Riverfront Legacy Masterplan

[Veritas]

[Veritas]

https://www.kansas.com/article239254578.html

https://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/news/2020/01/14/final-riverfront-recommendations-new-centers-green.html?ana=e_mc_prem&j=90443591&t=Morning&mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiTkRZd05UTXlOamd4TkdSaCIsInQiOiI0aTNmamdib09jdDc5MlVuY3BLaHVBc2I1azNBajhFamlSeHhGQ1JYZnZya01GWkw3bFg5T1Qxempwcks1eDJMVEt4RFRMYldBOHNTdnhlbWpaNk1MdGNycUFvR29uUXZseGx1d3RjaXRzVDk0NGxnbGhqcWdZeXA3ZXVlM1gxbiJ9

[Veritas]

Self disclosing. I don’t live in Wichita anymore thus I would not be too impacted, but I always hated the functionality of Century II.

The Riverfront Legacy Plan looks great imo, and both a new convention hall and Performing Arts building would help bring new shows and convention business to Wichita.

it would be strange though not seeing CII as part of the skyline.

[Cdizzle]

both a new convention hall and Performing Arts building would help bring new shows and convention business to Wichita.

Legit question, not sniping. Source?

I have mixed thoughts about this whole deal.

[abdullah_sharif]

century ii has outlived its useful life.. and i'm sure that useful life ended in the 80s. wichitans tend to hold onto nostalgia over practicality.

we often wonder why our graduates move away, but other than family/friends - what is here that isn't in omaha/kc/dallas? with a higher starting salary/business income, one could afford to live in austin or denver.

wichita has to step up its game because the our city doesn't offer the type of lifestyle that young professionals are looking for.

[NCAABound]

Legit question, not sniping. Source?

I have mixed thoughts about this whole deal.

I'm in the hotel business - and we have lost TONS of conventions due to CII and the lack of hotel rooms downtown. The hotel situation is getting better. But CII is a complete disaster. You can't hold an event in Convention Hall while an event is going on in Concert Hall (for example). Having a pie shaped building is not conducive to having events going on simultaneously. Plus Expo Hall is on the small side of having exhibit or large open space. It really is an embarrassment when compared to other cities. But everyone thinks it looks cool so we gotta save it right? It just doesn't work and hasn't for a long-time (if it ever did).

[shocker_torero]

Please, please, please, please move forward with the plan. Full disclosure, My wife and I are young (relatively; early 30s), and both have our M.S. degrees in practical professions. I grew up in Wichita but moved away at 18 to join the Navy. My wife grew up in San Diego. We’ve discussed moving to Wichita if career interests align. These are exactly the bold, forward thinking, exciting plans that MUST happen to expand the workforce in the region through immigration and people not moving away out of college or high school. If we expand the workforce; the blue collar and white collar jobs will come. Please city of Wichita don’t let us down. I hate watching the city continually shoot themselves in the foot, hobbling opportunity out of fear of change, or ignorance.

[Kel Varnsen]

I'm in the hotel business - and we have lost TONS of conventions due to CII and the lack of hotel rooms downtown. The hotel situation is getting better. But CII is a complete disaster. You can't hold an event in Convention Hall while an event is going on in Concert Hall (for example). Having a pie shaped building is not conducive to having events going on simultaneously. Plus Expo Hall is on the small side of having exhibit or large open space. It really is an embarrassment when compared to other cities. But everyone thinks it looks cool so we gotta save it right? It just doesn't work and hasn't for a long-time (if it ever did).

It amazes me that people still think we should keep Century II. It needs to be razed yesterday.

You are completely correct about the convention situation. That matches up with what I have been told by other Wichitans in that industry.

[Shock Top]

I'm in the hotel business - and we have lost TONS of conventions due to CII and the lack of hotel rooms downtown. The hotel situation is getting better. But CII is a complete disaster. You can't hold an event in Convention Hall while an event is going on in Concert Hall (for example). Having a pie shaped building is not conducive to having events going on simultaneously. Plus Expo Hall is on the small side of having exhibit or large open space. It really is an embarrassment when compared to other cities. But everyone thinks it looks cool so we gotta save it right? It just doesn't work and hasn't for a long-time (if it ever did).

