NOW TAKING OVER THAT CASE. A BUSINESS OWNER IN THE WEST BOTTOMS SAYS HIGHER JACKSON COUNTY PROPERTY ASSESSMENTS ARE THE LAST STRAW. HE’S CLOSING UP, AND HE PLANS TO SELL KMBC NINE. BRIAN JOHNSON IS GETTING ANSWERS ON THE REASONS WHY HE FEELS HE CAN NO LONGER HANG ON. THIS PROPERTY WAS ON TRUMBULL, ALAN AND REYNOLDS SEED COMPANY. INCREASED PROPERTY TAXES, PUSHED CONRAD MCKINNEY OUT. HE’S SELLING. IT’S A LOT OF PHYSICAL STRESS. NOT KNOWING IN TWO YEARS IF THEY COULD DO ANOTHER 600%. 1428 SAINT LOUIS IN THE WEST BOTTOMS WILL HOST ONE MORE EVENT THIS JULY. I FEEL LIKE I’VE BEEN FIGHTING UPSTREAM FOR A LONG TIME. IT DOESN’T CREAK. HE PERSONALLY REDID THE FLOORS HIMSELF. PEOPLE STILL WANT THIS KIND OF STUFF. BUILT IN 1886, THIS IS THE BIRDSEYE MAP. THE SIX STOREY BUILDING IS FILLED WITH HISTORY. THIS IS MY PROPERTY FROM THE BASEMENT TO ROOFTOP. THIS IS THE ROOF. HE SHOWS US WHAT THE 36,000FT CAN BE. 4TH OF JULY IS A BLAST UP HERE. THE COUNTY FIGURES IT’S WORTH ABOUT $2 MILLION. IT MIGHT NOT BE A POPULAR STATEMENT AMONGST OTHER BUILDING OWNERS, BUT I THINK THESE PROPERTIES ARE WORTH WHAT THE CITY HAS ASSESSED THEM AT. HIS TAX BILL WILL INCREASE $17,000 A YEAR. HE’S MAD ABOUT THE PROCESS. NO INSPECTION REQUIRED, LITTLE TRANSPARENCY AND ONLY FIVE MONTHS TO PAY THE BILL. YET SERVICES, HE SAYS, ARE SPARSE. THEY SEND YOU BACK AND FORTH FROM OFFICE TO OFFICE TO OFFICE. THEY PING PONG YOU. AFTER YEARS OF WORK, HIS BUILDING DOESN’T YET HAVE ELECTRICITY OR WATER. I DON’T WANT TO SIT HERE AND COMPLAIN ABOUT HOW THEY SPEND THEIR MONEY. I’D RATHER FOCUS ON WHAT I CAN DO. RIGHT. AND THAT’S BUILD A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR MY FAMILY. HE FEARS OUTSIDE INVESTORS WILL FORGET THE AREA’S HISTORY AND BE GIVEN INCENTIVES. LOCALS CAN’T SEEM TO GET. I THINK WE SHOULD EMPHASIZE SOME SUSTAINABILITY AND THINK ABOUT THE FUTURE IN THE WEST BOTTOMS. BRIAN JOHNSON, KMBC NINE NEWS. BUSINESS OWNERS WH

Advertisement Jackson County property tax hike forces West Bottoms business owner to sell historic building Editorial Standards ⓘ

A West Bottoms business owner is closing up shop after a steep rise in Jackson County property taxes, saying he can no longer afford to hold onto his historic building.Conrad McAnany, owner of the six-story, 36,000-square-foot building at 1428 Saint Louis Ave., said the tax increase has created too much financial stress and uncertainty for him to stay.“It’s a lot of physical stress not knowing in two years if they could do another 600%,” McAnany said.The building, built in 1886 and formerly home to the Trumble, Allen and Reynolds Seed Company, will host one final event this July before it goes up for sale.“I feel like I’ve been fighting upstream for a long time,” McAnany said. “People still want this kind of stuff.”He said he personally renovated the floors and has spent years working to restore the building, which has no electricity or water access yet. He even walks visitors through the site’s history, from its basement to rooftop, where he says the Fourth of July views are a highlight.Jackson County recently assessed the property at nearly $2 million, resulting in an annual tax bill increase of roughly $17,000.“It might not be a popular statement amongst other building owners, but I think these properties are worth what the county has assessed them at,” he said.Still, McAnany is frustrated with the process.“They send you back and forth from office to office to office. They ping pong you,” he said.He cited a lack of inspection, limited transparency and a short payment window as reasons he’s choosing to leave.Despite the challenges, McAnany said he wants to stay focused on his family’s future.“I don’t want to sit here and complain about how they spend their money,” he said. “I’d rather focus on what I can do right, and that’s build a sustainable future for my family.”He worries redevelopment by outside investors may erase the neighborhood’s history, and that longtime local property owners are being left behind when it comes to tax breaks or economic incentives.“I think we should emphasize sustainability and think about the future,” he said.