KCRag Forum

So how come nobody is giving any love to ICT?

Wichita has been very successful with its DT re-development in the last 10 years.  Granted its not as big as KC and doesn't have the DT housing potential and never will but Old Town is a great DT neighborhood and -- I will get flamed for saying this but it is more dense and has more to offer in terms of shopping, eating, drinking than Rivermarket and even has abundant but still attractive free parking in garages and on the street level that blends in with the area.  In Old Town you will find probably twenty-five cool bars and nearly a dozen different restaurants -- from pizza and beer to white tablecloth with stuff in between, one of the coolest movie theatres you'll ever find and an eclectic mix of retail shops, all in a four block radius.  Also, Wichita is making great strides in developing the River corridor...something KC has all but abandoned which is surprising when you see how cool something like the San Antonio river walk is and KC has a massive waterway.

Anyway, just thought I'd offer it up for discussion, anyone been down there recently and seen some cool stuff that I missed?

I go to Wichita 2-3 times a year and there isn't much going on DT. My friends that just moved up here said Wichita was the most boring place ever. They said the only thing they remember about DT is Epic Center. That's pretty sad.

well, Wichita is making strides like every American city downtown..

you do bring up a good point though, i give kudos to Wichita for developing their riverfront.  Hopefully KC will do that soon. 

KansasCityCraka wrote: I go to Wichita 2-3 times a year and there isn't much going on DT. My friends that just moved up here said Wichita was the most boring place ever. They said the only thing they remember about DT is Epic Center. That's pretty sad.

How sad because downtown Wichita, much like downtown Tulsa, has a lot is very beautiful and has a lot of potential.

Wichita has baseball on the river just on the other side of downtown.  And a new arena going up.  And a nasty ass Gander Mountain store on the river.

My brother lives in Wichita and I visit a few times a year. First of all I am not quite sure if you can say Wichita is more dense than KC. Downtown Wichita is very flat compared with a much hillier downtown here. Also it is pretty small, not even comparable to the loop. It was clean when I was there, but dead. Then again our downtown isn't exactly hopping on the weekends either.

Other things about Wichita I thought were interesting were the religious billboards everywhere, also there are quite a few adult entertainment places down there, giving it a little more trashier feel, but no more so than eastern KCMO.

Also you will notice that there are far fewer two story houses and a lot more ranches from every time period. Here in KCK there are a lot of 2-story bungalows on tiny lots in the core. Well in Wichita's core, the lots are larger and the houses are all single story. In the suburbs of KC you see 2 or 3 story suburban house on cul-de-sacs. In Wichita you will still see the cul-de-sacs, but the houses will be all on a single floor. It's odd to me.

Also I have never seen so many payday loan stores anywhere as I have seen in Wichita. It gives me the impression that there are a lot of people going through hard times right now.

f4hondaphile wrote: one of the coolest movie theatres you'll ever find

It's not uncommon, when I'm in Wichita visiting my sister, for me to disappear to that theater in mid-afternoon and reappear drunk 3 hours later.

How aboutsharing some pics of Old Town?  Wichita does have an underrated downtown, but it is kind of odd that there are so many religious organizations on the north side of downtown.

I visited Wichita for the first time last year with the lowest of low expectations because I never hear anything good about the city. I was pleasantly surprised. He saw a movie at the Warren Theater, which is way cool (I hear they show Chiefs and Jayhawk games there on gamedays) then hung out at Old Town. Their riverfront is 100X times better than ours, and even though there really isn't much in the way of economic development on the river, it is beautiful for a river that size.

If you must go to Wichita, try to go during Riverfest. Its a great time, and I really wish we had something like that on our river!

Boeing just announced the layoff of 900 hundred workers in Wichita.....25% of the work force.  Ouch.  In a town of that size, losing 900 high-paying jobs is going to have an significant impact on the economy.  Not good for KC either as Wichita is certainly within our hinterlands.  That's 900+family fewer people not making the trip up to Village West, Worlds of Fun and the Royals games.

And this puzzles me, since Boeing sold off the Wichita plant (or so I thought), which then was renamed Spirit Aerosystems.  Why the hell this news is still under the Boeing header is beyond me.

