City rents park land for restaurants’ outdoor dining; opponent vows brown-bag sit-in
The Wichita City Council has decided to turn part of Naftzger Park over to restaurants for private outdoor dining spaces, despite a threat from opponents to enforce public access with a brown-bag sit-in.
The unanimous decision came after several people, including the restaurateur, the chairman of the Park Board and a leader of the young professionals’ group W, spoke in support.
Darryl Kelly of W said the project supports the group’s goals, to “attract and retain diverse young talent” in the city.
Park Board Chairman Eddie Fahnestock told the council that his board voted unanimously in favor of the set-aside for the restaurants after permanent fencing was dropped from the original plan. The privately controlled dining space will instead be set off using decorative planters.
The park will have plenty of other seating and tables available for public use, city officials said.
But local parks activist Donna Wirth, one of the leaders of the recent successful campaign to keep a swimming pool at McAdams Park, said she and others will be defying the city government.
In protest, they’re planning to bring brown bag lunches and sit in the spaces that are allocated to the restaurants’ use, she said.
“I as a citizen will be testing this concept,” Wirth told the council. “I will be bringing friends and brown bag lunches and I will be expecting to sit in those enclosures.”
Later, she vowed the sit-ins will start “as soon as there’s a place to sit.”
“I don’t eat my lunch outside the hours of 6 a.m. and 11 p.m., which is the only time that space will be open to the public,” she said.
The restaurants will pay $2,000 a year for the use of 765 square feet of dining area, according to a city report.
Jon Rolph, president and chief executive of Thrive Restaurant Group, is planning two restaurants in the Spaghetti Works District, a new development area including the rebuilt Naftzger Park.
The park will serve as the entryway for commercial and office space being developed on the park’s eastern boundary.
The restaurants, called HomeGrown and Peace, Love & Pie, will have exclusive access to the dining patios when they’re open. They’ll be available for public use after hours, but it wasn’t clear when that will be.
HomeGrown is a breakfast and lunch restaurant that opens at 6:30 a.m., while Peace, Love & Pie is a more of a evening dessert concept that will be open until 10 or 11 p.m., Rolph said.
Having a confined area for patrons is required for HomeGrown to serve alcohol, which is part of the plan, he said.
“We’re thrilled about it, thrilled about where it’s going, really appreciate the process,” Rolph said. “It’s our goal to be a partner in this park to help see it thrive.”
This story was originally published October 1, 2019 at 12:13 PM.
