Triple Crown Realty Trust starts work on Camping World, Gander Outdoors

Triple Crown Realty Trust has started preliminary work at the new Steeple Bay mixed-use development at I-235 and Seneca where Camping World and Gander Outdoors will open next year.

“It looks completely different today than it did last Friday,” says Jeff Lowrance, property development manager for Lange Real Estate.

Storm shelters and mobile home pads have been razed, as will be the former Lakeshore Club.

“Everything that was there is going away,” Lowrance says.

The 80-acre Steeple Bay is bordered by I-235 to the north, Seneca to the west, MacArthur to the south and Gold Street to the east.

Marcus Lemonis’ two stores will anchor the development when they open in the second quarter next year.

The 44,000-square-foot Gander Outdoors and the 33,000-square-foot Camping World will be situated by a lake and use the space between the stores and the lake for product displays.

Dirt from the lake will be used to build up the site where the stores will go.

Lowrance says the hope is someone will do a concept similar to what the Lakeshore Club once was.

“That was a big deal for a lot of folks,” he says. “People have a lot of fond memories of the Lakeshore Club.”

However, he said the old building “needed to go away.”

“We’d love to have somebody bring a new restaurant there that backs up to the beach or maybe has an outdoor dining area.”

Swimming at the lake is a possibility, too.

“We’re still having discussions,” Lowrance says. “It all depends on the operator. We want to incorporate the water.”

Steeple Bay is part of what Lange Real Estate has dubbed the larger Crossgate District on the south side.

Triple Crown is “the economic engine behind everything we’re doing for the Crossgate District,” Lowrance says.

Lubrication Engineers CEO Scott Schwindaman has joined Triple Crown’s board.

“He’s got a wonderful reputation,” Lowrance says. “He’s our kind of people.”

Schwindaman says he wants to help the area.

“The reason I’m out there is I believe in the advancement of south Wichita and the opportunities . . . for businesses to go there and grow there.”

This story was originally published August 6, 2018 at 5:40 PM.