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DownTown |
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All around town, major construction projects have
been announced. Businesses are expanding in and
relocating to the Wichita area, educational institutions
continue to grow, and quality of life amenities are
being supported by public and private investors.
The Greater Wichita Economic Development Coalition's
Economic Development team is prepared to assist with a
complete, on-site property search for qualifying
economic development projects. For more information
about this service please visit
www.gwdec.org.
Redevelopment of Wichita’s core area — downtown — was
established as a top priority in 1990 by the citizens of
the community and the Wichita City Council. Since then,
public and private reinvestment in this area has equaled
nearly a half-billion dollars. The genesis of Wichita’s
downtown redevelopment effort, which started in a few
empty warehouses in the heart of the city, has evolved
into the bustling Old Town entertainment and shopping
district. The momentum created by the success of Old
Town has stimulated many other exciting core area
developments including:
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Exploration Place, the community’s new $62
million world-class science and education center
constructed on the banks of the Arkansas River in
the downtown area, opened to the public in May 2000
and has received overwhelming public response!
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Douglas Street, the primary downtown arterial,
has been completely reconstructed and enhanced to
present a dynamic new entryway into the downtown
area. The project features a host of life-sized
bronze sculptures along the thoroughfare to bring
life and character to the corridor. This effort was
enhanced by the recent completion of two major
bridge reconstructions over the Arkansas River in
downtown Wichita.
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The historic Keen Kutter building in the Old
Town district has been transformed into the
award-winning Hotel at Old Town, a 115-unit
extended-stay property and conference center.
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Wichita’s Eaton Hotel and Carey House Square
block, located on the east edge of downtown, have
undergone a massive renovation. The result, which
was unveiled to the public in May 2001, features
condominiums, apartments and retail establishments,
contributing to a growing and vibrant downtown
residential population.
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The Orpheum Theater, a premier example of
Wichita’s cultural past, is being renovated in an
effort spearheaded by local citizens focused on
restoring the building to its past grandeur and
turning it into a dynamic performing arts facility
integral to the city’s cultural future.
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The KSB&T Building, one of downtown’s landmarks,
has become home in the last year to several
burgeoning high-tech companies who chose to make
their new home downtown.
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Innovation in several of Wichita’s existing
downtown office buildings is underway as the
potential for business growth downtown is further
supported by the many social, aesthetic and
infrastructure improvements occurring throughout
downtown.
It is hard to imagine the city’s core area without
these and other upgrades that have literally transformed
downtown in the last decade. From the new Hyatt hotel to
Century II Convention Center upgrades, the Wichita Ice
Center to the renovated Lawrence Dumont baseball
complex, museum district improvements to a bustling
CityArts cultural education center…downtown is calling
citizens throughout the area to the heart of the city!
See the continuing growth at
www.oldtownwichita.com.
But it doesn’t stop there. An aggressive core
redevelopment plan is slated over the next couple of
years. Highlights include: a new world-class riverbank
amphitheater and renovated river corridor; enhancements
to the Museum District area, which coincide with the $10
million expansion of the acclaimed Wichita Art Museum;
wayfinding signage to support improved visitor mobility
and access to parking; renovation of A. Price Woodard
Park along the Arkansas River in the epicenter of
downtown and reconstruction of the river walk along the
park; and numerous street enhancements in and
surrounding downtown to improve both appearance and
mobility for visitors and citizens alike.
Downtown isn’t the only place the citizens of
Wichita and Sedgwick County are committed to improving.
In the northeast part of the city is a neighborhood
going through an amazing transformation with new
businesses and shopping cropping up all over. South of
Wichita, in the city of Haysville, a community has been
redeveloped and is prospering because of the vision of
its leaders and the support of Sedgwick County residents
and businesses.
Major enhancements to U.S. 54 / Kellogg, Wichita’s
busiest street, have been completed in the core and
surrounding areas of the city, supported both by the
vision of the citizens and the commitment of the Kansas
Legislature in its major transportation initiative in
the 1990s. Recently passed by the legislature for the
first decade of the new century, a new Comprehensive
Transportation Plan will support improvements to this
critical east-west arterial in both directions.
The central rail corridor, which runs north-south
through Wichita and the core area, will be reconstructed
to improve traffic flow and safety.
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