Its opening may be more than a year off, but the vision is coming into more focus. read more >>

The redevelopment is part of the first complete downtown block to be redeveloped under Project Downtown. read more >>

Three Wichita organizations have landed a $125,000 grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. read more >>

The nine residential spaces at Zelman Lofts are now completely leased. read more >>

Project Downtown’s first year has yielded almost 250 new hotel rooms. read more >>

Final Friday is a popular monthly art crawl and the Arts Council wants to make sure it makes business sense. read more >>

Airbus North America Engineering in the heart of Old Town plans to hire 30 to 60 additional engineers. read more >>

If you want to party like a rock star, the Ambassador Hotel in downtown Wichita will have just the place for you on the top floor.  read more >>

Proponents of downtown development said Thursday that they are alarmed by Gov. Sam Brownback’s proposed elimination of a key redevelopment tool.  read more >>

Wichita will never be New York, but the Big Apple is Robert Eyster’s inspiration for redeveloping downtown. read more >>

Wichita Rotary Club, the Coleman Co. and Sedgwick County leaders gathered Monday in downtown to officially welcome the Rotary Time Tower. read more >>

A new effort by WDDC and retail consultant, Michael Berne, are aimed at recruiting new retailers to downtown.  read more >>

Matthew Sutherland loves his new studio apartment in the Zelman Lofts downtown.  read more >>

The drive to lure new retailers downtown will ramp up after the first of the year, city officials say. read more >>

A year ago, forecasters called for slow economic improvement in the year to come. read more >>

Wichita voters will get to decide Feb 28 on whether to tap the city bed tax to help finance a boutique hotel downtown.  read more >>

The local Americans for Prosperity group deserves credit for finding enough signatures to force a public vote.  read more >>

Projects completed, slated for city center generate excitement in revitalization plan. read more >>

The Kansas Health Foundation added its name to the growing list of developers planning projects Downtown. read more >>

A group of three local investors is now the owner of most of downtown Wichita’s Petroleum Building. read more >>

Charolett Knapic is addressing one of the biggest complaints about downtown Wichita: its lack of a grocery store.  read more >>

The Kansas Health Foundation plans a multimillion-dollar expansion to its downtown headquarters. read more >>

The Kansas Health Foundation is reaffirming its commitment to downtown Wichita by expanding its headquarters.  read more >>

Developers Robert Eyster and Michael Ramsey are offering a sneak peek at their new Zelman Lofts on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  read more >>

The Old Town Marriott Courtyard Hotel will be refinanced and reorganized under a plan approved Tuesday by the Wichita City Council. read more>>

Whatever the wording on the Americans for Prosperity petition targeting the Ambassador hotel project, the real question for Wichitans is whether they want downtown to amount to a few points of pride surrounded by decay and inactivity.  read more>>

 Developer Robert Eyster purchased the former Protection One building. read more>>

 A proposed botique hotel at Douglas and Broadway could become a referendum on downtown redevelopment. read more>>

The Wichita Downtown Development Corp. received a Downtown Pinnacle Award Saturday from the International Downtown Association. read more>>

The Wagonmasters Downtown Chili Cookoff on Saturday may have set a new attendance recordk. read more >>

As Wichita undertakes an ambitious effort to revitalize the city center, the community is celebrating the 20th birthday of Old Town. read more >>

Old Town's always been an architectural metaphor for Wichita's progress.read more >>

It’s difficult to remember a time when Wichita didn’t have Larkspur’s lush patio, Heroes’ cheap date night and a downtown movie theater.  read more >>

A group of Wichita leaders took a first-hand look last week at how Pittsburgh, Pa., officials brought their downtown back from an economic collapse in the 1980s. read more >>

Nobody said it was going to be easy to undertake a major downtown revitalization. read more >>

Key Construction Inc. is poised for a big influx of work as it prepares to start work on the Douglas Building into a downtown boutique hotel. read more >>

Preliminary interior demolition has begun at downtown's first boutique hotel. read more >>

The biggest project in the latest drive to revitalize downtown moved a step closer to reality. read more >>

Pittsburgh, once famed as the home of the nation's steel industry, has been forced to reinvent itself over the last two or three decades as that industry disappeared.  read more >>

The first project proposed under new rules to protect the taxpayers' investment in downtown goes before the city council Tuesday.  read more >>

