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If you haven’t noticed, Wichita does not have mountains and Wichita does not have an ocean.
But you know what we do have?
We have a river.
A very underutilized river.
Don’t get me wrong, there are a handful of things to do on the ole Ar-Kansas.
To name a few things:
ICT RiverRides - Get out on the water for a leisurely tour and enjoy the river!
Fishing - There are certain areas you can fish from, others areas you can’t. Make sure to double check.
Kayak Rentals - There are a few self-service kayak rental stations along the river.
Go for a walk - although we don’t yet have a “Water Walk” like many people want, there is a nice, peaceful path along each side of the river
Live - More apartments are popping up all the time like River Vista where you can wake up with a view of the river.
The Future Plan
The west side of the river is starting to fill in with development.
Starting up north, Exploration Place is taking a bold swing with their EP2 Initiative which includes a 1,500-capacity riverfront amphitheater and 6-acre destination playscape, will transform the museum’s 20-acre riverfront property into a world-class educational attraction that draws more than 1 million visitors per year.
Just last week it was announced that they will also be adding on a Water Play Cascades thanks to a $2 million donation from Junior League of Wichita. This is set to be finished by fall of 2025.
Working our way south, as mentioned above, River Vista offers a place for people to live right downtown on the river.
Filling in most of the rest of the gap from Douglas over to almost Kellogg is a 7-acre mixed Riverfront Village next to Riverfront Stadium.
I’m not sure when that will actually get off the ground.
Aspirations
San Antonio River Walk
We covered a similar topic a last year that took a look at how Omaha, Tulsa, and San Antonio took the leap of faith years ago to develop their river and are now reaping the benefits.
I want to focus on how we can take advantage of our river and what it could look like.
We’ll cherry pick some examples from around the nation and off a list of some of the best riverwalks in the US.
Rock Island Bridge - Kansas City
This is a great example of thinking outside the box.
This bridge is pre-existing from 1904, but is being reimagined as a public crossing, with trailhead services and an entertainment district. The Rock Island Bridge will open in 2024 as the first entertainment district on a bridge.
Some fun facts:
The Kansas River has a width of 130 yards
the upper deck is 50' above the river
2 decks high
This idea will come to life later this year. It only cost $16 million to complete the project (thanks to incredible structural infrastructure bones that would make a skeleton proud).
Do we have a perfectly set up bridge across our river in the heart of downtown? No, not really, but how could we think outside of the box and create something just as iconic?
Wilmington Riverwalk - Wilmington, North Carolina
I would love to have just a restaurant or two along the Ar-Kansas.
This walkway covers two-miles along the historic Cape Fear River.
The river looks an awful like like the Ar-Kansas….
Riverfront Park - Spokane, Washington
You have to move on from the old to make something new.
Spokane turned an old railway into 100 acres of urban escape and now people get to enjoy a winter ice skating area, SkyRide aerial Cable, hand carved Carousel, playgrounds, basketball courts, and live open-air concerts.
How much ground does 100 acres cover?
For context, if we take everything in this rough outlined yellow portion from just north of the Keeper along the river to Kellogg, it’s rough 62 acres.
In Spokane, there existed a park of some sort in the area, but no major changes or improvements since 1974, until 2012 when…
“City of Spokane Parks and Recreation launched an initial Phase I of the Riverfront Park Master Plan…In 2014, Spokane citizens overwhelmingly approved a $64 million dollar bond to improve and redevelop the park.”
Hmmmm, Riverfront Park Master Plan you say….hmmm
It didn’t take them too long to get it going. Let’s get rolling, Wichita!
I want to steal a line directly from the website for Rock Island KC:
“The San Antonio Riverwalk, the St. Louis City Museum, the Minneapolis Riverfront and New York City’s High Line . . . They were an unloved river, an abandoned shoe factory, a derelict lock and milling district, and an old railway line and all once forgotten relics. But with vision and calculated risk, people came together to transform these places into beloved destinations that now define their cities.”
Just imagine…
The year is 2034. Wichita just finished the new Wichita Riverwalk.
You take your family down for a nice walk and a bite to eat before stopping to listen to some live music at another stop down the way.
The most recent Riverfront Plan from last year at least gives us a little hope, but what are we waiting for? Is this actually going to happen?
Idea….
I don’t have the answers. I don’t even know who has the answers (but if you do, then hit me up).
What do we want out of our river?
What is the smallest possible version of this? What is the MVP - minimum viable product?
Could we put together a proposal and a committee to bring together something inspiring?
I’m not sure what that looks like, maybe it’s a pop-up bar / restaurant / something along the existing river to show what we are capable of. I'm not sure.
Let me know if you’re interested or have any ideas!
December 23, 2024 | Sign Up | Support Us Good morning, Wichita! This is the final Update for 2024. I hope you all have a great Christmas, New Year, and Holiday Season. See you in 2025! - Landon p.s. Go Shockers. Great dub on Saturday! TOGETHER WITH YOU As approach 2025, we are looking for a couple local small businesses to work with. You know how you're reading this right now? So are thousands of other people. Wouldn't it be awesome to get your business or event in front of thousands and...
December 20, 2024 | Sign Up | Support Us TOGETHER WITH Good morning, Wichita! I'll stop bringing it up after today, but you have approximately 13 hours left to enter our 12 Days of Giveaways! You can enter over on our Instagram or by sharing this link: [RH_REFLINK GOES HERE] Today's giveaway is $500 in gift cards to 5 of the best food spots in Wichita. Let's get to it! - Landon Huslig NEWS The End of Free Parking u/trav2974 The verdict is in. Starting in the summer of 2025, downtown visitors...
December 19, 2024 | Sign Up | Support Us Good morning, Wichita! Only 6 days until Christmas! And only 2 days left to enter our 12 Days of Giveaways! Share this link: [RH_REFLINK GOES HERE] or head to our Instagram to enter! Let's get to it! - Landon TOGETHER WITH YOU As approach 2025, we are looking for a couple local small businesses to work with. You know how you're reading this right now? So are thousands of other people. Wouldn't it be awesome to get your business or event in front of...
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