Riverfront Legacy Master Plan Process FAQs

What is a master plan and why does the Riverfront area need one?

• A master plan is a blueprint for the future. It provides a framework for future projects and how they can work together in the same space. The Riverfront Legacy Master Plan process will focus on the east bank of the riverfront area in Wichita and create a comprehensive vision and master plan that connects current and future projects and both banks of the Arkansas River.

• The process will build on previous studies and engage the community.

• The plan will consider all elements, including a performing arts center, convention center, Century II, the former library, WaterWalk area, connections to the west bank developments and riverfront gathering space.

What is the impact of a master plan? Why is it valuable?

• For a community like Wichita, it can create a distinctive and authentic plan of action that will make our community attractive to those who live in the region, as well as the talent we want to attract and retain.

What area does the Riverfront Legacy Master Plan include?

• The scope will focus on the area south of Douglas Avenue to US-54/Kellogg and east to Main Street and connect projects from both sides of the river and with the greater downtown area and neighborhoods.

How has the community get involved in the planning process?

• The Coalition hosted an open house to launch the master planning effort on July 31 at the Wichita Boathouse. With more than 300 people in attendance, it was a standing room only crowd to meet and interact with the Design Team and provide ideas for the site.

• In September, the Design Team and Coalition hosted four Urban Explorations, where more than 450 people took a walking tour of the site to hear about opportunities and challenges posed by various features of the site. For those unable to attend, a Do-It-Yourself Urban Exploration was developed in both English and Spanish.

• On October 17, the public was invited to attend a presentation by the Design Team where they shared in-depth findings from previous studies, as well as market analysis of the opportunities for the site. More than 120 people attended, and after the meeting, the public was invited to ask questions and make comments on the findings. The full presentation and market analysis can be found at www.riverfrontlegacywichita.org/engagement-events.

• On November 14, the Design Team shared preliminary design scenarios for the site with a crowd of 600+ at the Hyatt Recency. Three scenarios with two alternates were presented. All were based upon the extensive public input gathered throughout the process, as well as findings from previous studies and current market analysis. Following the presentation, the public was able to engage with the Design Team, provide comments and ask questions about the designs and had the opportunity to create their own hands-on design of the site plan with suggestions for the area. The scenario designs were posted online and a community input questionnaire was available for several week after the meeting as an opportunity for the public to share feedback. Comments were also collected from social media conversations on the Riverfront Legacy Facebook and Twitter accounts.

• On December 16, the Riverfront Legacy Master Plan Coalition met during a public meeting to review the scenarios presented by the Design Team. The Coalition had a robust discussion on the advantages and disadvantages of each site design and what each could mean for the community. Leaders refereed back to feedback from the public that called for a bold design, new performing arts and convention centers, green space and activation of the Arkansas River, along with more places to eat, drink and play on the east bank. Leaders challenged the Design Team to return in January with a final design that met these recommendations - as well as the previous studies and market analysis. The recommendation included that the final design would not include Century II or the old library building.

• On January 14, the public is invited to attend the final open house for the Riverfront Legacy Planning process at The Dugan Library on the Newman University Campus from 5:30-7:00 p.m. At this meeting, the community will see how their input, years of historical data and research have come together to provide the final design scenario.

• In addition, the community has been encouraged to share their vision online at www.riverfrontlegacywichita.org/contact, through the Riverfront Legacy social media accounts (Facebook: @RiverfrontLegacyWichita and Twitter: @RiverfrontICT), through emails to info@riverfrontlegacywichita.org and phone calls to 316-500-6650. More than 5,000 comments were collected during the process.

Who is working on the plan?

• A coalition of community organizations and public sector partners are working together to shepherd the planning process, including ensuring a robust community engagement process. They are the City of Wichita, Downtown Wichita, Greater Wichita Partnership, Sedgwick County, Visit Wichita, the Wichita Community Foundation and the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with W – a community of young professionals and the Wichita Educational Foundation.

• Populous, a global design firm, is leading the planning process based on previous work in the riverfront area and cutting edge work around the world. Their team also includes Olin Studio, a worldwide leader in landscape and urban design, and RCLCO Real Estate Advisors, who is conducting the market analysis of the site. Local firm Bothner and Bradley Inc. is working with a team of professionals from the coalition on community engagement activities.

Why Populous?

• Based on involvement with previous studies and creative urban projects on a global scale, Populous was selected.

How much will the Riverfront Legacy Master Planning process cost?

• The budget for the planning process is about $700,000. The private sector secured more than 70 percent of the total needed for the plan, with the City of Wichita and Sedgwick County adding their support. After the process started, private donations from the Kansas Health Foundation, Jack DeBoer and Phil Ruffin allowed the coalition working on the plan to expand its community engagement efforts.

