6 November 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – Wichita’s city council is expected to accept a petition Tuesday to create a community improvement district, or CID, at a southeast Wichita shopping center.
If they do approve the move, the next step will be to hold a public hearing to get input from the community.
People living in the south Wichita say their side of town is often overlooked and could use the investment.
“If you need to do any work on your house you gotta go to a Lowes either in derby or out by the airport, or if you want to go crazy out by northeast Wichita,” said 5-year South Wichita resident Eric Held.
An improvement project would be a welcome change, according to Held.
“Southside has always been kind of the less affluent side of town, so nothing really gets built out here all that often,” Held said.
Southsiders often get passed over for business opportunities and improvement projects, according to Southwest Neighborhood Association president Joshua Blick.
“We’ve seen that everything usually goes to the east or west side of town,” Blick said.
The purpose of the CID is to update and beautify the shopping center at the corner of Broadway and 47th street. It contains an Ollie’s and a Dollar Tree.s
“To go back into the infrastructure of the area, maybe parking lots, maybe curb cuts, maybe a façade,” said City of Wichita District 4 Council Member Jeff Blubaugh. “Something to improve the overall area.”
Shopping center renovations will help attract business and draw more people to the area, according to Blick.
“We have a lot of poverty here on the south side of town so businesses tend to go east or west,” Blick said.
Through the CID, the city would give developers funding to make improvements. The funds would be paid back over time in the form of a sales tax on businesses in the area where improvements are being made.
If the city approves the petition for a CID Tuesday. the plan is to have a public hearing Dec. 5 to get input from people in the area.