Lathrop & Gage served as legal counsel for Andrews McMeel Universal, in its closing of the acquisition of the Boley Building in downtown Kansas City this week.  Andrews McMeel will start renovations immediately to prepare the historic building to serve as the company's new headquarters.

Member Jerry Riffel (Development Lawyer - Kansas City) led the Lathrop & Gage team in the matter.  Kathy Hauser (Real Estate - Kansas City), provided valuable services in assisting with the land use planning and tax increment financing legal issues.  Lisa Hansen provided important legal services to the project related to income tax and historic tax credit issus to help make the project feasible. 

The project was complicated by the requirements of the City's new economic development policy but the School District proved cooperative.  Andrews McMeel announced that it expects to occupy the building in the fall of 2008, in time to celebrate the building's centennial.

The Kansas City Council unanimously approved tax increment financing for this project on October 11.  TIF will cover a significant portion of the newspaper content provider's $19 million budget with public money.  An innovative real estate transaction within the region, the project's TIF request was the first of its kind to reach the city council under its new policy on tax incentive financing.

AMU also plans to lease adjacent space in Town Pavilion, expecting to move 200 employees from leased space in its current location near the Country Club Plaza, in the spring of 2008.

About Lathrop & Gage: A leading Midwest full-service law firm, Lathrop & Gage L.C. has 280 attorneys in 10 offices nationwide – from Denver, Colo., to New York, N.Y. In 2007, Chambers USA ranked Lathrop & Gage’s corporate, environmental, intellectual property, litigation, real estate and labor and employment teams among the best in the Midwest. For more information, visit www.lathropgage.com or www.beentherewonthat.com.