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Developer Dustin Baker pitches 53‑unit assisted‑living, seeks 100% TIF reimbursement over 20 years in De Soto City
Summary
Developer Dustin Baker told the De Soto City Council he plans a 53‑unit, 34,000 sq ft assisted‑living and memory‑care facility costing about $14.5 million and asked for 100% tax‑increment financing reimbursements over 20 years to cover land and infrastructure (including a proposed $3M road).
Developer Dustin Baker, representing Alco Development and DeSoto Storage LLC, presented a proposal April 15 to build a 53‑unit assisted‑living and memory‑care facility on a newly purchased three‑acre parcel east of the Lexington development.
Baker said the single‑story project would be about 34,000 square feet and cost roughly $14.5 million including construction of a new road connecting to Lexington residents. "We're requesting a 100% TIF for a 20 year period," Baker said, describing tax‑increment financing as the mechanism by which he would recoup land and infrastructure costs. He estimated the road alone at about $3,000,000.
Baker described the unit mix and operator plans: "In the memory care, you'll have just a studio. In the assisted living facility, you'll usually have a kitchenette area," he said, and added that Midwest Health — an operator headquartered in Topeka with facilities across the Midwest — would lease and operate the building. Baker said Midwest Health facilities in Eudora average private‑pay rates "like, $5,000, dollars a month roughly," and offered to bring a Midwest Health representative to a future meeting and to arrange a council tour of the Eudora facility.
Councilmembers asked about unit sizes, amenities and storm protection; Baker said units would generally vary from about 300 to 500 square feet, include common dining and recreation areas, and that past projects used a poured‑wall laundry room as a FEMA‑rated storm safe room. Staff outlined the incentive‑committee process and membership (administrator, mayor, head of the EDC, city attorney) and said this presentation is an initial step before any formal negotiations or a future request for council action.
Several councilmembers expressed support for prioritizing a locally needed assisted‑living facility and for the secondary access the project would provide for the Lexington neighborhood. Staff and council gave direction to continue vetting the project; no formal incentive approval was requested or taken at the meeting.
Next steps: staff will proceed with the incentive review process and council requested follow‑up materials, including a Midwest Health representative and a possible site tour.
