celebrateprogress
2014 Momentum
Residential growth and hotel investments are among key achievements in 2014

Developing a vibrant Downtown and surrounding region is a key vision set forth in Project Downtown: The Master Plan for Wichita. Each development project completed in 2014 increased the offerings and added value to the Downtown core, furthering this vision. Two areas of significant development success in 2014 were residential projects and hotel investments.

Residential Progress

 

In 2014, Zimmerman/Volk Associates, who published the original market-based residential study in Project Downtown, updated their housing analysis. The updated report confirmed that Downtown is seeing tremendous progress and exceeding expectations in residential market growth and will be able to absorb 1,750 additional units over the next five to seven years.  

 

Currently, Downtown has over 1,500 residents. In 2014, four new residential projects came on line including The LUX (shown above), Rock Island Lofts, WaterWalk Hotel Apartments and Corner 365. These projects added a total of 263 units, many of which are already leased.

Major Hotel Investments

The 128-room Courtyard by Marriott at Old Town, located in the Old Town Entertainment District, and the 303-room Hyatt Regency Wichita (shown above), located adjacent to Century II Performing Arts & Convention Center and on the Arkansas River, both completed final phases of multi-phase renovation projects in 2014.

The Marriott completed a major renovation of its lobby and other public guest areas as well as updated the hotel's design and color schemes. The Hyatt underwent a major renovation of guest rooms, lobby and meeting areas. Both renovations will enhance the guest experience and positively impact the tourism industry.
douglasavenue

Douglas Avenue is the spine of Downtown Wichita. It has seen tremendous improvements since the implementation of Project Downtown including: the renovations of the Drury Plaza Hotel Broadview and Ambassador Hotel at Block One, the renovations of the Zelman Building and The Renfro into mixed-use developments, and the construction of the first new building along Douglas Ave in over 30 years -  the Kansas Leadership Center and Kansas Health Foundation Conference Center at Block One. An initial phase of streetscape improvements, recommended by the Douglas Ave TOD Study, has also been completed.

 

As 2015 commences, seven major projects totaling over $180 Million are planned along Downtown's postcard avenue. Once complete, these projects will not only enhance previous projects, but they will also transform the way residents, workers and visitors experience Downtown.
Central Library
New library will serve as an advanced learning center 

The Wichita City Council recently voted in favor of funding the next design phase for the new Central Library to be located at Second and McLean. Through a funding agreement, also voted on by the Council, the Wichita Public Library Foundation will reimburse the City for the cost of this phase. The plans, designed by GLMV Architecture, call for the new building to increase the square footage of the library from 89,000 to 95,000, and will include community meeting rooms that could function independently or together, with seating for up to 300 people. Technology will include over 100 computers and charging stations which will be available for public use.  

Plans are finalized for $38.4 Million of development 


The parcel of land on the west bank of the Arkansas River will soon see new ground-up development, as plans for the $38.4 Million mixed-use River Vista project have been finalized and approved by City Council. Plans include a 154-unit apartment project and parking garage, as well as future phase hotel development. The City of Wichita, with the utilization of STAR Bonds, has committed to make improvements to the riverfront and adjacent Delano Park, which will benefit the public by allowing them to further engage the Arkansas River. In addition, the project includes a "Boats and Bikes" concept that will be used by area rowing groups and also offer public boat and bike rentals.
INTRUST Bank Renovations
INTRUST Bank is committed to Downtown

INTRUST Bank is renovating its Downtown headquarters at 105 N. Main. This multi-million dollar investment will provide updates to the 90-year-old building. Improvements include work on office and customer areas as well as the installation of new heating and air conditioning equipment. Extensive work will also be done to update interior finishes. The project is to be completed by summer 2015. Previously, a $400,000 basement refurbish was completed in 2011.
Exchange Place
Plans being finalized for major residential project

The developer of the historic Exchance Place and Bitting Building is taking steps towards finalizing over $66 Million in redevelopment plans. The proposed project will offer 230 residential units, office and retail space in the two buildings as well as a new parking garage in the adjacent non-developed Douglas Avenue frontage. This project will be transformational to the Douglas Avenue corridor.
Design charrette engages students and local professionals

"The Hole" on Douglas Ave will be transformed into a Pop-Up Urban Park through a grant from the Knight Foundation Fund of the Wichita Community Foundation. Recently, the WDDC hosted a design charrette, which engaged Kansas State University design students, local design professionals, Downtown residents, and stakeholders to further develop the plan for the park. Individual groups focused on creating a sense of place where the community can connect through activities by promoting engagement. The site is planned to be activated daily with food truck vendors and other public activities. 
Merrill Lynch Building
Construction prepares office for tenant build-out

Bokeh Development is renovating the former Merrill Lynch building at Douglas and Market in preparation for potential tenants. The tentative plan is to divide the first floor into two separate office spaces. The second floor will have eight or nine offices between 300 and 600 SF with a shared conference room, coffee bar and workout center. Facade improvements will also be included in the restoration.
Community celebrates 100 year anniversary of Downtown icon

