Goody Clancy Reveals Draft of Downtown Wichita Plan
Goody Clancy, the consultants hired by the city of Wichita to craft a 20-year master downtown development plan unveiled their draft plan on Monday June 14th to more than 350 people who showed up to listen. (Click here to read the entire article and view images from the draft plan)
Live, work and play: Draft of downtown Wichita plan revealed
BY RICK PLUMLEE
The Wichita Eagle
June 15, 2010
Wary of trying to scoot across the expanse of Douglas to reach Century II?
Want something to finally be done with the old Henry's building at Broadway and William?
Want to come downtown, park once and still be able to get from one end to the other?
Plans to address those concerns and much more were presented Monday night at the Scottish Rite Temple by Goody Clancy, the consultants hired by the city to craft a 20-year master downtown development plan.
More than 350 people showed up to listen.
Everything presented was first sifted through the needs of Wichita's downtown market, said David Dixon, the principal in charge at Goody Clancy. He stressed that the ideas are examples of what could be done.
"There is a strong market for downtown," he said. "It's a tough road, a complex road. But it's worth it."
The plan creates a dozen niche districts within downtown, such as Old Town, the arena, Commerce Street Arts and the Arkansas River district.
"All kinds of people love coming downtown for different reasons," Dixon said. "That's why downtown needs to emerge as a series of districts."
Douglas at Century II was a prime target of the draft.
"That's a hard one to cross over," said Ben Carlson, a planner and designer for Goody Clancy. So the draft calls for narrowing Douglas, in part by expanding the width of the sidewalks. Add some plantings, too.
With downtown needing 250 to 400 more hotel rooms over the next 10 years, he said, it only makes sense to put a hotel next to Century II. More dining and retail would be a good fit across the street.
The draft also suggests turning the old Henry's building at Broadway and William into renovated office space, helping fill the need for 50,000 to 80,000 square feet of additional office space.
That's not all the plan recommends for that corner.
Across the street, on the old Allis Hotel site, there could be a park and new loft apartments. The tower that once stood atop the hotel would be a centerpiece of the park, helping to show off some of downtown's history.
As for transportation, the draft calls for expanding the Q-Line downtown by four routes while making Main and Douglas the main arteries.
"You would be able to come downtown, park once, then walk and transit to wherever you want within 15 minutes," Dixon said. "Wichita doesn't have that right now."
The consultants emphasized that downtown should capitalize on its history. One of the ways would be to make Douglas a continuous promenade with signs telling about the city's history.
Suggestions for Union Station and the area included reviving it with dining, entertainment, retail and office space.
"Union Station is a tremendous asset," Carlson said. "Very little of the vibrancy of Old Town has crossed over."
To help make that happen, Carlson suggested a signaled cross walk be put in on Douglas in front of Union Station.
"You don't need six lanes of traffic there," Carlson said.
At the same time, Union Station could retain some of its former use and be made a hub for all sorts of transportation.
The river drew plenty of attention, including the west side where a new library could be built in 2013 or 2014. The draft calls for possibly creating a plaza next to the library and even a play fountain to bring kids out.
"There is incredible opportunity on both sides of the river because the city owns the land," said Sarah Woodworth, a consultant who is overseeing the commercial side for Goody Clancy. "The city controls the timing, the land-use mix, the quality."
Woodworth said the city should establish criteria for developers seeking public funds from the city.
Using a 100-point system, a developer would be allotted so many points based on such areas as experience of the developer and its team (such as architect), financial qualifications, references and the economics of the project.
"Does it stand up to market realities?" Woodworth said.
Using the point system would allow city officials to analyze projects more objectively.
"The whole idea for the developer is you have to meet a minimum number to be considered," Woodworth said.
The city also could establish a group that would bring more design control to the process. It could review a developer's project to see if it fit with the needs of downtown — or the specific niche district — and the direction of the master plan.
During the question and answer session after the presentation, a point was raised about quality use of landscaping.
Responding in general, Dixon cautioned, "Many areas of this plan will depend on how well it's executed.
The final plan will come in September.
"This is not set in stone," said Carlson. "We want to get reaction and input."
Goody Clancy will conduct three public strategy workshops Wednesday at Bank of America Theatre, 100 N. Broadway. While all workshops will deal with separate specific issues, Dixon said general discussion will be encouraged.
The 8 to 9:30 a.m. session will cover developer issues; 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., parking and transportation; 5:30 to 7 p.m., creating unique places.
Read more: http://www.kansas.com/2010/06/15/1360561/work-and-play.html#ixzz0qwxRF1eO
Also, view images from the Draft Plan here- http://www.kansas.com/2010/06/14/1359931/wichitas-downtown-master-plan.html