KANSAS CITY, Mo. — One of the largest employers on the Country Club Plaza is relocating to Leawood.
Insurance broker Lockton, which has operated its headquarters at 444 W. 47th Street on the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri, announced plans Friday to move to a new headquarters building at Interstate 435 and State Line Road in Leawood.
The new headquarters would be based in a mixed-use development north of College Boulevard and west of State Line Road named the Hallbrook North Development.
"As we look to the future, our growth is not slowing down," Lockton Chairman and CEO Ron Lockton said in a news release. "To keep pace, we need a headquarters that supports our current growth and our plans for the future."
Work on the project is set to begin in 2026, with Lockton planning to move in in early 2030.
"This move reflects our commitment to excellence - every day, we put growth, service and culture before margin, and we continue to reinvest in the business," Lockton said.
Friday's news was applauded by Leawood Mayor Marc Elkins.
"We are pleased and encouraged by Lockton's announcement today that it has selected a Leawood site for its future world headquarters," Elkins said. "Lockton is a highly respected, Kansas City-based company with a long history of success, strong values and a positive reputation in our region and beyond. Their continued growth is a point of pride for our entire metropolitan area."
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas released a statement Friday afternoon following Lockton's announcement, describing Lockton as "an exceptional Kansas City firm with outstanding leadership and outstanding people."
Lucas said he wished them continued success.
"I am only disappointed by the misplaced confidence many of us had in the one-time Missouri-Kansas Border War Truce, which was well in effect when negotiations supporting this move began," Lucas said in the statement. "Regionalism cannot be one-sided. The region will only thrive when we look to grow the pie, not rearrange pieces on the chessboard."
Earlier this week, the Leawood City Council signed off on the intent to issue $766,000,000 in industrial revenue bonds to “finance the costs of acquiring, constructing, and equipping a commercial project for the benefit of KCL Hallbrook North, LLC…”
In October, the council entered a memorandum of understanding with developers of the project. The MOU outlined $125 million in public incentives for the project, coming from a mix of tax increment financing/incremental property tax, sales taxes from a community improvement district, industrial revenue bonds and a transient guest tax.
The development calls for a 200-foot tall, main headquarters building, a 140-foot tall expansion building and two 120-foot tall apartment buildings.
In total, the project would create 440,000 square-feet of class A headquarters office space, first floor retail, structured parking, site work, infrastructure and connections to area parks.
LINK | Read more about the project on Leawood’s website
A spokesperson for the Country Club Plaza issued a statement Friday following Lockton's announcement.
"Lockton has long been a valued neighbor and partner of Country Club Plaza. We appreciate the important role they have played in Kansas City’s growth and success. We wish Lockton nothing but the best in their next chapter.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
