The year 2022 ushered in multiple attractions, restaurants and venues to Wichita and the new year promises even more exciting developments. Here are just a few new and upcoming amenities to look forward to when planning your next meeting in Wichita, the Heart of the Country.

-Visit Wichita

Check out their rundown of the progress made in 2022 and what to expect in 2023.

Photo courtesy of WDM Architecture (www.wdmarchitects.com).

From the very beginning of the effort build what would become the INTRUST Bank Arena, landing a session of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament was a part of the discussion. If we build this big venue, would we be able to attract the Tourney? This drove discussions around the location of the Arena and what the seating capacity should be.

The arena was built and then the selections were made for the 2014-2015 tournament. Wichita was not on the list. Those opposed to the Arena’s construction pointed to this failure as vindication of their point of view.

That was then.

Wichita was recently selected as a host city for the 2018 tournament. This has basketball fans and developers alike cheering. As reported by the Wichita Business Journal, developers are optimistic that hosting this one-time event will have a lasting impact on downtown Wichita, possibly spurring new restaurant and retail developments. It also provides a high profile showcase for Wichita giving the city an opportunity to position ourselves as a worthy travel destination. The estimated economic impact of $10 million is also nice.

The timing could be described as perfect. By the 2018 NCAA Tournament, Union Station will be at least partially developed creating a more walkable connection of the Arena to Old Town. New businesses developed between now and then can count on a large amount of foot traffic to bolster their business and help build a customer base.

And the city will experience an rise in spirit, something we all need.

The renewed St. Francis area is the product of private and public efforts.

Over the past couple of years, new businesses have come into the area besides Espresso to Go Go. They include Lifeboat Creative, Cassandra Bryan Design, Mr. Diggs Dwelling Co. and Bite Me BBQ. And just in the past couple of months, Live at 215 Performance Theatre – which also houses the once-defunct Loony Bin comedy club – opened at 215 N. St. Francis.

And that doesn’t include other projects that were underway before then, such as the Zelman Lofts apartments – in the same building that houses Espresso to Go Go, Cassandra Bryan Design and Lifeboat Creative – or Jay Maxwell’s Pixius building at 301 N. St. Francis, which he bought in 2011 for the headquarters of his wireless broadband Internet service provider and renovated and moved into a year later.

via Area of St. Francis Street seeing business renewal downtown | Wichita Eagle.

Rather than one big development driving the improvements in this area, it has been a combination of improvements to the streets and sidewalks, small businesses choosing to populate this stretch of downtown and residential development attracting people to live in the area.  This happened at a pace that builds momentum, as opposed to the starts and stops of the Water Walk project. This underscores the importance of striving for a series of small wins, versus hinging the development on one big Bass Pro Shop-esque score.

On this front, there is good news. There will soon be 60 additional one and two-bedroom apartments at Flats 324:

Construction should begin in the fall, Van Sickle said. Design is by Spangenberg Phillips Tice Architecture of Wichita and Key Construction is the general contractor.

 

One-bedroom apartments will start at $700 a month with the two-bedrooms topping out at about $1,150 a month, Van Sickle said.

 

“It’s just not slowing down,” Van Sickle said. “I see close to 100 percent occupancy around Old Town, and rates are going up almost every time someone moves out.”

The development on St. Francis was cited by the developer as a big catalyst for their expansion. St. Francis was identified in the Downtown Master Plan as a key site for development because it helps connect Old Town to the INTRUST Bank Arena. And the development happened. St. Francis has seen new retail and office tenants, new apartments, street improvements and a long-vacant piece of land converted to a large parking lot with public art that serves visitors to Old Town.

The plan is working.

Wichita lands massive women’s bowling tournament in 2019 – Wichita Business Journal.

Economic development wins like this remind us of how great our city is and how the race to attract visitors and outside dollars is a marathon, not a sprint. Thanks are owed to the many people that worked to attract this event and to the area businesses and citizens that treated bowlers so well back in 2004.

Councilman Paul Gray voiced important concerns about a WDDC report. Photo from wichita.gov.

