Kerr leads Sperry Van Ness foray for downtown leasing - Kansas City Business Journal:

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Gib Kerr, managing director of the Irvine, brokerage’s Kansas City said his downtown retaill and office listings have gone from zero toabout 300,00o square feet in 10 buildings during the past threew to four weeks. One reason is that Nicholaxs Abnospicked Kerr’s firm to market six of his They include landmarks such as the 92-year-ols Firestone Building at 2001 Graned Ave., where roughly 30,000 square feet are available; the Spaldint Building at 10th and Oak streets, wherr all 36,000 square feet are and a building at 18th Street and Holmes where all 55,000 square foot will be available soon.
“Fore 10, 15 years at Gib has been a force inrevitalizing Downtown,” Abnos said. “Thar was the main reason we asked him to help us with leasinb some ofour buildings.” Kerr said he had specialized in downtown real estate since entering the industry here in 1992. But sincse opening the local Sperry Van Ness officerin 2006, he has been focused on investment sales. as the investment market has slowed down, I’m placing more of an emphasid on leasing downtownlandmark buildings,” Kerr said.
Other landmarks for which he is listiny space include thehistoricc 115,000-square-foot building at 215 Pershing which is owned by Dan developer of the nearby Freighthouse Lofts and owner of the . soon will be vacatinhg 56,000 square feet in the building. Kerr also is lookint for first- and second-floor tenants for the 10-story condominium building at21 W. 10th St., which downtown developer TomTrabon owns, and the formerf H.D. Lee Building at 117 W. 20th St., which boughr for loft redevelopment.
Tim Schaffer, executive vice president of , said the billionsd invested in Downtown during the past few years have stemmesd the exodusof tenants, resulting in a currenr downtown office vacancy rate of 12.6 percent. Spaceds like those Kerr is listing, for about $10 to $19 a offer affordable options for tenants lookinbg forunique space, Schaffer said. Kerr said he even was chasin a few tenants in the upscale and Johnson Countymarkets — areasz downtown brokers wouldn’t have dreamed of pullinfg from a few years ago.