The 'temporary' town terrorized by Big Tech: Long-forgotten WWII-era city with ... trends now
A once bustling Kansas community, designed as a temporary home to hundreds of WWII munitions workers, has fallen on disrepair in recent years.
Now, it has a new threat, a $4billion 21st Century plant in its backyard.
The tiny hamlet of 500 people in Clearview Village sits across the street from a Panasonic Electric Vehicle Battery facility set to open in 2025. The massive plant outside De Soto, Kansas, threatens their one-thriving community even more.
Residents say despite assurances from the village's current owner, they fear their homes could be flattened to make way for parking lots or future development in support of the plant.
'It's a gold mine,' resident Ron Buerman, 28, told the Kansas City Star. 'Basically, what I think they're going to do is either this will be a damn parking lot for Panasonic, or apartments.'
Clearwater Village, a neighborhood in De Soto, Kansas is under a new threat - a new $4billion Panasonic plant that is under construction
The Village, which was once its own city, opened in 1943 but has declined in recent years as homes struggled with upkeep
Now, residents of the village fear the plant under construction (pictured) could prove further threat to their home
An artist's rendering of the plant when it finishes construction in 2025
He points to the village's ongoing state of deterioration as evidence of the owner David Rhodes' plans to sell up or redevelop the land himself.
'I mean that one's vacant. That one's got a hole in it. That's one vacant,' he said pointing at the homes.
'People now, they're like, "Oh, well, this is the end of it." They're trying to stay here and kind of squat here as long as possible. People are like, "Look, if we're not going to be here any longer, why am I going to pay rent?"'
The Panasonic plant is currently under construction at the site of the former ordnance factory that first drew people to the area in the days of World War II.
Launched as 'Sunflower Village' in 1943, the settlement provided accommodation to workers of the nearby Sunflower Ordnance Works which became the largest smokeless powder and propellant plant in the wake of Pearl Harbor.
The initial build was composed of 175 concrete buildings housing 852 apartments and was orchestrated by the federal government.
Wartime restrictions meant the homes were sparse, with basic finishes including cabinets with no doors and iceboxes without metal.
Launched as 'Sunflower Village' in 1943, the settlement provided accommodation to workers of the nearby Sunflower Ordnance Works which became the largest smokeless powder and propellant plant in the wake of Pearl Harbor
The initial build was composed of 175 concrete buildings housing 852 apartments and was orchestrated by the federal government
The lot boasted two ponds and victory gardens to allow residents to grow their own fruit and vegetables amid the strict rationing. The offering proved tempting and at its peak, Sunflower Village housed more than 6,000 people.
With the arrival of more and more residents