The city has backed off on a plan to give a $7.5 million no-bid contract to Key Construction for a downtown parking garage. read more >>

It has been a year since a consultant first rolled out Project Downtown, the master plan to revitalize Wichita's downtown. read more >>

Cargill has committed to donate $1 million to the Greater Wichita YMCA in Downtown. read more >>

GLMV Architecture is getting ready to put the final touches on the merger that created Wichita’s third largest design firm nearly two years ago.  read more >>

Developer Robert Eyster has purchased another downtown building. read more >>

A public information meeting will be held Tuesday to discuss a road project that will temporarily disrupt downtown traffic flow.  read more >>

Wichitans will get their first look this week at a step back into Douglas's past, a remake that evokes memories of its history as a vibrant, walkable business pathway.  read more >>

A new office project is coming to the former Automobilia building downtown.  read more >>

Why take the stairs when you could use a 13-foot-high stainless-steel slide to go between floors? read more >>

Downtown redevelopment officials will trot out their new Innovation Center during an open house this afternoon. read more >>

Delano will host a block party and ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the installation of bicycle racks.  read more >>

A proposed downtown boutique hotel at Douglas and Broadway cleared its first governmental hurdle. read more >>

Jason Gregory chuckles at his good fortune.  read more >>

City Council will take the step Tuesday of considering a letter of intent for a public-private hotel. read more >>

Work that county and city officials hope will bring St. Francis and Second back to life is about to begin. read more >>

Jerry Bogle has been riding his bicycle to work in downtown Wichita for nearly three decades. read more >>

Wichita Downtown Development Corp. seeking public feedback on eight possible redesigns of Douglas Avenue.  read more >>

If timing is everything, then Wichita's 90-year-old Orpheum Theatre couldn't have picked a better time to launch a multimillion-dollar capital renovation campaign.  read more >>

The Broadview Hotel has reopened.  read more >>

Paul Coury says he's lucky to be in Wichita.  read more >>

Wichitans got their first look Wednesday night at what Douglas might look like in a redeveloped downtown.  read more >>

Gander Mountain is ready to remodel and add a Gander Mountain Academy to its WaterWalk store downtown.  read more >>

Greg Kiefer stood in the middle of a crosswalk on Douglas near Rock Island for about 10 seconds Monday. read more >>

Wichitans traveling downtown on Tuesday can expect some delays.  read more >>

A Colorado-based street design firm will be in Wichita next week.  read more >>

A summer after Wichita took delivery of its downtown master plan, things are moving from forecast to fruition. read more >>

Cargill officially opened its new Innovation Center at 300 W. First St. in downtown Wichita on Friday with speeches and tours.  read more >>

A month ago, the WBJ published a story about how apartment projects seemed to be the hot development item. read more >>

Cargill Inc. on Friday plans to unveil its newest Wichita facility — a $14.7 million, 75,000-square-foot research and development center.  read more >>

Wichita's Project Downtown landed its biggest public-private partnership, a $30 million four-star hotel.  read more >>

A Tulsa developer plans to revamp the Commodore Apartments in downtown Wichita, converting the 80-year-old building to its original use as a hotel.  read more >>

A firm working on streetscape concepts for Douglas Avenue in downtown Wichita will present initial concepts and collect feedback later this month.  read more >>

The Board of Trade building at 120 S. Market is the latest acquisition for nascent downtown developer Robert Eyster.  read more >>

One of the last potential redevelopment properties in Old Town is back on the market.  read more >>

The 500 block of East Douglas downtown has landed its second new business of the summer.  read more >>

It's a rare sight to see a number of presidents and chief executives of some of the city's biggest banks in one room together.   read more >>

Is Sedgwick County ready for another sales tax initiative to pay for a large capital project?  Read more >>

Wichita developer David Burk says downtown Wichita wasn‟t held back by the Great Recession.  read more >>

Several local banks have joined forces to provide a little extra help for developers looking to push their downtown projects over the top.  read more >>

Any developer or investor has to know his or her project can make money before pulling the trigger on a deal.  read more >>

When Stanion Wholesale Electric bought a building in south Wichita, planning to vacate its longtime home downtown, a company executive said the downtown master plan was one of the reasons for the move.  read more >>

Passersby will see an active downtown storefront, a center for development and change in downtown Wichita.  read more >>

Looks like another part of the plan for downtown Wichita is coming together.  read more >>

