Sedgwick County explores buying this downtown building for its headquarters

Sedgwick County has taken its first step toward possibly moving county administration offices into the current Envision Building at 610 N. Main.

County Commissioners approved a purchase agreement for the building, allowing the county to move forward with purchasing and renovating the building pending another vote later this year.

“It has close proximity to the courthouse. It has close proximity to the city of Wichita. What they see in the Envision building is that proximity,” Assistant County Manager Tania Cole said. “They see that the square footage is within and very close to what we need right now for square footage.”

The purchase agreement allows the county to inspect the Envision building for the next four months to get estimates on how much renovations would cost. The county will pay a $50,000 earnest payment but has the option to be refunded if it decides not to purchase the building.

The agreement also includes a lease-back option to Envision, allowing the nonprofit that serves blind and visually impaired people to use the first two floors of the building for at least a year.

Buying the building would cost $12.25 million; $300,000 from the lease-back option would go toward the purchase.

Most of the money would come from bond sales the county approved last year. That sale placed a timeline on spending that money, meaning the county would have to make a decision on where to move by next year.

The agreement also includes a vacant lot to the east that would be used for parking for county employees and visitors.

The county has been searching for a new space for several years to move nine of its departments. That includes the county clerk, county counselor, county manager, finance, human resources, register of deeds, county treasurer, and facilities departments.

Commissioner offices and meeting space would also move to that building.

The county now leases space in the Ruffin Building downtown for administrative offices.

Several commissioners supported the purchase agreement, saying the building’s location downtown and near the county’s courthouse and City Hall were ideal.

“The government center, I think is important,” Commission Chair Ryan Baty said. “To have some sort of campus-site-feel for government central activities for our constituents to access.”

Commissioner Jeff Blubaugh was the only no vote against the agreement. He questioned staff on the cost per square foot compared with other options the county had been looking at.

“It seems like any building we go into, we’re going to have a considerable amount of remodeling and reconfiguring,” Blubaugh said.

The county left its space in the county courthouse on Central and Main in 2022 so court offices could expand.

The county has discussed several other options for buying other buildings downtown — and even building a new one at Third and Main.

In late 2023, commissioners rejected one option to buy Murfin Plaza and renovate it to house several departments. Their main concerns were the age of the building and cost of renovations.

Another option the county is considering is Riverside Hospital, 2622 W. Central. Blubaugh said the cost per square foot for that building would be $25 to 30. He estimated the Envision building would cost $157 per square foot.

Commissioner Jim Howell said although that building may be cheaper up front, it is much larger and renovations could be costly.

“Riverside is a great building for something,” Howell said. “I just don’t think it’s right for us. I think the remodeling cost, because it is hospital rooms with bathrooms inside each hospital room. To go from that to offices, it is going to be expensive.”

The commission will receive an update in mid-August with estimates on how much renovating the Envision building could cost the county – and whether it should move forward with closing on the building.