Former Macy’s building in downtown Wichita draws little interest

Only one developer responded to the city of Wichita’s request to redevelop the Finney State Office Building, at Market and William streets in downtown Wichita.

The nearly 200,000-square-foot building – seen as a key for downtown revitalization – originally housed the Innes Department Store and later Macy’s and Dillard’s. It was the site of the Kansas Department for Children and Families and several other state agencies until a few months ago.

On Friday, the Ferguson Property Group of Memphis and Tulsa was the only developer to respond to the city’s request. It sent in a document, 60 to 70 pages, that includes information about the company and a general proposal for the building.

Ferguson Property Group, headquartered in Tulsa, has three apartment complexes in Pittsburg and four others in Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri, according to its website.

Assistant City Manager Scot Rigby said he hadn’t looked at the proposal closely yet, but said it envisioned a mix of uses for the building. He said he wasn’t disappointed to receive only a single proposal.

“What is intriguing to us is to get somebody from outside the region who might have some new perspectives,” he said.

He said members of the Wichita Public Building Commission and city staff will review Ferguson’s proposal by June 3 to see whether they want to bring company representatives in for interviews.

This story was originally published May 10, 2016 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Former Macy’s building in downtown Wichita draws little interest."