Twelve Wichita banks have committed $8 million in private funds to a joint loan program for qualifying downtown Wichita projects.  read more >>

When downtown consultants with Goody Clancy discussed the area where the Coleman manufacturing plant used to be at the southeast corner of Second and St. Francis, they dubbed it Old Town West.  read more >>

Since getting a life-giving refinance on Wichita Executive Centre, owner David Lundberg says he is seeing some progress among his large portfolio of downtown commercial office space.  read more >>

With opening day a little more than a month away, renovation work is winding down at the Drury Plaza Hotel Broadview in downtown Wichita.  read more >>

The first guests will come through the door Friday afternoon when Jim Korroch opens his Fairfield Inn and Suites Hotel at WaterWalk.  read more >>

The Broadview Hotel can add a driveway and the city of Wichita can expand one of its downtown development catalyst sites after a transaction approved Tuesday.  read more >>

Alltite and MobileCal founder Tom Smith has closed on his deal to buy a 14,000-square-foot building at 141 S. Rock Island near The Wichita Eagle.  read more >>

A majority of Wichita City Council members say they are ready to approve building a new terminal and parking garage at Wichita's Mid-Continent Airport.   read more >>

Mike Berne is more than a report writer.  The New York City-based retail consultant and recruiter is in Wichita this week, gearing up to land several retailers for downtown.  read more >>

Douglas Avenue could become a haven for major construction equipment if four downtown developers get their way in launching a series of apartment projects.  read more >>

The Broadview Hotel in downtown Wichita is undergoing a significant renovation that includes an amphitheater and sidewalk system leading to the river.  read more >>

Wichita may test new parking meters at Century II that let drivers pay with a credit card, get text messages warning before the meter expires and feed it by phone.  read more >>

Wichita officials hope their new downtown incentive policy signals a philosophical shift from "build it and they will come to" to "build it as they come."  read more >>

Today's Wichita City Council vote on $12 million in industrial revenue bonds for a new downtown hotel is a formality or a lesson, depending on the players.  read more >>

Getting the city’s new downtown development incentives policy on paper and ready for the Wichita City Council was challenging enough. read more >>

Work is complete on the city's new public investment guidelines for downtown revitalization, according to city and downtown development officials. read more >>

If you're seeing the letters WAM showing up in storefront windows downtown, you're witnessing the Wichita Art Museum hitting the "refresh" button.  read more >>

The Wichita Community Foundation and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation have awarded $64,000 to the Wichita Downtown Development Corp. for creation of an Innovation Center in downtown.  read more >>

Jack DeBoer knows a thing or two about the tourism industry.  read more >>

Mayor Carl Brewer said Tuesday that art is in the eye of the beholder.  read more >>

Kelly Donham’s proposal to convert the Caldwell-Murdock building into apartments in downtown and to add a one-story commercial clubhouse where the infamous “hole” now is got unanimous approval.  read more >>

The Wichita City Council will be asked Tuesday to approve an agreement to hire a Denver consulting firm to study bus transportation for the downtown stretch of Douglas Avenue and how to make it more walkable.  read more >>

Mike Berne, an urban retail consultant, will be in Wichita later this month to begin work identifying and recruiting niche retail to downtown.  read more >>

Work on the new face of J.P. Weigand's downtown corporate office continues, with the company's corporate reshuffling almost complete. read more >>

Given up for dead by many in Wichita, "Minnesota Guys" Dave Lundberg and Michael Elzufon are back and ready to push ahead with transforming downtown.  read more >>

Intended to be both a road map and a welcome mat, the city’s proposed public incentive policy for Project Downtown should become a valuable document as the implementation of the master plan proceeds.  read more >>

Venues Today Magazine ranked Intrust Bank Arena as the top arena for gross ticket sales in 2010 among venues of its size in the Midwest.  read more >>

Officials with the city and the Wichita Downtown Development Corp. said last week that their evolving public incentive policy for downtown included limiting the use tax increment financing.  read more >>

The “hole” may get filled in after all. Wichita businessman Kelly Donham has proposed constructing a building on a much-criticized portion of East Douglas Avenue.  read more >>

City officials have unveiled new criteria that developers will have to meet to earn public assistance with downtown redevelopment projects.  read more >>

Interest in eight downtown lots that the City is marketing in an effort to spur downtown redevelopment remained steady as the deadline for proposals on those sites looms.   read more >>

