An 18-acre, dilapidated former Army depot on Hardesty Avenue in the Northeast

An 18-acre, dilapidated former Army depot on Hardesty Avenue in the Northeast area of Kansas City has been purchased by a nonprofit New York group that wants to bring it back to economic life.

The vacant Hardesty Federal Complex at 607 Hardesty Ave., which includes seven buildings totaling 572,000 square feet, was purchased for $500,000 at a recent auction held by the federal General Services Administration.

The new owner, Asian Americans for Equality, has done extensive development and housing work assisting the Asian-American community in New York since its founding in 1974. This is its first venture outside that city.

“We’re in the preliminary stage,” said Kevin Kong, an official with the organization. “We have the site, and we’re trying to understand what the needs are. We want to use it for economic development and jobs.”

The sprawling property just off Independence Avenue at Hardesty opened in World War II. One of its early uses was to process the personal effects of fallen soldiers before sending them to their families.

Kansas City Councilman Scott Wagner is familiar with the site from serving on the Northeast Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. Wagner has met with representatives of Asian Americans for Equality and the neighborhood to discuss its future.

“When I was involved in Northeast Kansas City before I went to the council, I saw it every day,” he said. “I thought it could be the greatest source of blight in the world or an engine for development in the Northeast and Independence (Avenue) corridor.”

The property, which was used by several federal agencies before being abandoned 10 years ago, has significant environmental problems. Wagner estimated it will cost $2 million to $4 million to restore it to developable condition, depending on the use.

A spokesman for the GSA said the agency would fulfill any remediation requirements established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Kong said his organization had established a subsidiary for the property called Hardesty Renaissance Economic Development Corp.

“Over the last 20 years we have been doing low-income community housing and community business loans,” he said. “We think that site is better for economic development than housing.”

Wagner said the property had good transportation access from Interstate 435 and the railroad.

“My long-term hope is a potential office and light industrial use to create jobs for the urban core,” he said.

Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/10/03/3184937/nonprofit-asian-american-group.html#ixzz1ZprSkk00