Potential development in the area surrounding a new Wichita ballpark could grow, as a group has steadily acquired about two blocks near the upcoming facility.
Currently scheduled to open in 2020 for the relocating New Orleans Baby Cakes (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League), the new Wichita ballpark is being billed as the anchor of a larger redevelopment initiative. It appears that developers are taking notice of the plan, as evidenced in part by the group Townstreet Partners, which has gradually purchased nearly two blocks just west of the ballpark’s site in 14 months.
Technically, the land in questions falls outside the tax districts that will help pay off the project, but it is close enough that any future development could be a sign of the ballpark’s economic implications. However, no plans for the site have emerged to this point. More from the Wichita Eagle:
The representative listed in state and county documents for that company, Jerry D. Jones, is also a partner in a group that plans to develop the area north of the new ballpark….
Jones is part of Riverfront Partners, which is developing Riverfront Village on 7 acres owned by Metropolitan Baptist Church north of the stadium. Jones is partners in that venture with George Laham, Dave Burk and Dave Wells, who built the River Vista Apartments that opened last year at First and McLean.
It’s unclear what, if anything, Townstreet Partners plans to do with its land, which includes several houses and apartment complexes.
“We have no plans to discuss at this time,” Jones said in an email last week.
There are multiple development efforts in play at this point, including a separate push that features Baby Cakes franchise owners–led by Managing General Partner Lou Schwechheimer–plus additional investors. A potential sale of city-owned to facilitate that development is set for a City Council vote next week. The new Wichita ballpark will be constructed on the former site of Lawrence-Dumont Stadium site, albeit with a slightly different footprint.
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