Jump-start WaterWalk

waterwalkHere’s hoping that entrepreneur Jack DeBoer can jump-start WaterWalk. DeBoer’s Consolidated Holdings purchased controlling interest in the agonizingly slow downtown development along the Arkansas River. But the city is correct to make clear that, after spending $41 million on WaterWalk infrastructure and a parking garage, there are no more blank checks for the project. That said, the city should do what it can to help the project succeed, as it has its own investment to protect.

8 Comments

  1. FORD1ST
    Posted October 23, 2009 at 6:10 am | Permalink

    What waterwalk????

  2. JWink
    Posted October 23, 2009 at 6:24 am | Permalink

    And who is Jack DeBoer? $41 million in taxpayer money already wasted on this project?

    What is going on here? So far, they only want to tear down the historic icon of Wichita … the Boathouse by the Arkansas River.

  3. Regular
    Posted October 23, 2009 at 9:30 am | Permalink

    Jack Deboer
    http://www.wichitawaterwalk.com/about-jackdeboer.php

  4. bth
    Posted October 23, 2009 at 12:24 pm | Permalink

    It is time to completely redefine WaterWalk. The idea of “Old Town with a Ditch” that was approved 7+ years ago was doomed from the start. Council was told that at the Hearing; that is why they have heavily edited the minutes:

    http://www.wichitagov.org/NR/rdonlyres/39E5143D-D08A-40D8-BBF6-8A41FCE84435/0/09102002Council_Minutes.txt

    Jack DeBoer was the chief architect of the plan from the beginning.

    We need to abandon that ill-advised vision of another bar district. Even the new consultants have observed that there is only so much demand for that and with Delano, Old Town etc we do NOT need another redundant expensive bar district.

    Instead, the development needs to change to offices and other similar business on the paoperty between Wichita St and Water St. As I recall DeBoer wanted to destroy the Boathouse in order to build his office building on that river-front site. Maybe he can build it at Water/Waterman overlooking Hyatt Park. Or, maybe even better, build one on the River where Gander Mountain is.

    The point is – this so-called development needs to move forward as a PRIVATE development. The highest and best use for that land is NOT Daquiri bars and comedy clubs. We have such enterprizes in abundance in Wichita. Build some top-notch office space and bring employment back downtown. That has been the successful business model at privately developed Water Front.

  5. Regular
    Posted October 23, 2009 at 12:28 pm | Permalink

    Bricktown in Oklahoma City appears to had some success.

    Haven’t read much on how their ‘equivalent’ water walk is doing though.

  6. Barnie
    Posted October 23, 2009 at 2:52 pm | Permalink

    Lets hope so.

  7. newsletter
    Posted October 24, 2009 at 8:13 am | Permalink

    The brickyard is no where near an equivalent to the Waterwalk… Thats like saying the mud hole outside the waterwalk complex is equivalent to Lake Cheney…

    BTH’s idea is the best and frankly the most needed in downtown, thats new construction Class A office space.

    Years ago, I knew a group of financial advisors that despretaly wanted to move into the office part of WaterWalk because it would have been the first Class A new office building in downtown in the better part of three decades.

    Since then, they have moved into the WaterFront and the owners bought houses out in that area. They will never move to WaterWalk now.

    There also needs to be a new office building built north of the Broadview Hotel. Class A all the way.

  8. bth
    Posted October 24, 2009 at 8:20 am | Permalink

    newsletter – I’m not so sure about the additional Class A space north of Broadview. IF WaterWalk gets developed into such space would there still be additional demand? I’d proceed a bit cautiously in that regard.