General News in the 316

[SubGod22]

Something we don't see much around here.

WBJ - Wichita group launches construction on east-side Class A office building

In recent years, there hasn't been much in the way of new Class A office construction that isn't owner-occupied in Wichita.

But a new local development group sees an opportunity in just that area.

Zero Point Development LLC recently broke ground on a 7,700 square-foot Class A office building on the northwest corner of Central and Webb Road in east Wichita. The building shell and common areas are expected to be wrapped by March, with interior spaces available to be built-to-suit for a single tenant or multiple tenants.

Barclay Prime Investments LLC is teaming with Zero Point on the effort. It's the first joint project for the recently created entities, both led by Bryon McNeil, an ER doctor who has previous development experience.

Christopher Arellano, a Hinkle Law Firm attorney and investor in the project, said the group believes the high-traffic intersection — across Webb from Textron Aviation's east-side campus — and the lack of non-owner-occupied new office construction in the city combine to make it an in-demand opportunity for professional office users seeking fresh space.

"We really do believe we're going to get good traction," he said.

I rode by this intersection on Tuesday after therapy in the College Hill area and wondered what was going on there. Here's my answer.

[Veritas]

Should be better than the Cessna stadium construction cam lately as the only thing of interest now is the wasp nest that appears to have been built in close proximity to the camera.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tRXZ-T3nBj8

Getting some work done now!!!
Very nice to see the activity.

[SubGod22]

WBJ - Wichita's five largest commercial construction projects happening right now

Wichita Biomedical Campus, Phase 1: $171 million

Construction crews from Hutton and JE Dunn have leveled the site after completing below-ground work on the first phase of the Wichita Biomedical Campus at the southeast corner of Broadway and William. Phase 1 construction includes an eight-story, 350,000 square-foot building that will be completed by the end of 2026...

Golden Circle: $81.5 million

Construction is progressing quickly at billionaire Phil Ruffin's $81.5 million Golden Circle at the former Wichita Greyhound Park site in Park City. The Law Co. serves as general contractor, and crews were seen working on the roofing and interior of the east facility of the casino last month...

Ovation Apartments: $40.1 million

Vantage Point Properties CEO Paul Jackson is developing Ovation Apartments, including 10 three-story apartment buildings at 37th Street and Ridge Road, immediately north of his Avante project. A $40 million, 252-unit Class A complex, the apartment project is under construction and its first units are set to be delivered in spring 2025...

Ascension Via Christi St. Joseph emergency department expansion: $22 million

Via Christi St. Joseph, at 3600 E. Harry St., is expanding its emergency department. The project is expected to cost $22 million, which will be funded through the state's American Rescue Plan Act funds approved by Gov. Laura Kelly and the Legislature. The expansion will add 21,000 square feet to the emergency department, totaling 36,000 square feet...

Exploration Place playscape: $20 million

Located on the southeast portion of Exploration Place's property, the outdoor project Playscape is described as a new generation of playground with a theme-park feel for all ages. The project is expected to be completed in October 2025...

[SubGod22]

More traffic news

KAKE - K-96, I-135 ramp closures to begin November 5

Beginning on Monday, November 5, the Kansas Department of Transportation will close the westbound K-96 ramps to I-135 and the southbound I-135 ramp to eastbound K-96 to begin demolition operations. The closures will take place nightly from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m.

During this time, westbound K-96 traffic will follow the signed detour to Hydraulic Avenue, then take ramps to either northbound or southbound I-135.

There is no detour for the southbound I-135 ramp; motorists will need to find alternate routes.

It is anticipated that these nightly closures will occur daily under the same time frame. The goal is to reopen traffic by before 7 a.m. each morning. Estimated completion is set for early December, conditions permitting.

[SubGod22]

KSN - Botanica's Illuminations nominated again for '10Best'

Illuminations at Botanica has again been nominated for USA Today’s 10Best Readers Choice Awards for Best Botanical Garden Holiday Lights for 2024.

Voting is open daily until noon on Dec. 2. The top 10 will be announced on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024.

