Three massive manufacturing facilities are planned near 167th Street and Lone Elm Road, with nearly 1.5 million square feet of new space. A quiet October 20 City Council vote advances the development following earlier approval of a major tax incentive package.
OLATHE, Kan. — A major manufacturing expansion in southern Olathe that could eventually create more than 1,100 jobs is moving forward after the Olathe City Council approved another step in the development process.
During its October 20 meeting, the council voted 7-0 to accept public street rights-of-way and utility easements associated with the final plat for FTI Manufacturing, a three-building expansion planned southwest of West 167th Street and South Lone Elm Road.
The project is associated with Faith Technologies Incorporated, the Wisconsin-based company that already operates substantial manufacturing facilities in Olathe through its Excellerate operations.
The approval occurred as part of the council’s consent agenda, with no separate presentation or discussion. The relatively routine action follows much larger financial decisions made in August, when councilmembers approved nearly $240 million in industrial revenue bond authorizations associated with the expansion.
Three enormous buildings planned
The proposed development includes three single-story manufacturing facilities totaling 1,468,321 square feet, according to the city’s preliminary development plan.
Building 1 would contain approximately 504,689 square feet, while Buildings 2 and 3 would each contain approximately 481,816 square feet.
Plans call for construction in two phases, with the first two buildings developed initially and the third constructed during a later phase.
The climate-controlled facilities would manufacture electrical and power distribution products, including integrated electrical houses, substations, generator enclosures and other large electrical systems used in major construction and infrastructure projects.
The buildings would reach approximately 52 feet at their highest points and include office entrances, employee parking areas, loading docks and substantial pavement areas designed to accommodate large tractor-trailers transporting manufactured equipment.
The development plans also show landscaping, stormwater detention facilities and internal roads connecting the manufacturing buildings.
The property’s final plat establishes three development lots and four additional tracts. City documents identify a total area of approximately 125.47 acres in the October 20 council record, although the September Planning Commission staff report lists approximately 122 acres.
The property was annexed into Olathe in 2025 and rezoned for general industrial use earlier this year.
More than 1,100 jobs projected over 10 years
The expansion could have a substantial impact on employment in southern Olathe.
According to financial projections submitted in connection with the project, Faith Technologies anticipates creating approximately 1,153 jobs over 10 years if the full three-building development proceeds as planned.
The first two manufacturing buildings alone are each projected to create 396 jobs during that period, representing a combined 792 positions.
The company’s financial applications estimate average starting salaries around $56,000 for the first two facilities, increasing to approximately $60,000 by the tenth year.
Those employment figures represent company projections rather than confirmed hiring or guaranteed job creation.
Faith Technologies already has an established presence near 167th Street and Lone Elm Road. Its Excellerate operations manufacture modular electrical systems that can be assembled and tested in a factory before being transported to major construction projects, including data centers.
The proposed expansion would significantly increase the company’s manufacturing footprint in Olathe.
Nearly $240 million in bond financing authorized
The October 20 approval follows the City Council’s August 18 authorization of a $239.8 million master industrial revenue bond package for the three-building development.
The financing arrangements also include a proposed 10-year property-tax incentive providing an approximately 80% abatement of eligible taxes during the incentive period, with payments in lieu of taxes.
Industrial revenue bonds allow qualifying private developments to receive certain tax advantages through a city-issued financing structure. They are not the same as the city directly spending $239.8 million from its operating budget to construct the facilities.
The property-tax incentives, however, reduce the amount of revenue collected by affected taxing jurisdictions during the abatement period.
The city’s financial analyses for the first two buildings estimated that the public benefits would take more than 10 years to fully offset the modeled costs to Olathe.
The incentive package reflects the city’s efforts to encourage industrial investment and job creation, while also raising questions about the long-term public financial benefits associated with such large developments.
New roads and infrastructure included
The final plat approved October 20 establishes land boundaries and dedicates right-of-way along West 167th Street, South Lone Elm Road, future Monticello Road and future West 171st Street.
The development also requires utility easements, sanitary sewer infrastructure and stormwater facilities.
Access to the first building is planned from both 167th Street and Lone Elm Road, while access to the southern buildings will depend partly on the construction of future roadway connections.
City planning documents allow a temporary access point along Lone Elm Road for the second building until the planned 171st Street connection is constructed. The temporary entrance would then be removed.
The Planning Commission also imposed traffic-related conditions, including turning lanes and updated traffic impact studies as the development moves through its construction phases.
Those requirements reflect the substantial truck traffic and employee vehicle activity expected at the facilities.
What comes next?
Although the project has advanced through zoning, preliminary development planning, financing approvals and the final plat process, the October 20 vote does not mean all three facilities are already under construction.
The company has not publicly established a final completion schedule for the entire development, and the exact timing of construction and hiring will depend on how the project proceeds.
The first two buildings are planned to be constructed before the third.
For now, FTI Manufacturing represents another major industrial investment planned for the growing 167th Street and Lone Elm Road corridor, where manufacturing, distribution and other employment-related developments have continued expanding in recent years.
If completed as proposed, the three facilities would add nearly 1.5 million square feet of manufacturing space and could bring more than 1,100 additional jobs to southern Olathe over the coming decade.
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