There was a public meeting Tuesday on a group’s proposal to renovate the Century II property, but there are still questions surrounding funding.
Penumbra International LLC went over their vision for the Wichita River Walk, which includes museum space and a hotel and convention center. The proposed development would cost about $1.5-billion. Penumbra says the funding has been raised and they don’t expect to ask for any taxpayer money, but it’s not clear exactly where the money is coming from. Investor information is not being disclosed until the city approves the project. Some local leaders and resident are expressing concern over this lack of transparency.
If approved, Penumbra says they can complete the project in just over a year. If the community is not supportive, Penumbra says they’ll pursue their ideas somewhere else.
You can find the proposal from Penumbra below.
Wichita has been hailed as the “Air Capital of the World” and we want to live up to the proud history left to us by our pioneering aircraft ancestors. With that being said, we propose to “Repurpose” the Century II Building into an International Air & Space Museum unrivaled by anything in the world. Additionally, we will construct a large observation wheel named the “Space Eye” built around an air and space theme.
As part of this new paradigm, we will design and build a 40+ story Convention Center Hotel adjacent to the new Air and Space Museum. This Convention Center Hotel will have approx. 500 rooms, complete with local restaurants, retail, and recreation facilities, convention center and exhibition space. With the addition of this hotel, it will double the size of the convention space and hotel rooms currently available downtown. The “Top of the Town” restaurant will occupy the top floor of the hotel offering a five-star dining experience. The restaurant will be constructed of floor to ceiling glass allowing guests to have a 360-degree view of the city, river and surrounding landscapes.
We also propose converting the old downtown library into the Prairie Aquarium, focusing on when Kansas was part of the great inland ocean up to the current prairie marine life.
Another feature of the project is an International Market located near the river, featuring fresh food, international cuisine and clothing items, indoor and outdoor dining facilities featuring fine dining. This will not only attract people to the river core area but will serve as a downtown grocery store long desired by downtown dwellers. In addition, a large greenhouse facility be onsite that will focus on growing local produce.
A Lego Land facility will be part of the International Market, giving parents options for small children.
We look forward to inviting the Kansas African American Museum to join the river walk project in a New Facility where the whole African American experience can be showcased.
We will design and build an indoor/outdoor women and girls’ softball facility containing 12 indoor and 8 outdoor fields. Kansas, being centrally located is an ideal location for these facilities. Tournaments can be conducted year-round without the concern of weather.
We will create retail on the river highlighting restaurant, fast food, clothing, coffee shop options etc.
Alternative/Renewable Energy will be utilized throughout the entire project, incorporating sustainability factors.
An agreement to purchase the beautiful and historic “Castle on the River” has been completed. Guests will be able to book a room conveniently through the Convention Center Hotel. We will bring several entertainment opportunities, including an outdoor Amphitheater for Performing Arts, with a large green space for outdoor activities.
Estimated project investment will nearly $1.5 billion. Private Financial commitment has been fulfilled. We do not anticipate asking any governmental agency for special treatment. What’s the next steps? If the people of the community want these improvements, we will build them using local labor and materials. This project will create 1,500 construction jobs immediately, and over 1,000 permanent jobs. We look forward to moving forward and are excited to having conversations with our fellow citizens of Wichita.