The Wichita City Council on Tuesday accepted applications from two property owners to finance facade improvements for their downtown buildings.  read more >>

The Wichita YMCA's plans for a new downtown facility took a significant step when the City Council approved issuing $23 million in industrial revenue bonds.  read more >>

Three great community projects further confirm that downtown isn’t letting the economy get it down.  read more >>

With fundraising off to a healthy start, demolition began Monday for the new downtown YMCA.  read more >>

The Rotary Club of Wichita and the Coleman Co. announced Monday that they're teaming up on a downtown urban park at the southeast corner of Second and St. Francis, on the site of the old Coleman manufacturing plant that's being razed.  read more >>

Mayor Carl Brewer says he remembers visiting the YMCA in 1960s and 1970s. He would catch the bus downtown and meet up with friends, and play basketball all day long.  read more >>

A better picture is emerging of what the county’s new parking lot will look like at the site of old Coleman Co. headquarters at Second and St. Francis.  read more >>

There are a number of indicators that demonstrate development interest in our city center.  read more >>

Great job hosting NCAA tournament  read more >>

With the Goody Clancy plan being adopted by City Council and Sedgwick County Commission into the city-county comprehensive plan, and with developers and businesses showing new interest in the core, downtown is ready to grow.  read more >>

TECT Aerospace has signed a lease for 5,600 square feet at the R.H. Garvey Building at 300 W. Douglas. read more >>

WaterWalk officials say they're laying groundwork for more development downtown, as its most significant commercial project to date nears completion.  read more >>

Wichita's economic future depends on growing and retaining talent, an urban-development specialist told an Orpheum crowd Thursday night. read more >>

Add Wichita to the list of cities chasing a $1 million prize for raising and retaining community talent.  read more >>

Carol Coletta grew up in south Memphis. But she says she really discovered her hometown in about the seventh grade. read more >>

Jason Gregory has been named executive vice president of the Wichita Downtown Development Corp.  read more >>

A retired school administrator, a retired businessman and a 22-year-old master's degree student will face one another in the general election for the Wichita school board's at large seat.  read more >>

Carol Coletta, the chief executive of Chicago-based CEOs for Cities, will be the guest speaker for the March 10 annual lecture of the Wichita Downtown Development Corp.  read more >>

Eleven candidates running for the Wichita school district's at-large seat say they want to increase student achievement, tackle budget cuts and thoughtfully consider divisive issues such as school attendance boundaries.  read more >>

Flooding remains a concern in southwest Wichita, roads need to be improved, and seniors who live there could use some help.  read more >>

When longtime City Council member Jim Skelton moved over to the Sedgwick County Commission last month, his council district lost a strong advocate.  read more >>

The Greater Wichita YMCA's plans for a new downtown facility leaped forward Tuesday when the City Council voiced its intent to finance the project with $23 million in industrial revenue bonds.  read more >>

Given the makeup of the City Council's District 2 in east Wichita, business issues are expected to drive this spring's election.  read more >>

The Wichita City Council on Tuesday approved a letter of intent to issue the Greater Wichita YMCA $23 million in industrial revenue bonds to construct a new downtown branch.  read more >>

Economic development tools that the city uses to attract and develop businesses came under fire Saturday from many of the candidates running for seats on the Wichita City Council.  read more >>

By traditional political measures (such as name recognition, financing and experience) none of the men challenging Mayor Carl Brewer in this year's election stands much of a chance.  read more >>

Intrust Bank Arena made $2 million and change in its first year, unaudited figures show.  read more >>

The demolition of the old Coleman building downtown will cost $120,000 more than estimated because of asbestos found in 65,000 square feet of roofing materials.  read more >>

The city of Wichita is considering issuing $23 million in industrial revenue bonds to help finance construction of a proposed new downtown YMCA.  read more >>

Emprise Bank will be moving about 25 employees to its downtown headquarters as it consolidates its operations division in one location.  read more >>

Wichita officials put eight city-owned downtown lots on the market. In a 12-page booklet called "Project Downtown: Catalyst Sites," the city invited 250 developers to submit ideas for the tracts deemed strategic assets to downtown's revitalization.  read more >>

Credit both Wichita’s natural resilience and current leadership for the fact that Mayor Carl Brewer could do more than survey the damage of the difficult past year in Tuesday’s State of the City address.  read more >>

