So what did you think of the results we published Sunday in our big What Wichitans Want poll?
Did your favorite restaurant or retail shop make the list? Did you disagree with what did top the poll?
Join me for a live chat at Kansas.com Thursday morning at 10:30, and let’s compare notes.
WICHITA — Dale Walker of Midwest Insurance Agency is working on plans for a new 4,500-square-foot Tyler Office Park near the northwest corner of Douglas and Tyler.
“It’s at the architect’s right now, so we’ll probably get started in the next couple of weeks,” Walker says.
He currently leases space for his office at 4715 W. Central.
Walker plans to move his office to 1,500 square feet at his new property.
He’ll have two more 1,500-square-foot spaces to lease, or he’ll lease the entire remaining 3,000 square feet to one tenant.
Don Piros of Landmark Commercial Real Estate represented Walker in the transaction.
Landmark’s David Leyh and Gary Snyder represented the seller.
Mike Love Construction is the builder.
“I just want to own my own office building,” Walker says.
He’s not sure how easy it will be to find tenants.
“That’s a tough question. In this economy, I don’t really know what to expect.”
Walker has owned office buildings in the past.
And with construction costs down, he says it makes it easier to build.
“This is as good of time as any.”
“You don’t tell your spouse. I won’t tell mine.”
—Intrust Bank’s Diane Iseman, quoting two of her wildly happy co-workers who recently found out they will no longer have to pay $40 a month to park thanks in part to remodeling at the bank’s garages
WICHITA — Coulter Properties has applied for a zoning change near the Plaid Giraffe at 302 N. Rock Road.
Jamie Coulter owns the building and the store.
Dru Coulson, who manages the property, says there is a small vacant area in the building that is zoned limited commercial but is surrounded by general office zoning.
Plaid Giraffe may like to expand into the space and add onto it.
“You can’t do retail in a general office zoning,” Coulson says.
So that’s necessitating the zoning change.
Coulson says it’s also a possibility that Eric Fisher could expand his salon into part of that space. Or, a new tenant could locate there.
“It’s nothing in stone,” Coulson says.
The Plaid Giraffe expansion is likely, though.
“You know, I think probably before the end of the year, before holiday season,” Coulson says. “That’s what we’ve kicked around.”
WICHITA — Sedgwick County has purchased property at 636 N. St. Francis for a new building for EMS Post 10.
There are 15 permanent EMS posts in Wichita and the county.
EMS Post 10 currently is at 704 N. Emporia in space the county leases from Via Christi Health.
Via Christi eventually needs that space back for expansion plans.
“We were in need of a bigger facility anyway,” says Scott Hadley, operations manager for Sedgwick County EMS.
The new building will be 5,000 square feet.
There are two ambulances that operate out of Post 10.
Don Piros of Landmark Commercial Real Estate handled the deal for the new space.
Law/Kingdon Architecture is designing the remodeled space. When that’s complete by the end of this year, there will be a bid for the $500,000 construction of the facility.
The new facility probably won’t be ready until fall of 2011, which Hadley says isn’t a problem.
“There’s no rush for us to go out of the (building) we’re currently in.”