Wichita City Council members have scheduled a public hearing in November on changes to a development project for the west bank of the Arkansas River in the Delano neighborhood.

The Council approved a tax increment financing district in 2017 for the west bank, and a plan was adopted later to provide financing for Riverfront Stadium and other projects, and it became known as the Delano and Stadium Project Plan.    Development planned for the area around the stadium has changed, and city staff said there is a need for a separate project area.    The Council is being asked to remove an area from the Delano and Stadium plan and adopt a new project plan.

The new project calls for redevelopment of land between Texas Street and Maple on both sides of McLean Boulevard.   The project calls for a 155-room hotel, a 150-unit apartment complex and 10,000 square feet of retail space, along with a 260-stall parking garage.    The project originally included office space and a private parking garage, but it’s being changed to residential space with a public garage.    With higher costs for construction and financing, the cost of the project has gone up from $77 million to $110 million.

A Stadium Hotel Project Plan has been developed to use increases in property tax revenue to fund sitework, infrastructure and riverfront improvements, along with parking.  Questions have been raised about the changes in the project and the costs, including the debt from the Riverfront Stadium project, and council members Mike Hoheisel and Becky Tuttle are calling for a public forum in addition to a public hearing by the City Council.   The Council scheduled a public hearing for November 21st, and staff will work to schedule a public forum before that time to answer questions from the public and Delano residents and business owners.