Area Development

Sunflower Site

Astra Enterprise Park

Known formerly as the Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant property, this new home of Panasonic's $4B advanced battery production facility is a 9,000+ acre enterprise park with utility-scale renewable energy on site.

When complete, the park will be shrouded by thousands of acres of public parks, hundreds of acres dedicated to public service, as well as state-of-the-art manufacturing, industrial and energy-production developments. 

Flint Commerce Center

Flint Commerce Center is a 370-acre industrial park at 103rd St. and Edgerton, which is currently being readied for light industrial uses. This project is the culmination of years of hard work by the City and the De Soto Economic Development Council who secured a purchase option for the land in 2020, and selected Flint Development as the master developer for the site.

The property is expected to house 5 to 6 million square feet of building space with light assembly, manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution-uses targeted.

Frequently Asked Questions

This Area Development FAQ section is the go-to place where we are sharing all the answers... to the questions we are able to answer, that is! 

There are many organizations, businesses, and levels of government all collaborating to ensure this project, and any future project, is properly incorporated into De Soto and the region, as well as be beneficial for the community. That said, there will be answers we are unable to provide because, ultimately, it's not our information to share. 

Our promise to De Soto is that once information is shareable, you'll find it here. If you think we missed a topic, drop it in the 'Ask a Question' box below; we might've just not covered it yet!

  1. Panasonic
  2. Impact
  3. Environmental
  4. Financial
  5. Other
  6. Infrastructure

What did the Governor announce?

In mid-July of 2022, Governor Laura Kelly announced that De Soto, Kansas, will be home to one of the world’s largest state-of-the-art electric vehicle (EV) battery facilities, built by Panasonic Energy Co. The project is expected to drive significant economic activity and opportunities for the local economy and result in an investment of approximately $4 billion.

What will the factory manufacture?

Panasonic Energy plans to expand its production of EV batteries, as the automotive industry shifts to more sustainable electric technologies. This planned state-of-the-art facility will create and supply lithium-ion batteries and accelerate the future of electric vehicle innovation on a global scale.

How many people will be employed through the Panasonic plant?

The plant is expected to employ between 4,000 and 4,500 people.

What type of jobs will be created?

Panasonic will bring thousands of good-paying, high-quality jobs to our state which will be a massive economic benefit for local businesses and our communities for decades to come. This aligns with the goal of making Kansas a destination for industry, defense, education, science, technology, engineering, and innovation.

I'm interested in employment opportunities at the Panasonic facility. How can I apply?

You can visit Panasonic's job portal or search popular job boards like Indeed, ZipRecruiter, and LinkedIn.

Does the State’s APEX Agreement include compensation to De Soto and/or Kansas if Panasonic backs out or severely reduces the product?

Assurances of this nature are typically included in a Development Agreement associated with any local taxing incentive, which is yet to be negotiated.  

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