Riverfront Legacy group moves forward with a plan that tears down Century II

Century II has been eliminated from Wichita’s skyline in a redesign of the east bank of the Arkansas River in downtown Wichita, replaced by mixed-use buildings and a large “programmable green space” that connects new performing arts and convention centers with the river.

That’s the direction the Riverfront Legacy Master Plan coalition wants to go, the group of downtown and business booster organizations decided Monday. The decision was based on months of public engagement and years of studies, group members said.

But local elected officials, who would be charged with approving the plan and then figuring out how to fund it, are divided on the issue. Outgoing Mayor Jeff Longwell said Tuesday that he disagrees with the way the group reached its conclusion.

“I still don’t believe we have vetted Century II on what the potential uses could be before we ask the community to tear it down,” Longwell said.

Longwell joins Sedgwick County Commissioner Michael O’Donnell, the county’s representative on the Riverfront Legacy committee, as the second elected official in recent weeks to openly criticize the group for not giving more thought to keeping Century II, seen as a less expensive option that preserves one of the city’s most iconic buildings.

The creation of the Wichita plan is being funded with $700,000 — $200,000 from the city and county governments and $500,000 from private and quasi-public groups with an interest in downtown development. For the plan to have any meaningful effect, it would have to be approved by the City Council.

Longwell’s time on the council ends before any formal action on the Riverfront Legacy Master Plan, which will be finalized and presented on Jan. 14, and the county’s role in the future of the project is unclear. But at least two other council members — James Clendenin and Jeff Blubaugh — have signaled that demolishing Century II is going to be a hard sell in their districts.

The city’s representative on the coalition, Council member Brandon Johnson, defended the work of the coalition Tuesday, but said voters may ultimately get a chance to decide.

“The Riverfront Legacy coalition moved to go forward with a plan to improve our city and riverfront, add new performing arts, new convention, address the green space that citizens wanted,” Johnson said. “I still want to encourage people to engage with us. There’s still opportunity to talk about going forward — what that looks like — and what citizens want.”

A business case

The Riverfront Legacy Master Plan’s outreach efforts, which included social media posts, online surveys, blue boxes on the Century II lawn and comments at public meetings found that their respondents aren’t big fans of Century II.

Thirty-five percent of people who responded to a “Make Wichita Win” online survey said, “It’s had a good run, but it’s time for it to go.”

The Riverfront Legacy group’s favored scenarios — labeled 1A and 1B — include new performing arts and convention centers built along Main Street, roughly where the former Wichita Central Library now stands. A combination of private and public investment would create an east bank development area that includes mixed-use development and open public gathering spaces.

Razing Century II makes the most sense financially, Populous’ Amber Luther told the coalition Monday.

Besides Century II, also under consideration for demolition are the former Wichita Central Library, the Wichita Boathouse and Gander Mountain buildings.

The only buildings escaping the hypothetical wrecking ball in both 1A and 1B are the Hyatt Regency hotel and the WaterWalk and Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott.

If Wichita wants to attract and retain talent and boost its performing arts and convention business, Century II has to go, Luther said.

“Ultimately, it comes down to what you all think about economics,” Luther said.

Gary Plummer, president and CEO of the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce, said his group favored the scenarios that tear down Century II because it best leverages tax money to spur private development by creating space for new buildings.

“The members of our board are most excited about the different scenarios that provide the maximum potential for private sector investment,” Plummer said. “We know obviously there’s a concern about that process and transparency and how the city’s assets were protects as part of that process.”

Jon Rolph, president and CEO of Thrive Restaurant Group and co-chair of the Greater Wichita Partnership, said he wanted to clarify Plummer’s comments so they weren’t misconstrued.

“You’re not saying, ‘We’re a bunch of greedy capitalists, we want to get our hands on public land,’ right? You’re saying to underwrite this, if you can maximize private investment along with public, this might actually be something the community can achieve with a higher cost and a higher return,” Rolph said.

Based on a previous study — which has been called into question by supporters of saving Century II for its added frills — updating Century II would produce an economic impact of $360 million over a 10-year period, compared to $915-$921 million created by a new performing arts and convention center.

Here’s the two current proposals:

▪ Scenario 1A — This scenario would put the new convention center to the immediate east of the Hyatt Regency Hotel, with a link between the two buildings. The hotel would be expanded and new business buildings constructed on all four sides of the development. The new performing arts center would be on the Main Street side of the development, just north of the convention center. Parking would be underground with the ground level preserved as public open space. Projected cost would be between $1 and $1.5 billion, with private investment of $146 million.

▪ Scenario 1B — Similar to Scenario 1A, but the hotel and convention center would be separated. Also, the former Gander Mountain store building, which was recently purchased for office space by the King of Freight shipping brokerage, would be razed and replaced with new mixed-use buildings. A new garage would replace the existing parking structure that was built for Gander Mountain. The Boathouse venue on the riverfront would also be torn down. Cost: $1 to $1.5 billion, with $221 million of private development.

New data collected by the Riverfront group and analyzed by Wichita State University, revealed three consistent themes in responses at the group’s open houses, in its surveys and on social media: the area needs more green space, the river should be activated and there should be more amenities such as restaurants, shops and bars.

Rolph said it’s important for the group to make sure the plan allows for the east bank to be accessible to all.

“We have to make sure that is front of mind — that this is something you don’t have to pay $10 to be able to park and enjoy it, or whatever that is.

“We need to think through what would be barriers to people being able to enjoy this . . . and to really kind of open up the city,” he said.

Will voters decide?

Century II has been the city’s primary performing arts, convention center and exhibition hall for the past 50 years. Its round modern design and blue dome roof make it one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks. It was funded by a ballot measure and is owned by the city.

The group’s long-term plan for 55 acres of city-owned land east of the river to Main and south of Douglas to Kellogg is estimated to cost up to $1.5 billion.

It’s unclear exactly how much of that cost would be covered by taxpayers. It could be funded by a city- or county-wide sales tax, similar to the way money was raised to build INTRUST Bank Arena, or through various economic development tools the city uses for development projects.

Only one of those options, an added sales tax, would need to be approved by voters.

Celeste Bogart Racette, daughter of one of the community leaders who helped create the Century II, has been on a collision course with the Riverfront Legacy Master Plan coalition since its first meeting in July, when she was told by one of the group’s leaders to take away her small display of historical photos, documents and memorabilia that she’d spread out on an unused corner of a registration table.

Racette said she wants the question on the ballot, where she thinks Century II will be saved.

“Post-It notes by Riverfront Legacy are not a vote. Comments gathered at Riverfront Legacy blue boxes on Kennedy Plaza are not a vote. You all need to stop this runaway agenda, this selling of public land, the expansions of TIF, CIDs, BIDs, and whatever else you create to get around voting, it needs to stop today,” she said at Tuesday’s city council meeting.

Post-It notes have been one of the techniques used by the Riverfront Legacy coalition to measure public opinion of its proposed ideas. Racette offered Johnson a pad of Post-It notes for the next time he wants to vote in an election.

“Post-It notes are not votes,” she said.

Johnson told her that voters will get a chance and that the Riverfront Legacy group is still interested in hearing from members of the public.

“It’s a common misconception that the citizens won’t be able to vote on this,” Johnson said. “ . . . If there’s a sales tax attached, the citizens have to vote yes or no on it. So the citizens will have a vote. Right now, the citizens have an opportunity to engage in the Riverfront Legacy Master Plan process.”

This story was originally published December 16, 2019 at 10:01 PM.