“We’re honored to be nominated again,” says Dr. Lynette A. Zimmerman, Botanica’s Executive Director, in a news release. “This fabulous event has become a beloved Wichita tradition, offering unforgettable holiday experiences and memories for friends and families each year.”

Illuminations placed fourth last year and eighth in 2022. This year, it competes with botanical gardens across the country and against Luminary Walk at Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens here in Kansas.

You can vote daily for Illuminations at Botanica by clicking here.

[SubGod22]

Local internet provider continues to grow and expand.

WBJ - Kansas internet provider IdeaTek makes acquisition

A fast-growing Kansas internet provider is expanding its service area with an acquisition.

IdeaTek, based in Buhler, announced Friday that it acquired the Kansas operations of Rise Broadband, a wireless broadband service provider headquartered in Englewood, Colo., which will expand the company's services further into Marion, Harvey, Butler and McPherson counties.

Rise Broadband provides internet services in 16 states in the Midwest and southwest parts of the country.

Daniel Freisen, co-founder and chief innovation officer at IdeaTek, said in a news release that the company will "begin working immediately" on upgrading Rise Broadband’s network to a fiber-fed infrastructure, which will improve capabilities for new customers.

“We believe every Kansan deserves access to affordable, reliable internet, no matter where they live. This acquisition brings us closer to that goal in central Kansas," Freisen said.

Terms of the deal were undisclosed.

Founded in 1999, IdeaTek has more than 160 Kansas employees and serves 110 communities in the state. That number continues to grow.

I've become a big fan of IdeaTek.

[SubGod22]

WBJ - Wichita Marriott to complete $2.5M in hotel improvements in February

The Wichita Marriott at Kellogg and Webb Road is working on a $2.5 million renovation and remodeling effort on its first floor.

The hotel, at 9100 E. Corporate Hills Drive, began improvements on its 35,000 square-foot first floor in September, said the hotel's director of food and beverage Kate Rose.

Rose said the project involves new ceiling paint, new carpets and a new sound system for its ballroom. It will also add new furniture — like chairs and barstools — for the banquet area, the hotel's Greatroom Restaurant and Bar, the media center and boardroom.

The east-side Marriott, which has 295 rooms and is the third-largest hotel in Wichita, is also introducing a new gathering concept on the northeast section of the floor where it used to have the Fireside Grille, Rose said. The new concept, called Room 9100, will be a casual cocktail lounge experience that will primarily serve cocktails and appetizers with small, sharable plates. Rose said the space for the new concept can host around 26 people and will have lounge seating.

The hotel previously went through a $15M renovation project that added new plumbing, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems.

It's always nice to see investments being made in Wichita. I've often wondered what kind of business the Marriott gets over there.

[JVShocker]

After driving thru downtown Wichita, I'd be content if they'd just finish the road construction projects in the downtown area. They're awful. Saw an older gentleman in a Prius driving down the road and he just went around the road closed signs. I think his name was magoo. And I don't know what's going on with all the buildings in the area, but apparently some company is moving in soon, and in spades. Yeah, the company is called "For Lease."

[SubGod22]

WBJ - MRO demand drives plans for hangar at Air Capital Flight Line after FLRAA move derails separate project

A city program intended to encourage the development of large airfield hangars looks poised to spur its third project at Air Capital Flight Line in less than three years.

ACFL, owned by developers Johnny Stevens and Dave Murfin, has requested a letter of intent from the Wichita City Council to issue industrial revenue bonds up to $12 million to build a speculative 111,000 square-foot facility at 4174 S. Oliver. The council will vote Tuesday on the request.

Since a Wichita speculative maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) program was approved in April 2022, two similar MRO facilities — which are 75,000 square feet each — have been built at the sprawling former Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) property adjacent to Spirit AeroSystems (NYSE: SPR) headquarters.

Stevens said there aren't any tenants formally lined up for the building, but he sees no problem in filling it.

"We could use it today," he said.

The new project is set to have 75-foot ceilings to accommodate widebody aircraft, according to a Council meeting agenda report.