I am very much in favor of downtown development and leveraging public/private partnerships to make it happen. A more vibrant and exciting downtown helps the entire city attract new people and businesses and retain the great assets we already have in these areas. Public/private partnerships executed with an eye to return on investment are responsible catalysts for development and foster support from a wide base of people.

This week Wichita city councilman Paul Gray raised questions about the validity of some important figures presented by the Wichita Downtown Development Corporation. The numbers they presented lumped public incentives in with private investments, portraying an inaccurate 9 to 1 ratio of private to public investment in downtown development projects. Gray called foul, as well he should have.

He reminded us all that being forthcoming with the financial analysis of downtown investments is critical to earning wider community support. The WDDC ‘s lack of transparency frustrates supporters and opponents of downtown development alike. There are people adamantly opposed to the ways in which Wichita is driving downtown development, people who champion the methods and those still unsure of how they feel. Instances like this erode trust and foster skepticism. The real danger is stunting the momentum that is so vital to large-scale community development.

Is this error by the WDDC part of a devious cover-up? No. Will it over shadow the great progress that was made in 2012 and the exciting steps forward that are planned for 2013? No. Likely, we will get a revised report in May that more accurately reflects the role incentives play in downtown development projects. The ratio will be less than 9 to 1. However, the development efforts will still be laudable successes.

And all parties will be reminded of the vital nature of transparency to continued progress through public/private partnerships.

The Player Piano apartment building in downtown Wichita is filling up fast. Photo courtesy of the Wichita Business Journal.

Looks like the demand for living space downtown is still strong. In a story by Wichita Business Journal reporter John Stearns, developer Dave Burk illustrates the demand with his recently completed Player Piano building remodel. Burk created a 36-unit complex that he hoped to fill up by May 1. Of the 36 units, only 3 remain available as of February 1. Not bad.

The WBJ put together a nice slide show of the development you can view here:

Player Piano comes out a hit – Wichita Business Journal.

Fort Wayne, IN is taking cues from Wichita, especially the Keeper of the Plains.

Development efforts in ICT  seem like a roller coaster ride of ups and downs. Some developments become reality and others fizzle out. The hope is that over time, there are more wins than losses. We hope for new development reflective of our community’s amazing spirit. We hope for progress embraced by locals. We hope for projects that attract outsiders, and their dollars.

Other communities are taking inspiration from Wichita’s efforts. That should remind us that ICT is a very special place and that recent development projects have positively impacted the community.

It’s worth the ride.

The Wichita Business Journal reports that the Exchange Place project has a new developer.

Two bits of good news for downtown Wichita in one day. On the heels of a report that the Union Station building has a buyer, comes confirmation of the rumor that the long-stalled development of the Exchange Place building is moving forward under a new developer. See the full report from the Wichita Business Journal here:

Downtown Wichita’s Exchange Place apartment project in new developer’s hands – Wichita Business Journal.

Few things are more poisonous to downtown momentum than a development that seems to never move forward. For a variety of reasons, Real Development has not been able to live up to the vision they sold the city. The result has been excitement slowly devolving to frustration. Those opposed to downtown development have been able to point at projects like the Exchange Place as examples of failure and flawed private/public development policy. Residents have come to expect that the Exchange Place project will never get off the ground. This mentality colors their actions as people change their walking and driving habits to avoid vacant buildings. Those habits are hard to change, even when a new development surfaces.

Finding a new developer with a pedigree of success, access to resources and drive to move forward is a critical step.

The Wichita Eagle reports that a potential buyer is negotiating a purchase of the historic Union Station in Wichita.

Looks like a potential buyer has surfaced for the Union Station building in downtown Wichita. While the deal is far from being done (neither party is commenting on the rumor), just the thought of seeing this great building developed into a functioning part of downtown should excite those in favor of continued downtown development.

I want to see a mixed-use development that combines office and retail. The right use of this building will dramatically improve walk-ability, provide key amenities for downtown residents and add to the eclectic character of downtown ICT.

Here’s hoping that the rumors are true, the buyer has deep pockets and we see another gem in downtown.

Read the initial report via the Wichita Eagle:
Sources: Occidental Management signs letter of intent to buy Union Station | Have You Heard? | Wichita Eagle Blogs.