General News in the 316

[Kel Varnsen]

Seneca and WSU...maybe one in Derby?

West Acres baby!

[Veritas]

Thanks for the response SubGod22 . Very informative on questions I’ve had. Thanks!

[SubGod22]

I should also add that I believe Textron has over $5B in backlog orders. I believe they added over 1B in the first quarter. They're doing quite well in multiple areas and I believe a new Citation has either just been approved or is close to approval and they expect that to add to their inventory. Aviation is once again on an upswing from what I've been reading. Though Boeing is expected to lose even more of their market share to AirBus if they don't figure things out quickly. While Spirit does work for AirBus, their Boeing work has a greater impact for Wichita.

I was also doing a little search and can't find any events planned outside of AA baseball, but there was reference to using Riverfront as an ice rink during the winter, at least temporarily. I can't remember if they have done that, or if that was planned and didn't happen because of Covid. I would like to see a few outdoor concerts there. They claim that can accommodate at least 18k for such an event, which could be of value a couple of times a year. I do know such an event could give them issues with field conditions but I'm sure there are ways to minimize such impacts if done during the season. WSU does seem to host a game there each year. Wouldn't mind seeing a couple as they are well attended, but maybe one is the right number.

Hopefully in regards to IBA, if the "lack" of use is due to things recovering from Covid, it'll mean more events next year. I'm just going off of memory, but it seems like before Covid, the arena did pretty well in staying fairly busy. A return of that kind of activity would be great. I know there were a number of artists of all kinds that were hesitant to start touring until they felt comfortable that places would stay open and that their travel wouldn't be under constant threat of being screwed up because of different protocols in different places. I'd assume that in a lot of cases they've only recently began touring or prepping for it. So I would expect business to pick up in that regard moving forward. There's a comedian that I'm a huge fan of and follow a couple of his podcasts and he talked a lot about why he was holding off on touring even as things began to open up. He wanted to be more confident in being able to stick with the schedule and not worry about travel. I know his tour has nothing to do with IBA, or the Looney Bin as he hates that place, but I think his thoughts are relevant.

[MikeKennedyRulZ]

I should also add that I believe Textron has over $5B in backlog orders. I believe they added over 1B in the first quarter. They're doing quite well in multiple areas and I believe a new Citation has either just been approved or is close to approval and they expect that to add to their inventory. Aviation is once again on an upswing from what I've been reading. Though Boeing is expected to lose even more of their market share to AirBus if they don't figure things out quickly. While Spirit does work for AirBus, their Boeing work has a greater impact for Wichita.

I was also doing a little search and can't find any events planned outside of AA baseball, but there was reference to using Riverfront as an ice rink during the winter, at least temporarily. I can't remember if they have done that, or if that was planned and didn't happen because of Covid. I would like to see a few outdoor concerts there. They claim that can accommodate at least 18k for such an event, which could be of value a couple of times a year. I do know such an event could give them issues with field conditions but I'm sure there are ways to minimize such impacts if done during the season. WSU does seem to host a game there each year. Wouldn't mind seeing a couple as they are well attended, but maybe one is the right number.

Hopefully in regards to IBA, if the "lack" of use is due to things recovering from Covid, it'll mean more events next year. I'm just going off of memory, but it seems like before Covid, the arena did pretty well in staying fairly busy. A return of that kind of activity would be great. I know there were a number of artists of all kinds that were hesitant to start touring until they felt comfortable that places would stay open and that their travel wouldn't be under constant threat of being screwed up because of different protocols in different places. I'd assume that in a lot of cases they've only recently began touring or prepping for it. So I would expect business to pick up in that regard moving forward. There's a comedian that I'm a huge fan of and follow a couple of his podcasts and he talked a lot about why he was holding off on touring even as things began to open up. He wanted to be more confident in being able to stick with the schedule and not worry about travel. I know his tour has nothing to do with IBA, or the Looney Bin as he hates that place, but I think his thoughts are relevant.

They use Petco Park here in San Diego in a variety of ways that could be used by Riverfront. Concerts are fantastic there! Saw Paul McCartney there and seeing the Red Hot Chili Peppers in July. They also turn it in to a fun golf experience as well.

https://www.mlb.com/padres/tickets/events/the-links

[Ta Town Shocker]

Surprised to hear IBA is struggling for acts this year. When I was in Omaha, they had a full list of shows lined up at CenturyLink.