BTW, I'll back up everything folks have said on here.  Old Town is a pretty cool place...wait until the RiverWalk Development is up across from Lawrence-Dumont Stadium, as well as the downtown arena.  Then Wichita should be in the midst of a significant downtown revival.
I spent a long weekend down there last year for a buddy's bachelor party.  The downtown was extremely well taken care of, but empty.  The ICT has a lot of empty high-rise buildings downtown near Old Town that are perfect candidates for loft conversions.

Boeing sold the commercial operations, which are now Spirit.  The Military side is still Boeing--this is where the layoffs are.

ICT has done a fantastic job DT with what they had to work with.  Wichita is not more dense than KC, but Old Town is more dense with dining, drinking and retail than RiverMarket is by far, which was my point.  Also they have the downtown baseball park and attractive riverfront, thanks to those of you who noticed.  KC has a lot more to work with than Wichita so the potential is here, but for now Wichita is putting KC to shame in terms of redevelping and bringing back their Downtown core, although there is less residential in downtown Wichita but even that is coming, forming itself around the beautiful Old Town area.

f4hondaphile wrote: but for now Wichita is putting KC to shame in terms of redevelping and bringing back their Downtown core,

No, it isn't.  I live in Wichita, and other than Gander Mtn. and a few building conversions, there isn't anything else going on.  On the Riverwalk, I believe they have a parking lot cleared.  The hottest development area in town is the Waterfront development on the east side of town. 

To say that Wichita is putting KC to shame is flat out wrong.

There's not a lot happening because everything that relates to redeveloping Old Town is basically finished.  It was once a barren area of almost completely abandoned warehouses, it is now the most vibrant part of the city and home to dozens of retail, dining and drinking establishments.

As for the river corridor, there are grand ideas planned but not much currently happening, although the areas around the Hyatt and the Exploration Place have already been landscaped and "beautified" to the extent possible without major overhauls.  So that's the basis for my statement, I think you will find Rivermarket to be just a portion of what it could be and what with taking into account differences in size and layout, Old Town in Whichita is. 

Triple-A baseball team moving from New Orleans to Wichita in 2020, will reside new riverfront stadium and entertainment district.

https://www.ksn.com/news/kansas/triple- ... 1420173779

Was in Wichita for the first time a couple weeks back, some big things happening. Good to see.

- Union Station is undergoing a complete renovation.
- Next door, Cargill is wrapping a large office building.
- Few noticably newer apartment developments (including one that's a half conversion of a parking garage)
- Plenty of newer, local businesses (coffee, breweries, event spaces, more)

kcjak wrote: ↑Thu Sep 06, 2018 2:26 pm Triple-A baseball team moving from New Orleans to Wichita in 2020, will reside new riverfront stadium and entertainment district.

https://www.ksn.com/news/kansas/triple- ... 1420173779

Outstanding that it’s triple A too bad it’s the Marlins

I grew up in Wichita and go back every few years just to see friends that live in College Hill (similar to Brookside but smaller)...parents moved up to KC about 10 years ago so don't go back that often. It's a nice city that is easy to get around. The Old Town area is definitely the coolest...I wish our RiverMarket had more local restaurants and bars but the proximity to PnL wouldn't make sense. The Riverfest is definitely the best time to visit since everything is along the Arkansas river and it's very walkable.

TrolliKC wrote: ↑Fri Sep 07, 2018 9:00 am

kcjak wrote: ↑Thu Sep 06, 2018 2:26 pm Triple-A baseball team moving from New Orleans to Wichita in 2020, will reside new riverfront stadium and entertainment district.

https://www.ksn.com/news/kansas/triple- ... 1420173779

Outstanding that it’s triple A too bad it’s the Marlins

Jeter is going be hanging out in the ICT all the time now. Get ready for the gift baskets, ladies.

Good news for Wichita, though. Happy to see another team there. Seems like more and more teams are willing to have their highest affiliate located further and further away. Back in the day, it seemed like the AAA affiliates were always within a few hundred miles of the big league club. Now, the Mets are in Vegas and the Astros are in Fresno. So, this doesn't seem too far, I guess.