Merriam extends deadline for companies to pay late taxes on old Kmart site

David Block, principal of Block and Co.

The Merriam City Council approved an extension for three Block and Co.-affiliated companies to pay delinquent taxes on the Kmart site. Above, Block and Co. Principal David Block speaks to the Merriam City Council. Photo credit Juliana Garcia.

The Merriam City Council on Monday approved an extension for several entities affiliated with Kansas City-based Block and Co. to pay more than $650,000 in delinquent property taxes on the former Kmart site at Shawnee Mission Parkway and Antioch Road.

Why it matters: The unpaid taxes are holding up redevelopment of another nearby property, the former Taco Bell across the street at 8800 Shawnee Mission Parkway, which developers want to turn into a Chipotle.

The details: The three entities that own the long-vacant Kmart property at 8703 Shawnee Mission Parkway — listed in county property records as Three Trails Two LLC, 119 Metcalf/Windsor LLC and Merriam Corner LLC — failed to pay the taxes by a city-imposed deadline of June 1.