[Ta Town Shocker]

I've walked around the downtown area a fair amount over the years. I support the improvements near the river 100% and feel we should embrace the area. My biggest problem over the years is the lack of maintenance in the area. The river at times is full of trash. The groundskeeping is almost non-existent. A little weedkiller, grass seed, and regular upkeep would go a long ways.

River Vista was ahead of it's time. When it was first built, I thought it was a bit out of place somehow. With the recent development nearby, it fits in really nicely. One of the few things that was done right. I'm torn a bit on Century 2. It's still in pretty good condition on the inside. The outside could yet again be improved with a little TLC or beatification maintenance which seems to be a common theme that's missing in the whole area. Something... anything needs to be done with the old library.

As Sub noted, the area around IBA all the way to the river still has some openings left for development. Hopefully someone has a vision to make it happen.

[SubGod22]

If I had the funds.

Is there a map or anything that shows the Arena District and what land is available for use? I'd love to take the time to re-imagine it a bit.

I wish Wichita was able to support something like a Fogo de Chao. Having a high-end steakhouse down there wouldn't suck. Wichita still may need some growth and an increase in median income (some higher end jobs in tech or something).

I know people would ***** about another hotel going up, but if you're wanting to make the area more attractive and draw more people down there, another upscale hotel near the arena wouldn't suck. It wouldn't have to be massive, but loaded with amenities. It would also keep us in play for future NCAA tournaments as they care about hotel space near the venue and having another nice one wouldn't suck. I also admit I don't know how the hotel industry works and it may not make sense. But if we're attracting more acts bringing more people to town, it might work.

Does anyone have any idea what the occupancy rate is for downtown apartments? While I don't want to live in one myself, I get the attraction and convenience if you work down there or like spending a lot of time down there. I know in the past five to ten years a number of buildings and properties have been repurposed for them and I believe have mostly filled up. I haven't heard of any of them struggling to draw people in. I'm also a big fan of the ones that fill most of the first floor with businesses. Just trying to think of ways to make some businesses make more sense and not almost completely reliant on events at IBA.

I'm also not overly familiar with downtown. Hanging out in Old Town was never really my thing. It definitely has its place and serves a purpose and creates a fun environment for many. I'd almost like to see something a little more laid back, but not sleepy, maybe on the other side of IBA, away from Old Town. What that would entail is hard to say. I'm not sure what's offered down there. Maybe that already exists somewhere, but as Ta Town said, the IBA to the river area needs something. That could also be a nice link/corridor to Riverfront Stadium.

Though having the Wichita Work Release facility right there at Emporia and Waterman may deter some who might want to develop around there. Waterman seems to be the street that would make the most sense to develop along, not that you can't branch off, but it's the two way street that runs right by the arena and eventually turns into Lewis, which goes straight to Riverfront. And I believe there are plans to make McLean into an area of entertainment, but that may be a bad memory.

And all of this would also benefit whatever takes the place of C2. We really could shoot for a pretty nice entertainment district between a state of the art performing arts center, the arena and the stadium all tied together with a number of shops and restaurants through that corridor.

If I had the funds.

[Rocky Mountain Shock]

I've walked around the downtown area a fair amount over the years. I support the improvements near the river 100% and feel we should embrace the area. My biggest problem over the years is the lack of maintenance in the area. The river at times is full of trash. The groundskeeping is almost non-existent. A little weedkiller, grass seed, and regular upkeep would go a long ways.

My dad worked in the city's parks and rec department for 20 years, through the 80s and 90s. The culture at City Hall--mirroring the entire community--was to obsessively cut costs even if it meant they could not maintain the infrastructure already in place. There was a study done that proposed getting rid of city groundskeeping crews in favor of recruiting "volunteers" from the community to cut grass, water, plant flowers, etc. Thankfully that didn't happen, but it illustrates the pressure placed on city department budgets. The goal was always to maintain a mill level that hasn't changed in 30 years, not build a great city.

