YMCA for downtown KC moves a step closer

The revamping of the former Lyric building in downtown Kansas City from a theater house to a YMCA has taken another step forward.

The Missouri Development Finance Board voted unanimously Tuesday to award Kansas City $4 million in tax credits to go toward the $30 million YMCA project.

“It took a lot of work from a lot of dedicated people to get this financing plan in place and that hard work is going to pay off,” Kansas City Councilwoman Jolie Justus said in a written statement.

“This is going to be a transformative project for our downtown and we’re accomplishing two things at once. We’re repurposing the historic Lyric building and increasing access to services for a growing downtown population.”

The YMCA of Greater Kansas City originally sought to build a new community center near the Sprint Center, but later gravitated toward the former Lyric building, which has gone largely unused since the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts opened in 2011. The Lyric building had the the stage facility for opera, symphony and ballet performances.

The Missouri Development Finance Board vote on Tuesday complements $7 million already raised in donations and nearly $17 million from an existing tax increment financing district.

“The concept for the partnership with the Y reflects Truman Medical Centers’ efforts to take health care beyond the four walls of our hospital and into the thriving downtown community where people live and work,” said Charlie Shields, President and chief executive of the Truman Medical Centers, in a written statement.

TMC partnered with the YMCA, the Downtown Council and Kansas City on the tax credit application.

The YMCA once had a community center at 10th and Oak streets downtown, a few blocks away from the Lyric building at 11th and Central.

This story was originally published November 22, 2017 at 10:03 AM with the headline "YMCA for downtown KC moves a step closer."