Creating and Supporting Economic Development
When it comes to economic development in Johnson County, most of it is accomplished through our cities. An exception is near the New Century AirCenter, where Johnson County is the home to dozens of companies creating thousands of jobs…with many more on the way. In 2023, we continued on the path of economic development at New Century Commerce Center while prioritizing partnerships and investment to support the Panasonic Energy manufacturing facility and other economic development in the southwest corner of our county.
Lighting the Way by…
…continuing to develop New Century Commerce Center
Economic development continues to takeoff at the New Century Commerce Center, one the largest multi-tenant business centers in the metro area that generates $1.3 billion annually in direct and indirect economic benefits.
In 2023, the New Century Commerce Center added a new certification, receiving the Kansas Department of Commerce’s designation as a Kansas Certified Site. The Commerce Center is the only site in the Kansas City metro area and the ninth site in the state to earn this designation. This certification, along with the site’s existing AEROReady™ Aviation and BNSF Railway certifications, all point to the fact that this site, with its access to land, air and rail, is primed for development.
Also in 2023, the public-partnership with VanTrust Real Estate resulted in a third building at New Century Commerce Center, expected to be fully leased in 2024. This new building will provide an additional 330,000 square feet of distribution center space, with nearly 40% pre-leased at the time of groundbreaking last November. This highlights the strong demand for modern industrial facilities in this prime location.
“As a public-private partnership, this is a significant achievement for the New Century Commerce Center and for all of Johnson County,” said Mike Kelly, chairman of the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners. “In addition to drawing thousands of jobs in the coming years to strengthen our county’s economy, our economic development activities at New Century also generate revenue that supports vital public services as well as airport activities.”
…supporting the largest economic development in Kansas history
As construction continued in 2023 at the Panasonic Energy North American manufacturing facility in De Soto’s Astra Enterprise Park, Johnson County took multiple actions…alongside community partners…to ensure we are prepped and ready for this facility and the growth it will bring. The city of De Soto, Johnson County Government and the state of Kansas have collaborated on the infrastructure needed to support this new economic development, while Unified School District No. 232 is also preparing for growth.
In June 2023, Johnson County participated with our local, state and federal partners at a groundbreaking ceremony that kicked off construction of the De Soto Local Road Improvement project. Due to the planned heavy industrial use on nearby roads, De Soto, Johnson County and the State of Kansas are working on vital road improvements in this corner of our county (with a $7.5 million investment from Johnson County). Improvements to this 3.5-mile stretch of road will provide accessibility for thousands of employees, suppliers and shipments of Panasonic’s products, plus will benefit all drivers in that area.
Design work is underway for a new fire station for the Northwest Fire District. This public/private partnership, funded in part by a $7.5 million investment from Johnson County, will provide fire protection for not only the Panasonic facility but for future housing and commercial development in that area.
In addition to the county’s multi-million dollar investment in both of those efforts, in 2023 Johnson County updated and improved our Area Development Plan addressing land use to benefit this area as it develops. Johnson County Park and Recreation District kicked off a project to update the Kill Creek Park and Sunflower Nature Park: Master Plan, including the addition of approximately 2,000 acres to Kill Creek Park, donated by the Sunflower Redevelopment Group.
We also, along with our local, regional and state partners, got to know the Panasonic North American team a little better over the past year and found additional ways to support their transition into Johnson County.
- Southwest Johnson County Economic Development Corporation hosted an informal gathering with De Soto and Johnson County leaders, as well as local leaders of the Panasonic project, to talk about collaborative efforts.
- To celebrate the first anniversary of the ground breaking for this facility, in November, Panasonic and the Panasonic Foundation collaborated with NASA and the National Institute of Aerospace on a STEM-focused event at Johnson County Community College. JCPRD was invited to collaborate on activities at this event.
- Our Department of Technology and Innovation created a 25-minute drive time map to the Panasonic Energy facility to represent the potential employment pool area.
- Johnson County staff from the County Manager’s Office and the transit division met with multiple members of the Panasonic team to work on initial plans for a potential van pool service.
- Staff from DTI and our Planning department created a broadband task force to begin conversations with residents in the unincorporated part of northwest Johnson County, the state of Kansas and the private sector to identify solutions to increase broadband access.
Did You Know?
2023 Square Footage leased at NCCC
- Yukon Lease (1,578,048 SF) - Phase I - building size ~300,000 SF
- NCCC Building A – (984,250 SF) – building size ~330,000 SF
- NCCC Building B1 – (2,142,879 SF) – building size ~750,000 SF
Total Square Footage = 4.7 million
Road improvements to support the Panasonic project:
- Where: 103rd Street between Evening Star Road and the Lexington Avenue/K-10 interchange and a 1/2-mile section of Astra Parkway south of 103rd Street.
- What: update the current two-lane asphalt road to a divided 4-lane roadway with curbs, gutters and sidewalks.
- When: Completion scheduled in late 2024.