Planning tour highlights downtown river access, strengths and weaknesses of Century II
More pollinating plants to help support butterflies and bees, rooftop greenery, better access for the disabled and parking that’s hidden out of site.
Those were among ideas floated Tuesday as community members were invited to give their thoughts on what comes next on the east bank of the Arkansas River in downtown Wichita.
The occasion was the first of four “urban explorations” scheduled Tuesday and Wednesday by the Riverfront Legacy Master Plan group, a public-private consortium re-envisioning the area now occupied by the Century II Convention and Performing Arts Center and the WaterWalk.
The exploration was in essence a walking tour of the riverfront near Century II, with stops along the way to encourage Wichitans to talk about possibilities of redevelopment.
Amber Luther of Populous, the design group hired to craft the plan, showed historical slides and discussed an outdoor festival area that was planned, but then discarded in the 1930s when the Depression hit.
Open space was a recurring theme in the talks by the Populous planners. They said there’s copious open space along the river now, but it’s broken up into small parcels where what’s needed is a large open space that can be used for big events.
Luther said one key question is “how do we start to think about public space for 40,000, 50,000 people?”
Better access to the river was also highlighted by the planners.
“How are you experiencing the river?” asked Populous landscape architect Brian Smith. “But here’s the big question, the most important question: How would you like to be experiencing the river?”
In the early days of Wichita, “the city was right up to the river,” Luther said. But development over the years has generally faced away from the river rather than toward it, the planners said.
“Currently, this series of buildings kind of forms a wall” that discourages river access on foot or bicycle, Luther said.
She did draw some chuckles from the crowd when she pronounced the name of the river as “Arkansaw,” like the rest of the country, rather than the locally preferred “Ar-Kansas.”
Inside Century II, Angela Cassette of Music Theatre Wichita talked about the strengths and deficiencies of the round, blue-roofed performing arts building.
On the upside, there’s space for workshops to make sets, paint backdrops, sew costumes and in general construct a play from start to finish, which is something that many cities’ performing arts centers don’t have.
On the downside, loading docks are inadequate, sound bleeds from one auditorium to the next, ventilation is poor, and Internet access is a challenge.
She said whether the building stays or goes, three things are kind of go-to-war issues for Music Theatre: It can’t go dark during the construction period, a new building would need sufficient production space and, although it doesn’t have to be as expensive as some centers, it has to be well-planned and done right.
Susie Santo of Visit Wichita, the city’s convention bureau, highlighted the shortcomings of the existing facilities for modern conventions.
At 200,000 square feet, it’s about the right size for what convention planners want, she said. But the problem is it’s split between the two buildings, the performing arts building and the attached Bob Brown Expo Hall. Also, while the Expo Hall is 90,000 feet of floor space, about 30,000 is substandard under 15-foot ceilings that don’t meet industry standards, she said.
“This is not the space that meeting planners today are looking for,” she said.
But there was also skepticism for tearing down the building, a local landmark.
“I believe it would be pretty faulty to the identity of the community if they simply destroy Century II, said state Rep. Emil Bergquist, R-Park City, whose district includes parts of Wichita.
The tours continue Wednesday with opportunities at 7:30 a.m and noon. Those tours will start at the Riverview Ballroom in the Hyatt Regency Hotel, 400 West Waterman.
Participants are asked to RSVP for the tours at www.riverfrontlegacywichita.org. Those without computer access can call 316-500-6650.
This story was originally published September 24, 2019 at 7:59 PM.
