Digital Realty Files Plans for Second 998,643-Square-Foot Data Center Building in De Soto

Digital Realty Trust has filed development plans for a second data center building at its De Soto, Kansas campus, marking the latest expansion of a project that has become one of the largest data center developments in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The filing underscores the sustained momentum behind hyperscale infrastructure buildout across the U.S. heartland, where available land, competitive power arrangements and proximity to major fiber routes have attracted significant investment from top-tier developers.

The Texas-based real estate investment trust submitted plans for a 998,643-square-foot data center building to be constructed east of Lexington Avenue and north of 103rd Street in De Soto, according to filings with local planning authorities. The proposed structure, referred to in planning documents as Building 2 of the Project Jayhawk campus, represents the second phase of a multi-building development that Digital Realty has been advancing in the region. Ghafari Associates is listed as the project architect, and renderings filed with the application depict a large-scale, single-story data center facility consistent with the company's hyperscale design standards.

Digital Realty acquired the De Soto land in April for approximately $482 million, a transaction that signaled the company's long-term commitment to the site despite the substantial upfront capital outlay. Construction of the first building on the campus is anticipated to be complete by April 2029, with the second building's timeline expected to follow a similar development schedule. The broader De Soto campus has been described as a multi-billion-dollar investment, with prior reporting indicating the total project value could reach $7.5 billion once fully built out.

The project has also drawn attention for its community engagement efforts. Digital Realty has offered payments to De Soto households as part of its application for tax-increment financing, a mechanism commonly used to offset public infrastructure costs associated with large-scale developments. The company's willingness to provide direct community benefits reflects the growing scrutiny that data center developers face over local impacts, including property tax dynamics, infrastructure demands and community relations.

The De Soto expansion positions Digital Realty to capture growing demand for cloud and AI-related computing capacity in the central United States. The Kansas City region has emerged as an increasingly attractive market for data center development, benefiting from lower land costs compared with established hubs such as Northern Virginia and Silicon Valley, as well as access to reliable power and expanding fiber connectivity. For Digital Realty, the phased buildout at De Soto represents a strategic bet on long-term demand for hyperscale capacity in a region that is rapidly becoming a critical node in the national data infrastructure landscape.