Union Station developers, City of Wichita officials and the public celebrated the 100 year anniversary of the historic Union Station property in December 2014 with a groundbreaking for the property's redevelopment. During the ceremony, new tenants were announced including: Regus, Encompas, David Kemp State Farm Insurance, Wells Fargo, and Mumbai Rail Indian Bistro. Previously announced tenants include Scooters Coffee and Smoothie King. Multi-phased plans for the Union Station campus include $54 Million of redevelopment and new construction for retail, restaurants and office space. Additionally, over five acres of public space will include public streetscape and sidewalk improvements and a redeveloped plaza area along the Douglas Avenue frontage.
cityimprovements

 

Parking at Market & William 

550 parking spaces will benefit public, nearby businesses

 

Progress continues on the City of Wichita's $9.6 Million renovation of the Parking at Market & William Garage at 215 S. Market (former Macy's Garage). Current construction focuses on stabilizing the structure, which will open all nine floors and 550 spaces of the garage. Repairs will benefit nearby businesses, the public, and visitors to Century II. Fences surrounding the garage will be removed when construction is completed later this spring, opening up the closed traffic lanes on Market and William.

Commerce Parking

Circulation improvements and additional parking for Arts District

 

In December 2014, the City Council approved the overall design concept for the Commerce Arts District, including arts and aesthetic improvements in addition to proposed streetscape improvements to Commerce and St. Francis Streets south of Waterman. The first phase will design and construct additional public parking between the railroad tracks and the east facade of the buildings along Commerce Street. The new public parking and access drive will provide much needed circulation improvements and add additional parking.


Mosley District Project

 Planned streetscape enhancements will enhance walkability in Old Town

 

A planned streetscape enhancement project will expand the Old Town District on Mosley Avenue from 2nd Street to 3rd Street. The corridors will be reconstructed as brick streets and sidewalks with amenities and on-street parking consistent with the design of streets in Old Town. Ornamental lighting, landscaping, benches, trash receptacles and bicycle racks will be installed as part of the project. The project will add approximately 33 on-street parking spaces and significantly improve the walkability for these corridors north of 2nd Street.

arenaachievements
Creating memories and providing world-class entertainment in the heart of our City

In 2000, Sedgwick County voters made the commitment to improve the quality of life for the region by approving a one cent sales tax that funded the construction of a world-class arena in the heart of Downtown Wichita. The new arena opened in January 2010. Since then, INTRUST Bank Arena has booked shows and concerts for approximately 400,000 fans a year. The Arena enhances the quality of life in our community and provides a benefit to our local businesses and hoteliers by attracting out-of-town visitors. Visit the Arena's newly redesigned website to see what exciting performances and concerts are coming soon.

Celebrating Five Years

This year, INTRUST Bank Arena celebrates five years of providing world-class entertainment to Wichita and the surrounding region. Special five year anniversary concert announcements have been made with more coming.
2018 NCAA Tournament

The Missouri Valley Conference and WSU have teamed up to host the Men's 2018 NCAA 1st and 2nd round basketball games at INTRUST Bank Arena. This event will bring an estimated $10 Million in economic impact for local businesses and hotels.
7th Busiest Arena in U.S.A.

The SMG-managed INTRUST Bank Arena was ranked as the 7th busiest arena in the United States and 16th busiest in the world in 2014 according to the Venues Today 2014 Top Stops for venues with seating capacities 10,001-15,000.
downtownawards

Local architecture firm, Schaefer Johnson Cox Frey Architecture, received two distinguished awards for the design of the Robert D. Love Downtown YMCA: the 2014 American Institute of Architects (AIA) Excellence in Kansas Design Award and the AIA Wichita Excellence Award. The 110,000 SF Robert D. Love Downtown YMCA at 402 N. Market is an exemplary model of urban civic architecture. 

The 2013 State of Downtown Report, WDDC's yearly publication on economic data for Downtown, received the highest category honor, a Clarus Award, from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), Kansas Chapter. The award was received in the Annual Reports category. Work is currently underway for the next State of Downtown Report, which will be released in May 2015.
wddcinitiatives
 
International Downtown Association, the professional organization for downtown development corporations across the country, awarded the WDDC a 2014 IDA Pinnacle Award for their submission, "Evolving to Maximize Development." WDDC President, Jeff Fluhr, recently presented a webinar on the award-winning strategies deployed by the WDDC to evolve the organization to be the City's primary Downtown economic development entity.

New WDDC Design & Communication Specialist 
 
The WDDC recently welcomed a new staff member, Andy Kim, as Design & Communication Specialist. Andy is involved in finding innovative ways to communicate the progress of Downtown Wichita. He is in charge of the appearance of the WDDC website and promotes Downtown events, businesses and developments through photography and video marketing. Andy received a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from Wichita State University.
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