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El Dorado Inc. reports $6.2M in commercial permits, 30 new housing 'front doors' in 2024
Summary
An El Dorado Inc. representative told the Jan. 21 City Commission that 2024 saw $6.2 million in commercial permits, $4.4 million in housing permits creating 30 new residential units (including four duplexes), and ongoing recruitment work including four megaproject prospects.
An El Dorado Inc. representative briefed the El Dorado City Commission on Jan. 21, summarizing 2024 economic-development activity including commercial permit totals, housing starts and business‑recruitment work.
The representative said the city issued about $6.2 million in commercial permits in 2024, an increase of about $1.7 million from 2023. The largest taxable project cited was a BG Products kitting facility addition valued at about $4.5 million. On housing, the speaker reported 26 new residential housing starts in 2024; four were duplexes, bringing the count to 30 “front doors” and roughly $4.4 million in housing permits. The representative said the average home value among those permits was about $170,000 and that there have been 88 housing starts across 2022–2024.
The presentation described business‑recruitment activity: El Dorado Inc. responded to 18 requests for proposals in 2024 and maintains a pipeline of roughly 54 active leads dating back to about 2021. The representative noted a rise in inquiries for agricultural equipment manufacturers, aviation projects, pharmaceuticals and searches for existing buildings as construction costs rise. She said four “mega projects” (defined during the presentation as projects with more than $1 billion in capital expenditure) were on the list and that electricity demand is a limiting factor for many prospects.
The representative said Evergy plans two new natural‑gas power plants in south‑central Kansas — one in Reno County and one in Sumner County — that together could add about 700 megawatts to the grid and may improve regional competitiveness for large energy‑intensive projects. She also said water availability remains a frequent question for large projects and that El Dorado is often contacted when a prospect needs more than 1,000,000 gallons per day.
For 2025, the speaker said El Dorado Inc. has hired a new marketing firm, expanded its contact lists and plans targeted outreach by industry and coordinated conference attendance with the Greater Wichita Partnership. The representative said more updates will come when she returns in April.
