NorthSide lawyer Darryl Piggee, a former chief of staff to Rep. William Lacy Clay, insisted investors were waiting to go and that work could start on the second phase as soon as the first phase is complete.

“The investors haven’t considered doing phase one without phase two,” Piggee said.

Questioned about financing sources, Piggee at first didn’t want to reveal some of them because of “people behind the curtain” and said city officials have tried to undermine them in the past. Later, the group relented and said Central Bank of Kansas City would be involved in a new market tax credit transaction to help finance the project.

Mark Vincent, the longtime attorney for Franklin County and now an investor in the project, said United Bank of Union, Sterling Bank and the St. Louis-Kansas City Carpenters Regional Council would provide a combined $8 million in loans for the first phase. Carpenter’s union official Shannon Weber was in the audience during the hearing.

“As soon as you guys say go, we can close in 60 days,” Vincent said.