I agree--a little weedkiller, grass seed, and regular upkeep would indeed go a long ways. But improvement, advancement, and progress are not on the minds of city leadership. Doing things with less money is.

[SubGod22]

Downtown Wichita Under Construction page. There is quite a bit of activity around Douglas and Broadway. A couple of projects associated with the new Kansas Health Science Center and another for the WSU Tech National Institute for Culinary and Hospitality Education.

Marriot Hotel upgrades at Douglas and Broadway as well.

Some cool lofts being done in Old Town just south of the Warren, or whatever it's called now. There's also a map you can click on that shows how many units are available everywhere as a whole. Updated this month. Downtown units have more than doubled since the start of Project Downtown in 2010 and it continues to grow. When the HiTone Lofts are finished, it looks like there will be a little under 2900 units downtown. That will continue to go up as downtown continues to develop.

And if there was ever an area of river to truly embrace and develop, would it not be the section from Waterman to at least 1st street?

Also, since 2010, there have been 104 completed projects, six currently under construction and nine in planning stages. Listed in the planning stages is the Fidelity Bank Office Tower we've talked about (35M), Riverfront Village (127M) and the mixed use ballpark development (N/A). I'll be excited when the last two mentioned get going as I'm curious to see what their plans are for that stretch of McLean. Or even beyond plans and see what actually happens.

[SubGod22]

WBJ - Organizers see first Asian Night Market as building block

Organizers of the first Asian Night Market event this weekend in downtown Wichita are optimistic attendance will be strong. But they also hope the event will serve as a building block for the AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) community in the metro area to come together, ensure it has a seat at the table and further enhance its presence.

"As an Asian American community, we aren’t often thought of when it comes to an organization or a community that needs to be a part of the conversations going on in the city," said Taben Azad, president of the Wichita Asian Association, one of the groups organizing the event. "There’s a lot that’s going on in Wichita, and so often Wichita tries to do its best to include so many different groups, but sometimes the Asian American community gets lost in that inclusion.”

Nothing wrong with celebrating and promoting your cultures. This even will be this Saturday from 6-9 at Naftzger Park. Food, clothing, jewelry and other merchandise and activities.

If anyone stops by, let us know your thoughts.

Personally, I wish we had some sort of Irish Festival or something here. I know KC does one and they bring in a lot of Irish/Irish American bands and stuff. But I'm all for celebrating any peoples if done right.

[shoxlax]

We need a taxidermy school here.

[shoxlax]

Sub, I appreciate these updates. Saves me a lot of needless reading on social media.

[SubGod22]

As much as I always think about moving away from here, and maybe one day I will just to experience something different, I do love this area. I enjoy looking into things and reading up on what's going on in this region and am happy to do so and pass some of it along. I never know what might be of interest to others so I will post a lot of different things I come across and hope others do as well as I won't see everything.

Downtown Wichita also fascinates me with its potential. I almost created a separate thread just to focus on downtown as I believe that's what we did while I was on the other board. But it works here too.

And as I've said before when it comes to downtown, I look at what OKC did over time and believe we can have that same kind of impact if we have the right people in place who are willing to see things through. As I was told by someone who has worked most of his life in downtown OKC, 30 or so years ago you didn't want to be down there after dark. They'd escort young women to their cars after work. Now it's a go to place for many with a lot going on and has a good vibe and a fun place to be. But it took time to develop that. There's really no reason ICT can't do something similar with a little vision and sticktoitiveness.

[SHOCKvalue]

What other cities generally have, that we lack greatly, is a critical mass of businesses - including large ones - located downtown and driving demand for both existing space and new space. That doesn't look to change in the foreseeable future in Wichita. We have large employers for sure, but most will never find it plausible to locate HQ operations in a downtown area. The game changer could have been Koch many years ago, but that dog done already ran off down the road. You couple that predicament with the movement towards working from home and I'd be shocked if there is a taller building built downtown in my lifetime. Am I'm decades from retirement - basically mid-career age.

That said, downtown has improved GREATLY in the past couple of decades with respect to the critical mass of people wanting to live there, eat there, and socialize there. It looks drastically better at ground level when you are up on it and in it, but it unfortunately doesn't look different much at all from say I-135 or Kellogg.

[Kel Varnsen]

We need a taxidermy school here.