As metro area home prices rise, while housing availability remains low, the Wichita City Council approved a program Tuesday intended to help address those issues. The council unanimously approved a two-year program of 20-year special assessments for new single-family housing developments. City staff is also directed to meet with those in the industry to develop implementation timelines and program details. Fifteen-year special assessments are currently the norm in the city. Special assessments include infrastructure such as sewer and water lines, streets and stormwater improvements. "This is just one more tool you have in your toolbox that will marginally affect affordability of [...]

Even as Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly's administration accepts its second consecutive national Gold Shovel Award for economic development, the state's best business attraction days might well lie ahead. Should Kansas beat out Oklahoma in landing a $4 billion advanced manufacturing facility, reportedly a Panasonic Corp. battery plant, that single megaproject would more than double the $1.45 billion valuation of the state's top 10 projects won in 2021. An executive last week said Panasonic is "finalizing" which U.S. state it will choose for a new battery plant site, according to Reuters. Source: Wichita Business Journal

The number of passengers flying in and out of Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport rose year-over-year in April. The airport says on its website that a total of 119,921 passengers flew through Eisenhower National in April to mark a 32.5% increase over the same month in 2021. The increase was aided by a greater use of larger aircraft in Wichita by airlines, with the airport noting a 196% jump in the usage of narrow-body jets.  That resulted in 16.4% more seats on 3.8% more flights in April. Passenger count through the first four months of the year was up 47% [...]