Air Capital Flight Line already counts Spirit, the city's largest employer and Boeing's biggest supplier, and Wichita State University's National Institute for Aviation Research as prominent tenants.

ACFL also includes the Kansas Modification Center, which involves NIAR and its partners' work converting passenger Boeing 777s to cargo aircraft.

The Kansas Modification Center is using the first spec MRO building at ACFL that was a part of the city program for 777 conversions. The second spec building is leased to another NIAR-related entity, according to the city.

This is an industry that just makes sense to have a large presence in Wichita and I'm sure this building will be filled before it's even done being built.

WSU's Center for Economic Development and Business Research sees a benefit to cost ratio of 2.23 to 1.

More such buildings are expected to be needed down the road.

[SubGod22]

WBJ - Wichita developers seek incentives for project aimed at delivering housing next to biomed campus

With the Wichita Biomedical Campus poised to bring 3,000 students and 200 faculty and staff in early 2027, local leaders have regularly emphasized the need for more lower-cost housing options downtown.

A well-known local development group's latest project aims to help address the issue, while seeking the assistance of multiple city incentives.

Arena South Management, led by Alan Banta and Bruce Rowley, plans to revitalize the four-story building at 333 E. English, just south of the biomedical campus Phase 1 site, into a mixed-use development. Named The Arnold, the property will have 42 residential units and 5,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space.

On Tuesday, the Wichita City Council approved setting a Dec. 10 public hearing to consider a request to establish a community improvement district and adopt a tax increment financing project plan for the effort — incentives the developers say would help make the $6.9 million project a reality.

"We're really looking at this housing being focused on a lot of the students that are down there, not only in that (biomed) school, but obviously the DO school (Kansas Health Science University) half a block away as well as (WSU Tech's) NICHE half a block away," Rowley told the Council on Tuesday.

Construction is expected to begin next month and be ready for tenants by the end of 2025.

[SubGod22]

GREAT NEWS FOR WICHITA AND YES I'M YELLING!!!

WBJ - Not going anywhere: Bell Textron opts to keep FLRAA fuselage assembly in Wichita

Aerospace work on a major U.S. Army program isn't leaving Wichita after all.

Bell Textron, a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, said Wednesday it will keep fuselage assembly for the Future Long Range Assault Aircraft in Wichita.

The announcement follows confirmation last month that Bell had taken over fuselage construction from Spirit AeroSystems (NYSE: SPR) on the V-280 Valor for the high-profile effort. FLRAA work will occur at an existing Beech Field facility located on Textron Aviation’s east campus near Textron Aviation Defense.

"As Bell prepares for the next stage of FLRAA’s engineering and manufacturing development phase, we are committed to investing in advanced manufacturing to ensure we deliver exceptional performance at an affordable cost to our customer," said Bell president and CEO Lisa Atherton, in a news release. "Textron has a rich history with the state of Kansas as well as the city of Wichita, and we are proud to deepen that relationship as we establish this new facility.”

Bell said FLRAA operations at the east Wichita location will begin in the next several months.

The company declined to disclose the planned employment numbers tied to the effort, but a spokesperson said Bell "will be starting the hiring process for the site immediately."

FLRAA work staying in Wichita is a big development for the city's aerospace industry, as local subcontractors and others have expressed concern about the future of Spirit's defense portfolio in Wichita since Boeing (NYSE: BA) announced this summer it would acquire the major aviation supplier for $8.3 billion.

The whole program has a value of around $70B.

While it's yet to be seen what happens to Spirit and the employment numbers at the largest employer in the area, Textron will be hiring to fill jobs for this project that will go on for a number of years. Textron is the second largest employer in the area.

[RoyalShock]

Local internet provider continues to grow and expand.

WBJ - Kansas internet provider IdeaTek makes acquisition



I've become a big fan of IdeaTek.

It's great seeing them continue to grow. Daniel is a good guy.

[SubGod22]

It's great seeing them continue to grow. Daniel is a good guy.

Good people finding success is always wonderful. I have no clue who he is, but my interactions with the tech guy that set me up and the little communication with billing when they switched something with how my payments were processed have been nothing short of fantastic.

