A new look for old location?

The old state office building was such a run-down eyesore for so long at Douglas and Rutan in the College Hill area, that just getting it torn down was a major improvement.
But it’s even better news to hear that local developer Mike Loveland is considering something different and eye-catching for this prime College Hill location: a row of big-city style brownstone apartments, two or three stories high, along with a high-rise condominium.
At least that’s one idea being considered, and it’s getting a good response from neighborhood residents.
Kudos to developers who take into account the aesthetics and opinions of a neighborhood when undertaking projects.
Posted by Randy Scholfield

10 Comments

  1. Joe Williams
    Posted February 25, 2006 at 12:30 am | Permalink

    Absolutely. I’m glad something happening. :) All smiles.

  2. Damoon
    Posted February 25, 2006 at 8:00 am | Permalink

    What a great idea! I LOVED the brownstones I saw when I was in DC. College Hill is such a great place to live and raise a family, and it’s so cool to see residents really care about the character of their neighborhood.

  3. flike
    Posted February 25, 2006 at 8:45 am | Permalink

    Very interesting idea. These are apartments, or townhomes? Anybody know?

    It’s heartwarming to contemplate the possibility of folks gathering on the stoops at the end of their day to shoot the breeze (and strengthen communities). But I wish such nostalgia much luck given the competition for mindspace that today’s electronic media provides (games, iPods, net surfing, television, etc.).

    Not to denigrate this idea, but good luck to the stoops. Somehow I doubt that sitting covey-like in the warm glow of a setting sun whilst the electric glow provided by a laptop illuminates eyes focused inward, to private thoughts, nobody saying much, will have the intended effect. (laptops being a likely compromise between electronic media and real conversation)

    Still, I find this idea very appealing.

  4. Joe Williams
    Posted February 25, 2006 at 1:57 pm | Permalink

    I’m also actually interested in the idea concept that Bel Aire is doing. About building homes with the garages in the back of the homes access by alleys. I would like to check more into that.

  5. ProudLib
    Posted February 25, 2006 at 2:18 pm | Permalink

    Since I live in that area (College Hill) north of Douglas, I’d like to see it made into a park.

  6. Joe Williams
    Posted February 25, 2006 at 6:18 pm | Permalink

    Looks like you will be standing alone on your thought Neo-Prodlib. Because you don’t have a say so in it, also the College Hill Neighborhood Association will disagree. That is if you really live in College Hill or just nearby.

  7. ProudLib
    Posted February 26, 2006 at 9:44 am | Permalink

    What are you blathering about now, Joe?

    I think the Neighborhood Assoc. was spear-heading the park idea.

    I live between Douglas and Central and Oliver and Hillside. It’s as College Hill as you can get.

  8. james
    Posted February 26, 2006 at 5:05 pm | Permalink

    Joe:

    For what it’s worth, I lived in a Dallas suburb a few years ago, with garages in the back and entry off a common alley.

    Everyone, had a six foot privacy fence around their backyard.

    So you back out of your garage, hoping no one is coming, (cause you cant see, left or right, you just kinda hope and pray!) Now, once you have accomplished that part safely, you have to navigate down the alley, to the street, past numerous other driveways, where at any moment, another driver may be coming out. By the time you see the other car coming, it may be too late to stop.

    Plus, alley entrys seem to attract alot of windblown trash and litter. (MY 2 cents worth.)

  9. Joe Williams
    Posted February 26, 2006 at 5:15 pm | Permalink

    Thanks for the info James. Makes sense on what you said. Maybe it’s not such a good idea.

  10. Gertie
    Posted February 26, 2006 at 11:34 pm | Permalink

    Hopefully, some of the developers will have studied some similar developments around the country and they will plan it with some of those “blind spots” in mind. Since this would be a relatively new concept in the Wichita area, I wonder how many people will want to live in such close quarters. Wichita isn’t New York. We have lots of land to spread out.