For all the feverish local interest in the affairs of the national and state governments, today’s noon filing deadline for the spring municipal elections and 6 p.m. State of the City address by Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer return the political spotlight to City Hall.  read more >>

Linkhaus developers Robert Eyster and Michael Ramsey were looking for a second site to put their hot dog restaurant last year when they toured the Zelman building downtown.  read more >>

INTRUST Bank Arena is starting its second year with the news that Pollstar ranked it 46th in the world in 2010 based on ticket sales.  read more>>

Within two years, if YMCA backers do as they say they can do, a new $23 million Central Family YMCA will open to replace the decrepit downtown Y.  read more>> 

Before we start, a request: No Toto jokes. And check “we’re not in Kansas anymore’’ at the door. There. Now you have permission to travel to Wichita. read more>>

It turns out that, as predicted, the former Zelman’s building is soon going to be seeing a lot more activity than just an estate sale. Earlier this month, Have You Heard? reported that there’s going to be an estate sale at the 15,000-square-foot building on the northeast corner of Douglas and St. Francis on Dec. 30, 31 and Jan. 1.  >> read more

INTRUST Bank Executive Vice President Gary Schmitt, a Wichita Downtown Development Corp. board member, and WDDC President Jeff Fluhr are among those working on initiatives to spur private investment in downtown development, including a lenders’ consortium. read more>>

The Wichita City Council added its stamp of approval Tuesday to Project Downtown, the master plan for downtown revitalization for up to the next 20 years.  read more>>

Despite its diverse membership, the Wichita City Council has been admirably steadfast and unified over the past two years in its commitment to downtown planning, understanding the importance of the health of the city’s heart to the community’s identity and future. read more>>

If Dave Burk pulls the trigger on plans to redevelop the Douglas Building in downtown Wichita, he will have picked the ideal spot for a residential project in the city's core, downtown observers say. read more>>

The Wichita-Sedgwick County Metropolitan Planning Commission voted unanimously last week to adopt Project Downtown, the master plan for revitalizing downtown Wichita. read more>>

A group of developers is near a deal with Cox Communications to buy the downtown Union Station complex and plan to create a mixed-use entertainment and retail venue in the historic train station, multiple sources say. read more>>

The historic Coleman Co. building at Second and St. Francis in downtown Wichita will be torn down. read more>>

Downtown officials will roll out a 10-page guide to available development incentives next week, the first step in their one-stop information shop for retail and residential prospects.  The document, a comprehensive list of incentives and criteria to develop projects downtown, will be rolled out on the Wichita Downtown Development Corp's website.  read more>>

The city of Wichita and the Wichita Downtown Development Corp. are making public the final version of the city’s new master plan for downtown. read more>>

LOUISVILLE, Ky. —As the Visioneering Wichita group prepared to hear about Louisville's parks and waterfront development on Wednesday — the group's last day in the Kentucky city — a discussion kicked off about what Wichita leaders are going to do with the information they learned here once they got home. read more>>

Much has been said and written about the downtown master plan in the past few weeks. Even if you have no involvement of any kind with downtown, there are many reasons you should support the Goody Clancy plan. read more>>

What Boston-based consultants Goody Clancy have imagined for downtown Wichita is something much more than it has become in the decades since the department stores closed, major employers moved to the city’s fringes, and decay settled in even along once-grand Douglas Avenue. read more>>

Though the goal of a vibrant downtown Wichita has generated some successes over the past few decades, including the Old Town district and the Intrust Bank Arena, the process has been halting and frustrating. read more>>

The Wichitans that filed into the Bank of America atrium Tuesday night didn't need a sales pitch on downtown revitalization. Several hundred of them came in search of details, and that was good enough for Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer. read more>>

Wichita city officials announced Monday afternoon the first steps to implement the $600 million downtown revitalization master plan that will be unveiled today. read more>>

City officials on Tuesday will roll out a $600 million redevelopment plan for downtown Wichita, with $500 million of that coming from private investors over the next decade. read more>>

Ridership on the city’s downtown Q-Line has spiked five-fold since INTRUST Bank Arena opened in January. read more>>

It was important the downtown master plan be approached as a business plan based on economics. In the process, three economic specialists have identified our market demand in housing, retail, office and hotels. read more>>

A Washington Post travel writer recently wrote about Wichita and focused on the appeal of its downtown. The piece reinforced what people attending community meetings have been saying: Downtown defines a city's identity.  read more>>