I can second this.

I have spoken with people in most of the downtown organizations (Visit Wichita, GWP, etc.), and we have lost regional and other large conventions because of the state of our facilities.

Why go to Wichita, when they can go to newer and/or nicer facilities in other regional cities (Tulsa, Omaha, etc.)?

----------

Disclosure: I work in commercial real estate. I believe this is only the first step to get our city up to were we'd all love it to be.

[shocktown]

century ii has outlived its useful life.. and i'm sure that useful life ended in the 80s. wichitans tend to hold onto nostalgia over practicality.

we often wonder why our graduates move away, but other than family/friends - what is here that isn't in omaha/kc/dallas? with a higher starting salary/business income, one could afford to live in austin or denver.

wichita has to step up its game because the our city doesn't offer the type of lifestyle that young professionals are looking for.

Correct, We knew we had a functionality problem back in 1986 when we put up the Bob Brown Expo Hall as a bandaid. In true Wichita fashion we have been afraid to pull off the bandaid and fix the problem because of all of the negativity that comes from the no to everything crowd that is always backed by the Wichita Star/eagle. Wichita has been stuck in neutral now for 40 years.

[Shock Top]

Here's the final submission. Note that building designs, etc, are not final; just the general layout.

[Cdizzle]

It would be interesting, and compelling, to see specific instances and data for what you guys are claiming. I feel like those of us who are neither always rah-rah nor always stuck-in-the-mud are given very little actual information to go on, other than anecdotal 2nd-hand reports.

IMO, there's room for reasonable discussion other than calling everyone who doesn't want to spend a billion dollars a stuck-in-the-mud dumbass and everyone that does want to spend a billion dollars a wasteful dumbass.

[NCAABound]

It would be interesting, and compelling, to see specific instances and data for what you guys are claiming. I feel like those of us who are neither always rah-rah nor always stuck-in-the-mud are given very little actual information to go on, other than anecdotal 2nd-hand reports.

IMO, there's room for reasonable discussion other than calling everyone who doesn't want to spend a billion dollars a stuck-in-the-mud dumbass and everyone that does want to spend a billion dollars a wasteful dumbass.

I know Visit Wichita, the Hyatt, and Drury would be able to provide specific examples and dollar amounts of conventions that gave CII as a reason not to do business in Wichita.

One specific example of this happening is Intrust Bank Arena. We are hosting this week (for the 2nd time) the Pacific & Midwest Synchronized Skating Championships that is bringing thousands of people to Wichita. Building IBA created demand for events like this that would never have happened at the Coliseum. Same with NCAA Tournament. The exact same thing would happen with a new convention center.

[Cdizzle]

I know Visit Wichita, the Hyatt, and Drury would be able to provide specific examples and dollar amounts of conventions that gave CII as a reason not to do business in Wichita.

One specific example of this happening is Intrust Bank Arena. We are hosting this week (for the 2nd time) the Pacific & Midwest Synchronized Skating Championships that is bringing thousands of people to Wichita. Building IBA created demand for events like this that would never have happened at the Coliseum. Same with NCAA Tournament. The exact same thing would happen with a new convention center.

Cool. Has anyone put that type of data together? It would be highly compelling to someone who is interested in progress but not 'ooh, shiny.' I have admittedly not done any digging. Just curious if those with informed opinions here already know where to point me.

[NCAABound]

Cool. Has anyone put that type of data together? It would be highly compelling to someone who is interested in progress but not 'ooh, shiny.' I have admittedly not done any digging. Just curious if those with informed opinions here already know where to point me.

I don't know exactly where to point you, but I'm sure the numbers are included in the Masterplan study, or Visit Wichita has supplied them somewhere as part of this process.