Documenters in Focus: Voting on zoning cases is one of the roles given to Wichita’s District Advisory Boards, which provide guidance to council members in all six districts. But, as a development at Central and Oliver demonstrates, developers can deliver something very different than what they initially promise.
by Rami Toubia Stucky and Wichita Documenters
An empty lot sits on the southeast corner of Central and Oliver. There, developers have placed a sign describing their proposed development and site plan for the property.
The architectural rendering suggests that there would be a restaurant, two drive-thrus, 13,500 square feet of commercial space and almost 7,000 square feet in retail space. Half of the land is devoted to parking. Nothing about the proposed site plan looks out of place for Wichita.
Except very little about this plan resembles what developers told members of the District 1 Advisory Board, commonly known as a DAB.
All six Wichita city council districts have DABs to provide advice and recommendations to their respective council members. They generally meet monthly, in the evenings, to hear reports from city departments and staff. They also advise on zoning cases.
At these meetings, the city’s planning staff present a case and offer their recommendations. The public can weigh in on the proposed change. Board members, who represent the concerns and interests of the community, can ask developers clarifying questions. Then, relying on the information presented, they vote on whether or not to give their support to the plan.
On Dec. 2, 2024, Kim Edgington, an agent for local developer Christian Ablah, presented a case before the District 1 DAB on the plans for Central and Oliver.
She stated that “our dream goal … is to put commercial (properties) on the main level and do residential above that.” It would ideally be a “neighborhood center” whose design and use “encourages people to walk there, and bike there and use public transit.”
Edgington floated several models. The development might look like a smaller Chicken N Pickle, the popular restaurant in northeast Wichita that provides pickleball courts and yard games. She also suggested the development might resemble Nortons Brewing Company, which has a nice patio space to play cornhole. It could be mixed use like Uptown Landing located at Douglas and Hillside.
“Ablah’s absolute dream” would be to build a grocery store on the lot to replace the Dillon’s that has been closed for several years, Edgington spoke on behalf of the developer. Maybe the property would allow for food trucks. Maybe there would be opportunities for some live music. Endless possibilities were mentioned.
To complete this ambitious project, the zoning request specifically asked for the area to be zoned as a Planned Unit Development (PUD). These are special districts that encourage “innovative land planning and design.” To realize the type of use that Edgington and Ablah required, Central and Oliver would follow Central Business District (CBD) zoning standards. This would allow the property to incorporate dense designs typically seen downtown.
Several advisory board members expressed interest in the project as it was presented to them. Joseph Tex Dozier, who lives just a few blocks east of the intersection, noted how thrilled Crown Heights residents were when Oliver’s Lounge, at Douglas and Oliver, opened. However, “we still had to cross the street” to get to it. Because the Ablah’s development is on the southeast side of Central and Oliver, “your foot traffic will be exciting,” he told Edgington.
LaWanda DeShazer also championed the proposal, referencing a spot in Houston she had recently visited. It had food trucks, benches, and lights. “We had a great time,” she shared.
However, nothing about the proposed site plan, with drive-thrus and suburban-like land use, resembles what was presented before the advisory board. Nor does it resemble what members were excited about.
Residents of District 1, which is roughly bounded by Kellogg, Mosley, Woodlawn, and K-96, have often witnessed discrepancies between a developer’s pitch and the resulting development.
Member Kaytie Brozek remarked on the broken promises made by Wesley Hospital’s developers. Referencing the parking lot at Central and Hillside, Brozek noted how “several promises …were made about barriers and appearance and maintenance, and that really hasn’t happened.”
When contacted about future usage at the site, Christian Ablah responded that there were “lots of moving parts” and there was “nothing able to disclose.” Perhaps the mixed-use project will be realized as it was presented. But until then, the site plans point to more drive-thrus and parking lots.
The advisory board voted 8-0 to recommend the zoning application, doing so under the impression that this would be a walkable, bikeable, neighborhood-friendly addition. As board member Naquela Pack mentioned excitedly about the plan, “I live just down the street. I would just bike over there.”
However, it ultimately does not matter what the DAB thinks. As Wichita’s planning director clarified, zoning requests permit certain uses but do not require them. Therefore, a developer may ask for a zone change that allows for a building to look and operate like a mixed-use one downtown. But nothing in the city’s code guarantees that such use will occur.
When members put their stamp of approval on what they are told will be a mixed-use development, there is no recourse if the developer later changes their mind to add a service station, automated teller machine or small vehicle repair shop.
That’s because all of those uses are permitted under the current regulations at Central and Oliver. As a result, the intersection could wind up looking like it belongs in the suburbs rather than in a dense central business district.
Furthermore, as board member Twila Puritty noted, all are unpaid volunteers. “I wouldn’t have a clue,” if a development did not accurately resemble what was presented before them at the board, Puritty noted. They are devoted to the wellbeing of their community. But they simply do not have the time to follow up.
Such problems might be fortunately addressed in the future. Joseph Shepard, DAB 1 member and recently elected council member for District 1, stated that he was committed to “holding agents and developers to the standards of the approved site plans shared with the public.”
Until that happens, though, advisory board members can spend hours deliberating zoning cases. They provide support or opposition to a plan based on what developers tell them. But if developers can simply change course after their presentation, what exactly is a DAB’s endorsement good for?
Editor’s note: This is part of a series of stories focusing on items of interest emerging from notes being taken by Wichita Documenters, a program that trains and pays residents to take notes at government meetings. In just over a year, Wichita Documenters has dispatched nearly 50 documenters to cover more than 350 meetings, building a better record to keep the public informed. Wichita Documenters is funded through grants from the Wichita Foundation and the Trust for Civic Life as well as contributions from local donors.
This article was republished here with the permission of: KLC Journal