Wichita’s public transit system would be much more effective for commuters and consumers if it were laid out in a grid, rather than the current “hub and spoke” system in which all routes go downtown, the Wichita City Council heard Tuesday. read more>>

The city should ditch its bare-bones bus routes and switch to a grid system that cuts down on transfers and is easier to use, according to a new study by University of Kansas graduate students. read more>>

Real Development's planned 17,000-square-foot Exchange Market & Deli, on the northeast corner of Douglas and Market, got a boost Monday morning when the Kansas Department of Commerce approved $2.5 million in federal bonds. read more>>

The Wichita City Council agreed Tuesday that Mayor Carl Brewer should sign a petition authorizing possible creation of a Community Improvement District at the Broadview Hotel. read more>>

The public has spoken about the future of Wichita’s downtown. Some of the answers surprised the people preparing for next month’s rollout of Wichita’s downtown revitalization master plan. read more>>

The time-honored custom of passing down land through generations is complicating plans to begin drawing developers to downtown Wichita, with the city's comprehensive revitalization plan a month away. read more>>

More than $100 million in capital investment projects either have been completed recently or are on the drawing board in downtown Wichita. read more>>

When it opened nearly a century ago with a $75,000 grant from Andrew Carnegie, the Wichita Carnegie Library was considered a temple of fine taste and culture. read more>>

Developers of Wichita‟s WaterWalk development on Thursday celebrated the groundbreaking of a new hotel at the downtown project, along with progress on a landscaped area they‟re calling WaterWalk Commons.  read more>>

With several pieces of construction equipment resting behind him, Jack DeBoer promised to usher in a new era of kept promises at WaterWalk. On Thursday evening, he hosted an elaborate groundbreaking for the new $12 million Fairfield Inn and Suites at WaterWalk, at the corner of Main and Dewey. read more>>

Jack DeBoer's effort to revive WaterWalk now has a road map. This week, DeBoer is releasing his long-range plan for the troubled project in downtown Wichita and said he has had enough success in recent months to merit the public's confidence. read more>>

Residents at a community meeting Wednesday night on the downtown revitalization plan said they wanted the area to become a destination for Wichitans that was easy to get around and easy to get to. read more>>

Sarah Palin drew 2,973 in May for her fundraising speech at Intrust Bank Arena, according to a report provided Wednesday to the Sedgwick County Commission.  read more>>

Wichita has had a few weeks now to live with the draft downtown master plan, as well as with the lifeless blocks and sidewalks of the status quo. Of course, Wichita also has had time to gather downtown to spend a summer night with the Eagles or Michael Buble at the Intrust Bank Arena, with Music Theatre of Wichita at Century II, with the Wingnuts at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium, with a music act or moviemaker at the Orpheum Theatre, with friends in Old Town, or to enjoy one of the city's great attractions along the riverfront.  read more>>

The first of eight public meetings concerning Wichita's new downtown development plan is set for tonight. Designers want feedback and input from residents outside of the downtown area on their preliminary 20-year master plan revealed last month. Tonight's meeting is at 7 at the Atwater Neighborhood City Hall, 2755 E. 19th St. read more>>

With a fresh coat of paint, new windows and re-finished hardwood floors, the Wichita Boathouse is ready for its first tenant in more than five years. A series of renovations totaling $650,000 wrapped up May 31 and the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame, the new occupant, is beginning to move its collection into the building on the east bank of the Arkansas River near Waterman.  read more>>

Cargill being Cargill, the traditional scooping of dirt with gold shovels was replaced by the slapping of steaks on a large grill. Cargill Meat Solutions officially kicked off construction of its $14.7 million, 75,000-square-foot Innovation Center at First and Wichita streets in downtown on Monday. read more>>

When Airbus wanted to expand engineering work in Wichita, it was great news for Bill Greer. But it also created a problem for him. There wasn't enough room at the Airbus North America Engineering office in Old Town.  read more>>

If the city is going to pump more public money into downtown revitalization, it needs a clear set of guidelines for developers and a transparent vetting process that inspires public confidence, consultants say.  read more>>

Wichita needs to create communities downtown, a team of East Coast consultants said last week as they began to add detail to their vision of a revitalized center city.  read more>>