Just about everyone I know that can, has switched to IdeaTek and a few others are waiting for them to finish the initial installs into their areas and will be switching. I've only had it for six or seven months myself, but zero issues. You get more for less with them than just about anyone else in the area from what I've seen and heard from others.

I had ATT and didn't have any issues with my day to day. My download speeds left a little something to be desired but it wasn't a major issue for me. However, upon switching everything is better and my download speeds aren't even comparable (in a good way) to what I had previously. Based on what ATT promised, I'm getting around seven times better speeds for essentially the same price I was paying. And I never tested my speeds with ATT but I'm guessing at least on the download side I wasn't getting what I should have been.

I have friends that have switched from Cox and I think they're getting around the same speeds but for around half the price. I know the pricing change was significant and they're getting more than they need speed wise. They also like that they can change their plans at any time. I know I have one friend who has talked about raising their plan to the highest offering over the summer months when all the kids are home, plus he and his wife both work from home, and then being able to lower it a level maybe during the school year when the streaming demand isn't quite as high and there are no extra charges for doing so from what I understand.

So, they seem to be doing things the right way and offering a fantastic product. And if he's the good guy you say he is that just makes me happier about the success.

[SubGod22]

WBJ - Bombardier weighs Wichita expansion as service business continue to thrive

Bombardier's aftermarket business is on a tear.

And that could mean further expansion for its U.S. service centers, including in Wichita, the company's CEO said Thursday.

In a third quarter earnings release, the Canadian aerospace manufacturer announced its aftermarket segment hit a company-record $528 million in revenue for the period, a 28% year-over-year leap. That follows a Q2 which saw a 18% revenue jump compared to the prior year.

Bombardier's aftermarket work is a significant focus of its U.S. headquarters in Wichita, which is also home to Bombardier Defense and the company's flight test center.

"We've probably tripled, over the last few years, the square footage used in Wichita for the services business, and the possibility of doing something more exists when we look into... the overall footprint of the United States," Bombardier CEO Éric Martel said on a media call following the earnings release.

[SubGod22]

I'll have to listen to the full interview later. I'm not sure if it's available for non-subscribers or not, but this one could be interesting as the new leader of Downtown Wichita adjusts to life in her new adopted home.

BizTalk 389: A newcomer's view of downtown Wichita

My "welcome to Wichita, what do you think of us" questions elicited mostly usual responses from Heather Schroeder, who's in her third month as executive director of Downtown Wichita.

We're nice.

The land is, as advertised, mostly flat.

But then the conversation turns to the path not taken. Schroeder and her husband could've instead moved from her hometown of Syracuse, N.Y., to his native Sweden. She had filed migration papers. It was that close to happening.

Instead, a first trip to Kansas, then a second, led to a new home and adventure when months earlier she had probably never fathomed living on the plains.

"Kansas was something that we could experience for the first time together, so we said let's do it," Schroeder said on this week's BizTalk with the Wichita Business Journal podcast.

She added, "We're both very adventure-oriented when it comes to living in a new place."

Schroeder has immersed herself in Wichita's downtown, both in work and home. She is in the middle of a request for proposal for consultants to begin working on the new iteration of the Project Downtown plan, aimed at a vision for the core's next 10 years.

We talk about some of downtown's greatest challenges, which leads with homelessness and moves to a sustainable parking plan, which six months ago looked like it was on the way to January installation. But public backlash, from residents and business owners alike, has the city weighing alternatives.

Schroeder doesn't mince words about parking. Wichita's behind the times when it comes to parking, and needs to catch up.

Challenges aside, Schroeder is excited about telling downtown's story and letting friends and relatives in on the secret.

"I really love this city," she said. "It's embraced us, we've embraced it right back, now it's our turn to play tour guide and show it off."

Thanks to Schroeder for joining me. A fresh perspective on what downtown needs is a good thing, and we'll follow how she steers Downtown Wichita forward.

You can find past episodes at our BizTalk with the Wichita Business Journal hub,..

Passing up on Sweden couldn't have been an easy choice.