The Kansas City Aviation Department and Dallas-based Trammell Crow Company, one of the nation's largest developers and investors, have broken ground on Phase I of the KCI Intermodal BusinessCentre, an 800-acre multi-use development located on the southeast corner of the airfield at Kansas City International Airport.

Phase I of the project includes building site infrastructure, including roads and utilities on a 180-acre parcel south of the American Airlines overhaul base and fronting Prairie View Road and Interstate 29 on the east edge of airport property. It will feature four buildings comprised of approximately 1.8 million square feet of commercial space, one of the nation's largest Foreign Trade Zones and easy access to four Interstate highways. With its centralized location, the facilities are a prime location for airlines, manufacturers, shippers, freight forwarders, big box distribution companies, air cargo-related services, intermodal distribution and logistics and light manufacturing companies. Construction on Phase I infrastructure is expected to be complete Summer, 2009.

'KCI Intermodal BusinessCentre is putting itself in a position to take advantage of Kansas City's growing presence as a Midwest distribution hub,' said Steven Bradford, Managing Director, Trammell Crow Company. 'Our goal with this master planned development is to facilitate a diverse cross section of companies and confirm Kansas City International Airport's role as an economic engine for the states, counties and cities which it serves.' Jim Didion, Principal with Trammell Crow Company in Kansas City added, 'As soon as the initial infrastructure is in place, we plan to develop a 494,000 square foot distribution center that will be our first step in reaching this goal. We believe there is growing demand for state-of-the-art distribution facilities in Kansas City and we want to be at the forefront of that trend.'

'The City of Kansas City, Missouri is committed to transforming Kansas City International Airport into a major center for manufacturing, intermodal shipping and commercial development,' said Mark VanLoh, director of the Kansas City Aviation Department. 'This partnership is the next step in our plan to leverage KCI's strategic location to attract jobs and industry to our community.'

Plans for Phase II include an extension of infrastructure (roads and utilities) to a contiguous approximately 200 acres of land, which features more than 4,000 linear feet of frontage along the main runways of Kansas City International Airport. Long-term plans call for mixed use commercial, retail and other development along Tiffany Springs Road, which will be extended west from Interstate 29.

Recent Trammell Crow Company development projects include airport sites in Dallas/Ft. Worth and Houston, Texas, Portland, Oregon and Calgary, Alberta, Canada.