An urban landscape with more of everything, starting with people. Places to live, work and gather alongside the great Arkansas River, as well as ways to access it. The gaps filled in with more bars, restaurants, stores, hotels and parks. Districts that are walkable but also linked by bus transit.  read more>>

Intrust Bank Arena's first six months are beginning to filter down to its downtown neighbors. SMG, the arena's operator, is the big financial winner so far, but it's not alone. There have been losers, too, as neighborhood businesses find their way with new arena traffic.  read more>>

In the 1920s, streetcars zinged up and down Douglas Avenue. Then, as was the case in many cities, they were removed as more people began using cars. read more>>

Wary of trying to scoot across the expanse of Douglas to reach Century II? Want something to finally be done with the old Henry's building at Broadway and William? Want to come downtown, park once and still be able to get from one end to the other? read more>>

Wichitans will get their "first tangible sense of what downtown can be" during Monday's detailed look at a consultant's vision for the future. The 5:30 p.m. presentation by Goody Clancy officials at the Scottish Rite Temple, 332 E. First St., will be the public's first look at how the consultants think downtown attractions can best be linked. read more>>

Wichita’s downtown still leaves a lot to be desired. Decades of talk and millions of dollars of public investment have produced results, yet have fallen short of transforming the city’s heart into the place to work, live, shop, dine and party and — most important — into a source of pride. read more >>

Old Town developer Dave Burk says his latest creation — The Flats at 324 —
has reached 90 percent occupancy five months after he converted the old
Wichita High School to apartments. read more>>

Downtown revitalization landed its first major corporate endorsement Tuesday when Cargill officials announced plans to build a $14.7 million innovation center on Wichita Street between First and Second streets. read more>>

Cargill Meat Solutions on May 5 purchased a half city block at 1st and Wichita streets. The property contains a parking lot. Cargill Meat Solutions Corp. has purchased half a city block near its downtown Wichita headquarters as it seeks approval from its parent company to build a new research and development center in the city’s core.  read more>>

Goody Clancy officials brought their plan to revitalize downtown into a little clearer focus Wednesday night before about 225 people at the Scottish Rite center. read more>>

Real Development's ambitious Exchange Place condo project in the heart of downtown is moving forward. After a flurry of last-minute negotiations, Wichita City Council members approved a total of $10.3 million in city financing Tuesday. That gives the Minnesota-based developers the assets they say they need to secure a $30 million, federally backed loan. read more>>

Gov. Mark Parkinson on Monday signed a bill revamping the state's historic-tax-credit program. read more>>

It used to seem as if there were more statues of people downtown than actual human beings. But that has been changing, and the number of people living downtown could double in coming years — which is important to reviving downtown and growing our city. read more>>

Steve Wilbur has the "inventory wanted" sign out at his downtown Wichita brokerage. Wilbur, managing broker at United Country Theurer Auction/Realty at 509 E. Douglas, said Monday that demand is mounting for commercial property downtown.  read more>>

About 130 people — community activists, civic leaders, elected officials, business representatives, downtown residents and others — showed up Saturday to help craft the future of downtown Wichita.  read more>>

Senate panel advances historic tax credit plan.  read more>>

In about eight weeks, Wichita officials should have the beginnings of a retail recruitment checklist, spelling out the types of businesses that can prosper in a successfully revitalized downtown.  read more>>

The Wichita City Council on Tuesday approved a set of financial incentives to jump-start commercial development at WaterWalk.  read more>>

Wichita City Council members surely wish they could land another high-quality hotel for WaterWalk without the use of public funds and incentives, and that the proposal for a $12 million Marriott Fairfield Inn and Suites had come up when the public mood wasn't so hostile toward government and its spending.  read more>>

The Wichita Downtown Development Corp. and the city have rolled out the latest in a series of moves to connect Intrust Bank Arena customers with parking and entertainment: a mobile application mapping available parking lots and nearby restaurants for specific arena events.  read more>>

Housing isn't the only market not being met by Wichita's Downtown.  read more>>

Wichita's downtown has the market to support 1,000 new households over the next five to seven years.  read more>>

Mary Wright's decision this week to keep the Old Mill Tasty Shop open on event nights at Intrust Bank Arena surprised even her.  read more>>

Airbus North America will add 80 new jobs in Wichita over the next three years, the company said Thursday.  read more>>

A pricey welcome mat of asphalt, steel and cement is rolled out in all directions for the opening of Intrust Bank Arena this
week.  read more>>

