KSHB 41 News reporter Ryan Gamboa regularly reports on Raymore as part of his coverage of Cass County, Missouri. Share a story idea with Ryan by sending him an email.
This week, the Raymore City Council read a bill to issue up to $40 million in Chapter 100 industrial revenue bonds to a project by VanTrust Real Estate.
The new bond issuance would benefit construction to Building 4 at Raymore Commerce Center, South.
The company would purchase the bonds and make the required Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) payments over a 20-year period.
In addition to the issuance of those bonds, Grant Harrison, a representative of VanTrust Real Estate shared to the council, building 5 at the Raymore Commerce Center, will be the new home to Church & Dwight.
Church & Dwight is the parent company of notable brands found in your home – Arm & Hammer, OxiClean, and Trojan condoms.
At the end of August, online clothing rental service NUULY purchased $90 million in Chapter 100 Industrial Revenue Bonds to expand its operations at the Raymore Commerce Center.
NUULY currently operates in 600,000 square feet of its current facility. The issuance of new bond monies will expand warehouse operations to the full one million square feet of the property.
Its parent company, UBRN LLC., operates notable clothing brands – Urban Outfitters.
"NUULY is a great community partner," Jordan Lea, economic development director for the City of Raymore, told KSHB 41 in August. "It's important that we are growing and keeping up with the metro and making sure our residents do have options on where they want to work."
Raymore has prioritized bringing corporate brands into the area, for its community growth and it continues to look for new partners.
NUULY’s recent expansion is expected to add 1,800 jobs.
Right now, it’s unclear how many jobs will come to Raymore under Church & Dwight. The household brand giant already has a footprint about 10 miles south in Harrisonville, Missouri.
The Raymore location will not be replacing the facility in Harrisonville.
At a late August Raymore City Council meeting, councilmembers touted NUULY’s success as a win for the community.
“That opens the door for Raymore for the future on more corporate development,” said Ward 2 Councilmember Thomas Circo. “People are seeing what they’re [NUULY] doing and following in place.”
Building 5 at the Raymore Commerce Center is expected to be completed at the end of 2025. While Building 4, the new home to Church & Dwight is expected to be operational in early 2026, some construction has already begun.
City Council members did not say much about the new tenant at the Raymore Commerce Center but did express concerns made by residents about construction in the area, asking for VanTrust to address roadway issues.
In 2023, the Raymore City Council approved legislation which authorized the city to issue Chapter 100 bonds for buildings withing Raymore Commerce Center South.
Chapter 100 bonds provide real property tax abatement for property within Raymore Commerce Center South to the Developer of Record, VanTrust Real Estate – the goal is to attract new business and employers to town.
The PILOT agreements it has with tenants and developers are small, with revenues dispersed through the Raymore-Peculiar School District and first responding taxing jurisdictions.
Those taxing districts have signed off on taking a smaller sum in taxes for these development projects – it’s money that wouldn’t be there otherwise, without the development.
"We are continuing to attract more commercial development, industrial, and we are always increasing our housing stock," added Lea. "We're growing on every area."
The city is expected to hear a second read of the new bond issuance in two weeks, according to a city spokesperson.
KSHB 41 is still waiting on a response from Church & Dwight about its expansion.
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