Commission approves expanded IRB allowance for Northpointe Development to finish Turner Commerce Center
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Summary
After a public hearing and questions about taxes and abatements, the Unified Government commission approved a resolution amending an industrial revenue bond agreement for Northpointe Development to allow higher sales‑tax exemption on construction costs so three additional buildings can be completed; the measure passed in a recorded roll call.
The Unified Government Board of Commissioners voted April 16 to amend a long‑standing industrial revenue bond (IRB) agreement that covers construction at the Turner Commerce Center, allowing Northpointe Development to raise the dollar cap on IRBs so three new industrial buildings can be finished.
Commissioner David Davis moved to adopt the resolution after a public hearing in which staff and developer representatives described the request as a technical update tied to sharply higher construction costs. County Administrator David Johnson said the amendment would permit the developer to finalize a business park that has been in development for years and allow additional tenants to occupy space on the west side of the Turner Diagonal.
CFO Shelley Kniebben told commissioners the amendment changes only the IRB dollar value used to compute sales‑tax exemptions on construction materials; the underlying abatement schedule, pilot payments in lieu of taxes and the ten‑year tax abatement period would remain as previously negotiated. Kniebben said the buildings already built have produced substantial revenue: in 2025 the project area paid almost $680,000 in real‑property and pilot payments, and additional BPU pilot receipts were about $229,000.
Derek Schinenberg, representing Northpointe, told the commission that the original IRB allotment (about $155 million in earlier requests) has been strained because higher‑value tenants now occupying the park require more investment—electrical, mechanical and structural—than early, lower‑cost warehouse tenants. Schinenberg said the developer has preleased some space and expects new tenants to invest significant capital and create local jobs.
Supporters in the chamber pointed to the project’s track record: Greg Bridal of the Wyandotte Economic Development Council said Northpointe’s earlier phases (including an Amazon fulfillment center and other employers) employ thousands and that a faster build‑out would bring workers and tax revenues onto the rolls more quickly.
Commission discussion focused on transparency and numbers. Commissioner Lopez pressed staff on whether the IRB schedule or pilot rates should be revisited; Kniebben pointed to escalation clauses built into the original 2019 agreement that adjust the per‑square‑foot pilot over time. Commissioners asked staff to continue reporting the amounts the project pays as buildings roll off abatement and onto the tax rolls.
On roll call the resolution was recorded as passing with the majority in favor and one commissioner in opposition (transcript records show Commissioner Lopez opposed). The county administrator and developer said they will return to the commission as required with implementation details and to document when buildings come out of abatement.
The amendment is intended to permit Northpointe to proceed with the remaining three buildings in the agreed development program so they can be completed and brought on the tax rolls.
What happens next: staff will continue to provide periodic updates on pilot payments and abatements for the development, and the developer will proceed with permitting and construction under the amended IRB authority.