There are commercial and residential projects on the table downtown, many with a local flavor, according to a variety of city officials. But the reality is that completed deals will come slowly in 2010, as the commercial credit crunch sorts itself out and as a Boston-based consultant finishes work on a long-range master plan for downtown redevelopment.  read more>>

Charlie and Cindy Claycomb are fans of Wichita State University's volleyball team and wish they could have spent the weekend watching the women play in the NCAA Tournament in Ames, Iowa.  Instead, they stayed home and took part in events designed to allow them to put their mark on shaping downtown's future. read more>>

A bank sign flashed a temperature reading of 31 degrees shortly after noon Friday. Nice day for a stroll around downtown? Not really.  read more>>

Some themes are emerging as the city's downtown revitalization consultant continues its listening tour.  read more>>

David Dixon laughs at the question: Can Wichita's downtown be successfully redeveloped? "Certainly," said Dixon, the principal in charge of urban planning and design at Goody, Clancy & Associates in Boston. Dixon's firm has a $500,000 contract to pull together a vision of what Wichitans want from their downtown.  read more>>

Downtown development philosophies clashed in the Wichita City Council chambers on Tuesday.  read more>>

In a little more than a year, Wichita may have a new, 20-year blueprint for downtown revitalization.  City leaders and consultants say the plan will be based on input from residents. It's likely to call for taxpayers to continue investing money in the city's core, roughly bounded by Kellogg, Central, Seneca and Washington.  read more>>

Wichita officials are nearing a $500,000 agreement with Goody Clancy to develop a downtown revitalization master plan.  read more>>

Those looking for a free lift around downtown will have more options starting this week. The city-operated Q-Line trolleys have expanded service to six nights a week from three. The trolleys now run from 6 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 6 p.m. to midnight Friday, and from noon to midnight on Saturday.  read more>>

A Boston planning firm has been selected to develop a business plan for downtown Wichita's future. Goody Clancy is the lead planner in a seven-firm consortium unanimously chosen Friday afternoon by Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer's downtown revitalization steering committee.  read more>>

Steering committee recommends Goody Clancy.  The Wichita Downtown Revitalization Steering Committee today endorsed the selection of Goody Clancy to lead the downtown planning process. The firm was chosen from four finalists that made public presentations Tuesday and Wednesday.  read more>>

The four finalists to plan downtown's future have submitted proposals that they will outline to the public in Wichita later this month.  read more>>

The collapse last week of a deal to buy Union Station poses no threat to planning downtown revitaliation, says the mayor.  read more>>

Public parking in the garage attached to Wichita City Hall could soon be eliminated.  read more >>

The sluggish WaterWalk project downtown may soon undergo its fifth major change since city officials approved the shopping, office and condo venture seven years ago.  read more >>

As the Intrust Bank Arena nears completion, the Sedgwick County Commission is poised to spend about $1.1 million on high-tech parking signs and cash registers.  read more >>

It has been more than three years since 721 Wichita and Sedgwick County residents filled out surveys showing how adamant they are about having parking near Intrust Bank Arena, the big house their tax dollars built.  read more >>

Hundreds of people crowded into Old Town Square on Friday night to celebrate the city's new All-America City status and take advantage of a new state law that allows drinking between venues.  read more >>

Four finalists were selected Thursday to submit proposals to handle downtown Wichita's revitalization master plan.  read more >>

Wichita must "unwaky" its downtown parking, a Sedgwick County commissioner said Thursday, drawing a laugh but also making a point that others say is crucial to the success of Intrust Bank Arena.  read more >>

The hockey players' lockers at Intrust Bank Arena sport a feature you likely will never see but certainly could appreciate.  read more>>

The WIchita City Council pledged $225,000 in city and federal funds Tuesday to a comprehensive planning process for downtown redevelopment.  The move clears the way to hire a planner this summer to develop a way to link the city's downtown attractions in a series of entertainment and retail corridors.  read more >>

The Wichita Downtown Development Corp. board kicked off a drive Thursday to raise at least $500,000 for downtown’s redevelopment plan, committing $175,000 of its own money.  read more >>

The Wichita Downtown Development Corp. on Thursday announced it would provide $175,000 toward a comprehensive development plan for downtown Wichita. The funding comes as numerous public meetings are being held, at the request of Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer, by downtown stakeholders to discuss the future of the city’s core. read more >>