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Wichita to help fund downtown master plan

Wichita to help fund downtown master plan

Wichita to help fund downtown master plan

Wichita city council members have agreed to provide $100,000 in funding to help with the creation of a master plan for the east bank of the Arkansas River downtown.

The Riverfront Legacy Master Plan will be developed by a coalition of community and business leaders known as Opportunity Wichita.   It will concentrate on the east bank area from Douglas to Kellogg, between the river and Main Street.   The plan will guide future development to connect with the Ballpark Village that is being developed for the west bank of the river.

Visit Wichita board chairman Jim Korroch, a member of the coalition, says the master plan is a “once in a generation opportunity to set a vision for the riverfront in a way that we can all be proud of, not just Wichitans, but members of the community and the region in general.”    He said the effort will build on previous studies that have been done and bring them together in a comprehensive framework.   The architectural design firm of Populous will be working on the project, and Korroch said it will take about six or seven months to complete.

Korroch said community engagement and transparency will be at the heart of the process, and there will be many opportunities for the public to provide input on the plan. He said the coalition meetings will be open to the public, and the first meeting is planned for July 31st.

Mayor Jeff Longwell said it will be up to the coalition to move the process forward and he hopes it will be heavily invested in community engagement.   He said he wants to see this become something more than just a study and turns into an action plan.

Sedgwick County will also be asked to provide $100,000 to the master plan and private funding will cover the remaining $500,000 cost of the project.

 

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