Michael Garvey, President of Builder’s Incorporated, today announced a commitment of $10,000 toward funding of a downtown comprehensive strategic plan. The gift comes the same day the Wichita Downtown Development Corporation pledged $175,000 toward a plan to be funded in partnership with businesses and local governments.
Builder’s Incorporated is a full-service residential and commercial real estate company that has served Wichita for more than 60 years. One of its largest investments is the downtown Garvey Center located from 200 to 300 West Douglas in the heart of Downtown Wichita.
Over the past 12 years Builders Incorporated has renovated the 26 story former Holiday Inn into 141 apartments, now known as 250 Douglas Place. Through using Builders Incorporated’s own resources, 250 Douglas Place has become one of the largest apartment complexes in downtown Wichita.
In addition to these apartments the Garvey Center also features 300,000 square feet of office space over two city blocks.
“As a stakeholder in downtown, a resident of downtown and a believer in Wichita, I think it is important to move forward responsibly with a blueprint for downtown” Garvey said. “Builders Incorporated is focused on the future and is pleased to be a part of the continuing change happening in Wichita. We felt that having committed many millions of dollars as one of the largest private investors in downtown, it was important to be the first from the private sector to step forward, a group that must be part of this process.”
Mayor Carl Brewer said, “Michael’s gift to advance the future of downtown Wichita and his quick action demonstrate his leadership and commitment. Michael is a great example of a young professional and business owner dedicated to having a vision and a strategy and making sure the community is part of that effort. He is continuing the legacy of a family that has given much to Wichita.”
Tags: 250 Douglas Place, City Planning, Community, Comprehensive Plan, Developement, downtown, Investors, revitalization, strategic plan, wddc, Wichita
My wife grew up here in Wichita and I have been here since 1986 and I can tell you I have never been more excited about our future than I am today. ALL groups of people young / old, culture minded or business minded are seeing the need to unite and formulate a comprehensive plan for the future of downtown, the heart of Wichita and Sedgwick County. We are all beginning to see what many people from outside Wichita have said that we have a gem here that needs to be polished and refined. For instance Old Town being named one of the top ten neighborhoods and now Wichita being named number 1 in the list of Top 25 Uniquely American Cities & Towns by Newsmax.com. These are tough times all of us are being effected in one way or another. So let’s be sure to not shy away from our responsibility to make today and all the tomorrows to come the very best for all the citizens of Sedgwick County. PARTICIPATE GET ENGAGED!! Give your feedback, ideas, and resources. I look forward to reading each comment presented.
Larry Weber
Chairman WDDC
Comment by Larry Weber — April 29, 2009 @ 10:32 pm
One for the suggestion box. A grocery store for those who live downtown. At this time there is not one single place for residence to buy their food. Hopefully one is soon on it’s way.
My wife and I moved here a year and a half ago and love what you are doing with the city’s center. It’s a great place to visit and work. As soon as it has a food market it will be a GREAT place to live. Keep up the good work.
Comment by local resident — May 3, 2009 @ 1:40 pm
I hear the request for a grocery store a lot and have a question. Do those living downtown want a speciality store (more than a Quik trip) to pick or some items or are they looking for a Dillions? If it is the Dillions would they actually walk to the store and do their weekly shopping then walk home with 10 or 12 grocery bags over their arms or would they drive to the store? If they drive to the store is the 2 mile difference that major a factor (Douglas and Market to Douglas and Oliver) when your driving to either location due to the amount of groceries you have to bring home? Any input would be appreciated.
Comment by Larry Weber — May 5, 2009 @ 5:52 pm
Larry,
Re your questions about grocery stores: the once-a-week grocery trip is a feature of the suburbs. Rather than either Quik Trips or Dillon’s, envision a few old-style small but full-service corner grocery stores, or perhaps something like a market area with separate sellers who specialize in produce, dairy, canned goods, meats, etc. If the vision for downtown is that people really will LIVE there (as opposed to just sleep and be entertained there), then trips for groceries will be more frequent, and for fewer items. People will be more likely to walk or bike to the store–which means that such stores would require less parking.
As a downtown resident myself, I want to see downtown become truly livable–not merely a place to sleep, but a place that can meet its residents’ most basic needs. Downtown will not have been made more livable if people still have to drive more than 2 miles to buy the makings for a couple of decent meals.
Comment by John Buaas — May 10, 2009 @ 8:45 pm
I had left a comment here earlier, but it seems to have disappeared.
In response to Larry’s questions: The weekly shopping trip is a product of the rise of the suburbs, when people moved to houses further away both from work and from the older-style “corner grocery.” Supermarkets HAD to be bigger to serve larger numbers of shoppers there for longer periods of time. But a store or stores downtown would experience a different dynamic from the suburban stores. If the WDDC is truly serious about making downtown truly livable, then it has to reimagine it as a space where people will truly LIVE there–as opposed to just sleeping or being entertained there. A few smaller, full-service grocery stores (not Quik Trips, not “smokes and liquor” places, not “gourmet” stores, and not a Dillons) in the area would mean more frequent but smaller–and, thus, walkable/bike-able–shopping trips for residents. This would also mean that stores would not need to provide as many parking spaces–the vast majority of people visiting them would walk or bike there. Here’s what I would hope the WDDC will keep in mind on this issue: If downtown residents still have to drive two miles to do their full-service shopping, what advantage is there for people to move downtown? It becomes just another bedroom community–and a more expensive one than the suburbs.
I would also encourage people to make accommodations in their traffic planning for cyclists, pedestrians (dedicated bike lanes and safer sidewalks), and, perhaps, alternate means of public transportation such as trolleys. I also think that some of the area’s less-used streets could be closed to car traffic and converted to pedestrian malls with a combination of various retail and commercial outlets and housing–a combination of already-existing single-family dwellings and multifamily dwellings. Such features, I think, would both make the area truly livable for residents and attract visitors to a distinctive part of town.
Comment by John Buaas — May 11, 2009 @ 4:19 pm