Wichita State Poised For Massive Growth

[WstateU]

[shocktown]

NIARs current MRO work is done out of the old Boeing Defense buildings.

I think the only question would be whether there is ample space to expand near that site and if the Air force is ok with more shared traffic.

One thing to note, when the NIAR WERX expansion and new contract for work was announced in May through WSU the director stated “we will be making further announcements of large growth in Wichita, Salina, and Topeka.”

I can’t find the state documents for the 50 mil to build the hangers, but I’m curious if there were caveats attached to taking the money?

Putting anything WSU related in Topeka and Salina would be a nice expansion of scope and reach, but I still want the bulk of the jobs in Wichita. I’d hate to train people at NIAR, WSU and WSU tech just to have them leave the metro and move to Topeka.

If NIAR expands to Salina does that mean the death of KSU’s “aviation program” and campus?

I took a drive down on south Oliver between MacArthur and 47th to check on hangar progress on the south end of Air Capital Flightline and there are now 2 large hangars erected to the south of the former Air Force One building, both are of similar size of that one (100,000SF).

I did some checking and the city started a program earlier this year for spec hangar buildings to accommodate MRO operations (similar to the program for spec warehouses) leading to the building of the second hangar. The first was built in '21.

So it would appear that some people are getting ahead of the game in order for Wichita to keep the lions share of future work.

[shocker_torero]

Got a little insider information today and the hangers are being planned to be built at Air Capital Flight line and McConnell. Salina and Topeka plans are for future excess capacity if/when space runs out at the aforementioned Wichita location.

[SubGod22]

I hope your inside sources are correct, and that would make more sense.

[Kung Wu]

Got a little insider information today and the hangers are being planned to be built at Air Capital Flight line and McConnell. Salina and Topeka plans are for future excess capacity if/when space runs out at the aforementioned Wichita location.

Is Johnny Stevens still going to own the building(s) then?

[Ted Lasso's Neighbor]

Looks like the Wichita Business Journal has some articles in the past about the hangars, with the most current one (https://www.bizjournals.com/wichita/...ncentives.html) mentions a Wichita City Council meeting in April. I found the minutes of the meeting at https://www.wichita.gov/Council/Agen...a%20packet.pdf and page 19 is where it talks about the hangar and the next few pages talk about the financing and the proposal by Air Capital Flight Line. The following is from page 19:

Background: On April 12, 2022, the City Council approved a speculative Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) program for the development of large airfield hangar buildings. The program requires developers to build at least 50,000 square feet (75,000 square feet is preferred) with clear height of at least 45 feet.

Air Capital Flight Line, LLC (ACFL) is requesting a Letter of Intent through December 31, 2024 for the issuance of Industrial Revenue Bonds (IRBs) not to exceed $10,000,000 for the construction of a speculative MRO building. The project would be constructed on its campus at 4174 South Oliver. It would be eligible for a 95% ad valorem tax abatement for the first five years, and if the property is at least 50% leased at the five-year anniversary, it would be eligible for a 50% ad valorem tax abatement for the second five years, subject to City Council approval. The developer also receives a sales tax exemption on eligible expenses.

Analysis: Then Greater Wichita Partnership reports that many businesses looking to expand make their location decisions based on having facilities available within short timeframes.

ACFL partners Johnny Stevens and Dave Murfin intend to build a 75,000 square-foot facility with 75-foot clear height to accommodate wide body aircraft. They do not have tenants but are aware of interest and want to make Wichita a viable option for businesses looking for such space.

To be eligible to receive the incentive, the developers are required to begin construction within 120 days of City Council approval and must complete construction within 15 months of City Council approval, pending supply chain issues or regulatory requirements.

ACFL is currently constructing an MRO facility that is the same size and has been leased to the Kansas Modification Center, which is a partnership between the National Institute for Aviation Research at Wichita State University and Sequoia Aircraft Conversions. That facility will be used to convert Boeing 777s from passenger jets to cargo planes. No incentives were available or requested for that facility. Going forward, investment in such large buildings without committed tenants poses substantially more risk, especially given the challenging construction market.

[shocktown]

Air Capital Flight Line

[SubGod22]

This is an interesting partnership.

WBJ - KU Med, WSU look to partner on $302M downtown medical school complex

The KU Med School and WSU are jointly seeking approval this week from the Kansas Board of Regents on a new, $302-million Health Science Education Center. If approved, the collaborative project would relocate all of the programs and clinics of KUMC-Wichita, including the KU School of Pharmacy, as well as the WSU College of Health Professions and WSU Tech's Health Professions program, into a 470,000 square-foot complex in downtown Wichita.
.....
According to an agenda report for Thursday's meeting, a downtown location for the building site is under discussion, but it is anticipated to be located "within a bio-medical corridor" in downtown Wichita that will connect to other medical, mental health, and social services facilities available to the community. The site is also expected to be located adjacent to an existing parking structure.

Plans for the new Health Science Education Center include classrooms, research and simulation labs, office space for faculty and staff, as well as an outward-facing clinic space, according to the report.

The new facility could be complete by fall 2026. The capital investment is expected to be split between the institutions based on usage of square feet — $156.3 million associated with WSU and WSU Tech, and $145.8 million for KU Medical Center.

[Shockm]

This is an interesting partnership.

WBJ - KU Med, WSU look to partner on $302M downtown medical school complex

Am I reading the room wrong, or does this statement in the story, seem to perhaps be an impetus to get the medical people in our community, and the two universities working together to keep our medical education within the state of Kansas?

"Plans for the new Health Science Education Center closely follow the opening of a new osteopathic medical school in downtown Wichita. The Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine, located in the former Finney State Office Building, is affiliated with the Chicago-based nonprofit TCS Education System"

[shocker_torero]

Lots of other great nuggets in the meeting agenda from KBOR for WSU.

Approval for an NIAR building on the Innovation Campus to house advanced manufacturing and additive labs and industry partners. All part of the grant they won from the commerce department.

Plans for a phased approach to replacing Cessna stadium, with 10,000 seats for track and field and soccer. Want to get it large phases of it done by 2026 when Cessna hosts a championship.

[pogo]

NM

[SubGod22]

WBJ - KU-WSU biomedical campus would bring 3,000 students to downtown

Asked if the recently opened Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine in downtown Wichita influenced the concept for a KU-WSU biomedical campus, Minns said it has "nothing to do with the other school."

In fact, Minns said it was more than a decade ago when KUSM-Wichita starting a strategic planning process about the future of its building at 1010 N. Kansas.

"Some day we might want to expand the class size of this campus, and yet our current facility would not allow that," he said, adding that a new facility could increase KU's class size from 300 to 400 students.

Wichita State and its technical school, WSU Tech, meanwhile, were up against similar size constraints, Minns said.

"We had dialogue about the possibility of doing something where we could share resources and maybe be more efficient by working together," he said.

Minns said his understanding is that the partners cannot proceed with formal architectural plans, selecting a general contractor or securing funding until the Board of Regents approves the program statement at its Thursday meeting, which he called a "preliminary step."

[Veritas]

KU needs Wichita more than Wichita needs KU.
I’m not interested in any cooperation with KU.
Minns was highly anti the new Kansas Osteopathic medical school. He’s not interested in anything good for WSU or Wichita.
3000 students to bolster KU’s flat enrollment trends? No thanks. Who benefits more from this? A lot of unknowns.

How about a dental school at WSU? Or optometry school instead? Let KU rot!

[Kung Wu]

How about a dental school at WSU? Or optometry school instead? Let KU rot!

Law school!

[SubGod22]

Law school!

The BoR will never let us have a law school, but I've always felt we had the chance at a dental school.