WICHITA — Sedgwick County may be selling its property at the northwest corner of Washington and Waterman.
The county bought 50,415 square feet in 2007 to make improvements to the intersection in advance of Intrust Bank Arena opening.
There is 42,876 square feet left that the county doesn’t need.
“We call it a remnant,” says Steve Claassen, the county’s facilities director.
Wednesday, county commissioners will vote on whether to sell the land and how to do it. Most likely, it would be through a public sealed-bid auction.
“Several of the commissioners feel that this will be the most advantageous way and the most fair and transparent way,” Claassen says.
“I think that they’re committed to getting rid of this property. The question is, is this the proper approach to take?”
One commissioner questions whether the county should sell the land at all.
“Everybody’s saying we need parking for the arena,” says commissioner Kelly Parks. “I don’t know why we’d want to sell that and then go buy something three blocks on the other side or around the arena.”
Claassen says there is space for parking.
“It definitely could be a parking lot.”
He says some adjacent property owners may have an interest in that, in fact.
Outside interest is what led to the issue coming up in the first place.
“It was prompted by several people who approached senior staff to ask whether it would be for sale,” Claassen says. “Those inquiries were then taken to the commission.”
Check Kansas.com Wednesday for the commission’s decision.