Jason Klumb, the new regional administrator for the General Services Administration, said an eight-block stretch of the East Village area is being reviewed for the project, which is expected to cost more than $228 million. SFS Architecture of Kansas City is being paid $182,000 for the study, which should be completed this summer.

“We’re moving forward on a new downtown federal building,” Klumb said. “This is a priority for the GSA and the city. We believe we can be a great neighbor and addition to downtown.”

Klumb also said the size of the project has been expanded to 600,000 gross square feet, about 40 percent larger than previously discussed. That would be about the same size as the Charles Whittaker U.S. Courthouse completed in 1998.

An approximate timetable anticipates design work starting in 2012, with construction beginning in 2015.

The proposal, first suggested in 2006, calls for consolidating about 1,200 federal workers, many of them now at the Bannister Federal Complex, into a new office building. Most of the space would be occupied by the GSA Heartland Regional Headquarters and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The project has been an important goal of downtown civic leaders for several years and championed by U.S. Sen. Kit Bond but has encountered resistance in Washington. It was first proposed as a private development that would be leased to the government, but federal officials balked.

Bond held up the appointment of President Barack Obama’s nominee to lead the GSA for six months to apply pressure on behalf of the proposal. The agency finally included the project in its five-year capital budget in March, but as a federally owned and operated building.

Klumb, whose own appointment was delayed, took his job in February. He said GSA officials in Washington D.C., were onboard with the Kansas City plan.

He added the plan has broad-based political backing that includes Sen. Claire McCaskill. As a Democrat and Obama ally, McCaskill is expected to have more influence than Bond, a Republican who’s stepping down this year. Democratic Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver of Kansas City also is a strong supporter.

At Cleaver’s urging, the Kansas City Council approved a resolution earlier this year that offers a city-owned block at 12th and Holmes streets for the GSA project. The block was the former location of the Greyhound bus terminal, which was acquired and demolished by the city as part of the East Village redevelopment plan.

A new federal office building of the size being envisioned likely would require a two-block site to furnish an adequate security buffer, but Klumb said the city’s offer was helpful.

“Because the city is willing to donate a site it makes it more attractive,” he said.

A riverfront site pitched by the Port Authority of Kansas City had been in the mix earlier, but the City Council, along with other downtown interests, made it clear the East Village was the preferred location. The idea of leasing space for the federal workers in existing buildings downtown was rejected because of security issues, Klumb said.

The 12-block East Village redevelopment area near City Hall is where the new headquarters of J.E. Dunn Construction Co. is located, and several blocks has been slated for residential development by Swope Community Builders. Swope expects to begin construction this summer on the first project, a 50-unit apartment building at Ninth and Holmes streets.

“East Village is the area that elected officials have indicated is their preference, and the GSA wants to be a good neighbor and build where we are wanted,” Klumb said.

Article is courtesy of The Kansas City Star and was written by Kevin Collison.

Coldwell Banker On Location, the brand’s YouTube™ channel focused on listing, community and agent profile videos, continues to redefine the use of video in real estate. Just 11 months after launching in May 2009, Coldwell Banker On Location has drawn 1 million channel views.

Since Coldwell Banker Real Estate launched their brand channel on YouTube to debut Coldwell Banker On Location, the site has more videos on its YouTube site than any other real estate brand.

Recognizing the power of video, Coldwell Banker Real Estate recently unveiled a new commercial featuring Coldwell Banker On Location.

Some unique videos on Coldwell Banker On Location include:
· Coldwell Banker College Home Price Comparison Index
· Real (Estate) Opinions: Men vs. Women
· Home of the Heroes, Fort Hood Community Video
· Beverly Hills Video Listing

YouTubeTM is a subsidiary of Google Inc

Once you have decided which ENERGY STAR appliance you would like to buy, you may reserve your rebate amount at a participating retailer or installation contractor on or after April 19. You may also reserve your own rebate online at this site beginning April 21.

For Retailers or Installation Contractors: Click here if you provide consumers with energy efficient products and services, and would like to participate in this program.

Rebates will be awarded on the following product categories.
Please click on an item below to view product information.

Category 1 – Space Heating
•Gas Furnaces $125

Category 2 – Space Cooling
•Central Air Conditioning $100
•Air Source Heat Pumps $250

Category 3 – Water Heating
•Water Heaters – Electric Heat Pumps $150
•Water Heaters – High Efficiency Gas Storage $100
•Water Heaters – Gas Tankless $100
•Water Heaters – Solar (Electric or Gas Back-up) $500

Category 4 – Clothes Washers
•Clothes Washers $75

Category 5 – Dishwashers
•Dishwashers $75

• Our “Buyer Bonus Event” kicks off on May 1st to coincide with the end of the tax credit extension and will conclude on July 31st. During this three month period, sellers participating in the promotion are giving 3% of the accepted offer price up to $8,000 credit at closing back to homebuyers who sign an offer before the July 31st deadline.

• We believe there could be a potential slowdown in real estate sales once the tax credit extension ends on April 31st. The Coldwell Banker Buyer Bonus Event will allow participating Coldwell Banker home sellers to “essentially” extend the credit for participating homebuyers.

• Plus the Coldwell Banker Buyer Bonus Event has fewer restrictions. With the increased inventory around the country, Coldwell Banker listings will stand out from the competition.

• The goal of this national “Buyer Bonus Event” is to help sellers improve the chances that their home will sell more quickly during a particularly challenging time for the marketplace – and to help incentivize buyers that missed the tax credit deadline by allowing them to still reap the financial benefits the tax credit would have provided.

• As a real estate leader that has helped Americans buy and sell homes for over a century, Coldwell Banker is committed to helping move the market in the right direction.

Please click on the link below and take a few minutes to complete the survey. All of your answers will remain confidential and responses will be combined for reporting purposes. If you wish to be included in a drawing to win $500, please mark the appropriate box and provide your contact information at the end of the survey.

Click Here For Survey

~Mortgage insurance premium (MIP) to be increased to build-up capital reserves & bring back private lending.
~Update the combination of FICO credit scores & down payments for new borrowers.
~Reduce allowable seller concessions from 6% to 3%.
~Increased enforcement on FHA lenders.

Click Here For The Official HUD.gov Press Release