities include the Kansas City Chiefs, Hunt Southwest, FC Dallas Soccer Club, Toyota Stadium, Chicago Bulls and United Center.

About SubTropolis: As the world’s largest underground business complex, SubTropolis sets the standard for subsurface business developments. SubTropolis was created through the mining of a 270-million-year-old limestone deposit creating a 1,200-acre real estate development. In the mining process, limestone is removed by the room and pillar method, leaving 25-foot square pillars that are on 65-foot centers and 40 feet apart. SubTropolis is home to more than 55 local, regional, national and international companies that employ in excess of 2,000 people.

BoxDevCo breaks ground on Blume Shawnee

Box Real Estate Development (BoxDevCo) and its partners have begun construction on Blume Shawnee, a European-inspired, vertical mixed-use townhome project located in downtown Shawnee, Kan.

Comprised of nano-sized commercial space with residential lofts and flats above, Blume Shawnee provides the notable, unique feature of living above a commercial storefront.

“Vertical mixed-use townhomes are rare in the United States despite being the quintessential building style throughout many parts of the world,” said BoxDevCo founder, Russell Pearson.

“A vertical mixed-use townhome means people can live and/or work within the same vertical unit. That subtle and/or distinction from a code perspective means Blume Shawnee appeals not only to those who want to work from home, but also small business owners, entrepreneurs, investors, and residents looking for a condo-quality living option,” Pearson said.

Blume Shawnee is comprised of twelve, three-story townhomes surrounding a European-inspired courtyard totaling 29 individual units.

The ‘A’ style building has two units with a +/- 600 SF main-floor commercial space and a two-story +/- 2,200 SF two-bedroom loft. The ‘B’ style building has three units including a +/- 800 SF main-floor commercial space and two +/- 1,550-1,590 SF two-bedroom flats.

Each residential unit is designed to feel like a custom home with attached garages, covered patios, walk-in closets, quartz countertops, dual vanities/showerheads and plenty of other upgrades.

Unlike a traditional mid-rise apartment project, each Blume Shawnee building is fully separated from the next with very few common internal spaces. The shared amenities instead are external – a private dog agility park, bike racks, nearby walking trails and a feature corner designed for rotating art exhibits.

Each unit features all-electric, high-efficiency, mini-split HVAC systems, generous balconies, and operable windows throughout - providing plenty of livable, open space and individual control.

“The medium-density nature of the project blends the economies of larger buildings with traditional single-family construction, allowing the exterior to utilize only durable and low-maintenance materials including Cordova stone, brick, fiber-cement panels and concrete roof tiles,” said Justin Larson, director of development services for BoxDevCo.

The entire project combines practical luxury with contemporary flare to provide long-term value to its residents, the surrounding area and the community at large. Design inspiration for the project came from studying Google Earth imagery of Shawnee’s European sister cities and current design trends.

Pearson traveled to Erfurt, Germany in October 2019 and toured its historic downtown with local city planners, staff and parliament members.

“Experiencing parts of the world that have seen centuries of development and redevelopment changes your perspective on sustainability,” said Pearson.

“We designed Blume Shawnee to stand the test of time so that 100-200 years from now people will decide the buildings are worth saving and can identify what time period the architecture was from once today’s contemporary style is given a name.”

Blume Shawnee is located along the Nieman Now corridor improvement project that included $40+ million in roadway, streetlight, utility, bike, amenity and walking trail improvements.

The downtown Shawnee area is located near Shawnee City Hall and features a diverse mix of restaurants, breweries, coffee shops and other regional and neighborhood amenities.

Founded in 2016, Box Real Estate Development is headquartered in Kansas City and seeks to identify real estate investment opportunities that yield above market returns relative to risks. BoxDevCo focuses on real estate acquisition and development in the central US and provides a full spectrum of services including fund creation and administration, asset and construction management. For more information on BoxDevCo, please visit www.boxdevco.com.

Read previous, related MWM article here: July 2020: New live-work transformation approved for downtown Shawnee

Click here to watch "Behind the Concept - Blume Shawnee" video.