Is this another study?

• This is not another study but rather an accelerated step forward in creating a vision and comprehensive plan that can serve as a catalyst for the riverfront area. The master planning process will build on previous studies of various elements included within the east bank riverfront site, as well as new developments on the west bank, to create a comprehensive vision and master plan.

• Previous studies were market-driven and included cost-benefit analyses. They reviewed the market potential for building new facilities or renovating current facilities, assessed the needs to serve the future of performing arts in the community, and developed preliminary building site plans for the various scenarios. The Riverfront Legacy Master Plan process will build on these findings and engage the public to establish one vision and one comprehensive plan.

Other inputs to this process include:

• Project Wichita, a massive effort in 2018 to determine a regional vision and action plan. In more than 240 focus groups and a community survey taken by almost 14,000 people, it became clear that revitalizing the area surrounding the riverfront was a top priority for the region.

• Findings from the Century II Citizens Advisory Committee. In 2018, that group provided recommendations that included building a new performing arts center as the best option to meet current and future needs and maximizing long-term community need.

What has been done to examine the feasibility of repurposing Century II?:

• Studies dating back to 2013 are consistent in determining Century II is no longer suitable for performing arts or conventions. These reports point to the need for new space, which would allow for a 3-to-1 return on investment according to a cost-benefit analysis done during this time. In addition, recent market-based studies done by RCLCO Real Estate Advisors show the space would not be suitable for any of the purposes the market could support, including restaurants, retail, apartments or hotel space. As the advisors have said, “The building is too big, there is too much upfront cost that the city would bear to get it to basic space that could be occupied. At best, you would be able to lease the first 50 feet of depth from the exterior because the interior is too dark to be usable for residential or commercial.” In addition, the shape and physical structure of Century II, which is 250,000 square feet of space, make it extremely difficult to market the property for potential redevelopment purposes. The cost for improvements at CII so it can be placed on the market and ready for new tenants is an estimated $180 million. Full renovation estimates are $272 million and higher.

What are the costs to tear down Century II?:

• Today’s 2020 estimate to tear down Bob Brown Expo Hall and Century II is $34.4 million. For Century II only, the cost is estimated at $20 million. There also is a Power Plant Building that would need to be removed and the 2020 cost for that is $405,000.

Where is the parking in this plan?:

• The final recommendations for the Riverfront Legacy Master Plan include on-street and below-ground parking as well as new parking structures within the proposed mixed-use developments. There are currently about 1,900 available parking spots within a half of mile of the site. The final recommendations can accommodate more than 2,000 parking spots within a half a mile of the site. You can find more information at bit.ly/FinalRecommendations.

Will the performing arts center and convention center look like the drawings in the final recommendations?:

• The parks and buildings shown in these renderings are not final designs. The final recommendations and renderings from the Design Team provide our community with a basic layout and overall vision for the master planning site. If the final recommendations for the Riverfront Legacy Master Plan are implemented, each element – including the new performing arts center, convention center, pedestrian bridge, public green space and more – will have their own individual design process that will include community input prior to development. You can find more information at bit.ly/FinalRecommendations

Our community is working to meet the immediate needs of aviation manufacturing workers affected by the layoffs at Spirit AeroSystems. Shouldn’t we be focusing our community efforts on those needs?:

• It is an immediate priority of the community to support our people and our companies affected by the recent news of the production suspension of the 737 Max. Community partners are convening regularly to coordinate resources and support for those affected. The Riverfront Legacy Master Plan is a long-term plan, one that provides a bold vision for the future of our community to retain and attract talent, while providing the data and information for the community to make informed decisions for the next 10 to 20 years.

We have a homeless problem in downtown Wichita. Will this master plan make it better or worse?:

• The issue of homelessness is currently identified in a new strategic plan for the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Coalition. Among its priorities is finding ways to coordinate and collaborate care that ultimately could impact the homeless – and the agencies serving them – in positive ways. Leaders in this effort include the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Department, Ascension, United Methodist Open Door, Community Crisis Center and COMCARE, and many other agencies and organizations who work in this arena every day. The Riverfront Legacy Master Plan recognizes this important community-wide effort, which also is a priority identified within Project Wichita – the community’s visioning plan. Any work moving forward would be done with this initiative in mind.

Does this plan address the issue of water quality in the Arkansas River?:

• The intent of the Riverfront Legacy planning process was not to study or address water quality or issues related to it. However, the Riverfront Legacy Master Plan Coalition looks forward to working with all entities who care about the healthy viability of the Arkansas River, particularly as it winds its way through the downtown area.

What is the next step in the process?:

• A final report is expected in late March, with that plan being presented to the City Council and County Commission in order to work together to implement next steps.