Wichita State University has plans to develop a retail and commercial district near 17th and Hillside
A plan to bring additional amenities to Wichita State University to serve students, faculty, innovation campus employees and community residents took a positive step forward last month when WSU staff announced the selection of the developer for University Village, a mixed-use commercial and retail development to be located on the southside of the campus.
In the works since 2020, the project is a “bold initiative to create a community destination of dining, entertainment and shopping” with not just the campus in mind, but the surrounding community.
WSU announced the selected developers for the project as a partnership between GLMV Architect and Lane 4 Property Group.
GLMV has had its hands in a number of WSU projects including the recent training expansion at Koch Arena, the Meritrust Bank Building in the Braeburn Plaza of 21st Street, and the Net App and Smart Factory buildings on the Innovations Campus. Lane 4, a Kansas-City-based developer, has a long history of development projects including more than $200 million in similar mix-used projects around the Kansas University Medical Center in Kansas City, Ks.
Development of the project is planned in three phases. The first phase will include the construction of two three-story commercial buildings with retail space on the first floor. The buildings will be located on the south side of 17th street between Vassar and Holyoke. Vassar is one block east of Hillside.
Similar to their 39 Rainbow Project near KU Medical Center in Kansas City, the buildings will be near the street with parking behind. Rather than setting the buildings back from the road and placing parking in front, this reverse technique is being used by developers to help better connect retail to the community.
“That really improves the streetscape and accentuates the experience of walking down the street and on the sidewalks, said Matt.
Unlike the Braeburn retail space built on 21st Street along the north side of the campus, constructing retail with commercial above will help make the retail space more affordable.
“it’s our hope we can really widen our spectrum of potential tenants by lowering those rental rates by underwriting the project in a way that’s driven by an anchor (upper level) tenants,” said Mjfsljl “It helps us have a wider array of uses and help us integrate with the community for uses that are wanted and needed in the area.”
So far, the developers have not identified any tenants for the upper-level spaces or for the lower retail spaces. During their recent presentation to the community, they consistently expressed their interest in working with the community to identify businesses the community wants and would like to see in the project and for help identifying existing business concepts that might be interested in moving or expanding into the project area.
Phase 2 of the development project will be an L-shaped project on the southwest corner of 17th and Hillside and would replace the current International Student Building. That project would be a similar three-story mixed-used building with retail on the first floor and onsite parking. This would be a much smaller 27,000 sq ft. building, compared to the two buildings in phase one, which are proposed at approximately 64,000 and 53,000sq. ft. each.
Phase 3 of the development is a small three-story 5-unit residential project.
Construction of the project is not expected to get underway until 2023.
helps make the retail space more affordable, said the developer. On top of the first floor retail, the developers are hoping to find corporate tenants who ca
buildings up at the street and parking behind really improves the streetscape and accentuate the experience of of walkign down the treet and on the sidewalks by really buffing up the landscapting and using real materials and providn a u nique experience. That’ll help bring quality tgroup in and get community partners to fill that firtst floor space. . Asethetics haven’t been determined.
Gateway into the sourthwest entrance into the unviersty floor retail
The development is plaUniversity Village will run along the south side of 17th Street from Hillside to almost Oliver. The project “ is a bold initiative to create a commis a bold initiative to create a community destination of dining, entertainment and shopping to the immediate area surrounding the campus of Wichita State University.
. Development of the project is identified in four phases.
campus, innovation campusan effort to bring additional amenities to campus community, our innovation campus prtners and to our neighbors
been expanded under dr. muma
To be a catalyst to bring assets to the univeristy
Began in fall 2020
We went out and talked to community mebers – campus, leaders, community
RFQ asked people to respond. Vetted those interested based on their qualificatins and created a rfp, narrowed that list meeting with top responder. Financials, interviews, reference checks. Our top
What would it take to be a genesis as a catlayst for bringing assets to our university campus
fall 2020
met with our neighborhood associations to make sure they’re aware of the work that is happeing or the thoughts or the potential for work that’s happening.
A community survey to see what people might think.
If created in your community what would you support.
We’ve done as much as we think we can do to engagae community hear on campus and surrounding communities.