DE SOTO, Kan. — The De Soto City Council will consider approving up to $50 billion in industrial revenue bonds Thursday to fund a massive data center project, adding to the rapid industrial growth the city has experienced since Panasonic's arrival.
The proposed data center would be located near the Panasonic plant, marking the latest in a series of data center developments in the Kansas City area. On Wednesday, Meta unveiled its new data center in the Northland.
Scott Hill, who owns JT's Grill in De Soto, has witnessed the city's transformation firsthand.
"I was here when it was just us and McDonald's, those were your two dining options," Hill said.
While Hill welcomes the growth and increased population, he says he questions the infrastructure demands of another large project in De Soto.
"I have a little concern right now, just with the kind of infrastructure a project like this will take. It's going to take a lot more water, it's going to take a lot more electricity," Hill said.
Don and Diane Kehres, who retired in De Soto, have watched the city grow too. Diane Kehres notes the extent of the development.
"I don't know if people realize how commercially industrialized De Soto is," Diane Kehres said.
Don Kehres said there are potential benefits to more growth because of improvements made for Panasonic.
"I know it's on the outskirts of town, so it will benefit from the improvements made for Panasonic...but there are a lot of unknowns at this point," Don Kehres said.
Both Don and Diane said they feel Panasonic has yet to fully deliver on its initial commitments to the community.
"It felt like, in the buildup of Panasonic, there was a big promise of what they were going to do," Diane said. "Investment-wise, employee-wise, and production-wise."
As De Soto continues to evolve, they're all watching to see how the potential billion-dollar bond approval will shape their community's future.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.