After hearing public input, city moves forward with new stadium and development

After hearing public input, city moves forward with new stadium and development

After hearing public input, city moves forward with new stadium and development

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The Wichita City Council held a 6 p.m. meeting Tuesday instead of their usual morning meeting to allow more members of the public to be able to give input on the proposed replacement for Lawrence-Dumont Stadium and the sale of land around the stadium to developers.

The council chamber was packed with residents many of whom expressed displeasure with the city and the development, especially the sale of land around the park to a development group.  The land would be sold for $1 an acre.

That land, however, is contingent on development being completed on a time table, otherwise the developers will have to pay the city.  Some had criticized that the land was worth millions, but City Manager Robert Layton says the value of the undeveloped land is roughly around $800,000.

The original plan called for the of land adjacent of the park at Douglas and McLean to be included in the sale, but that land has been removed from the sale.  Many of the speakers also were upset about parking around the stadium.

However, City Manager Robert Layton who spoke several times during the council meeting says the city is working on a “multi-modal” parking facility at the stadium that they hope to obtain federal grant money to build.

Other residents expressed concerns over what will happen to the National Baseball Congress Tournament.  The owner of the New Orleans Babycakes, who plan to relocate to Wichita, Lou Schwechheimer says there will be some challenges because of scheduling, but they also want to work to insure the tournament’s success.

The public comment section of the meeting lasted for two hours and was followed by representatives of the development group, the team and city officials answering questions that were brought up by residents who spoke before the council.

Some of the speakers were critical of decisions made by previous councils and mayors, including the Waterwalk development.  Mayor Longwell said it was unfair to “armchair quarterback” the decision that led to the the Waterwalk, especially since everyone on the council, including the Mayor, were not there for the decisions that led to the Waterwalk.

The mayor also pointed out that the development eliminated a lot of blight downtown, even if it hasn’t been as successful as planned.  The mayor says there is currently a deal in the works for the former Gander Mountain building that could bring around 700 jobs to Wichita, but did not provide specific details.

After nearly 4 and a half hours, of comments, and questions, the city council voted 7-0 yo approved the Private Development Agreement with Wichita Riverfront LP.  After returning from a 5 minute recess, the council also voted to approve the Design-Build Amendment #2 for the stadium.

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