Goody Clancy consultants -- working jointly for the City of Wichita and the Wichita Downtown Development Corp. -- provided a lengthy list of detail suggestions for improvements in each area. Emphasis was on improving streetscapes and transit, using existing historic structures, developing medium- to high-cost apartments/condominiums, and supporting the development with tax money or city bonds.

TRANSPORTATION - EVERY WAY:

Among the consultants' emphasis was their notion of "multi-modal" transportation: a "balanced" use of not only automobiles for transportation, but also walking, bicycling, public transit, and long-range land travel (bus and train) in downtown.

They recommended parking garages to replace parking lots ("to free up space for downtown development"), but also enhanced walkways, cycle paths, and improved bus service.

Citing superior mass-transit as critical to successful downtown developments nationwide, the consultants urged a vast expansion of the current "Q-line" shuttle bus throughout most of downtown, radically extending service to "7 days a week, 18 hours a day," and multiple simultaneous loops running continuously throughout downtown.

One of the consultants hinted at a possibility for connecting new passenger-rail service with cross-country Greyhound Bus routes, by bringing them together at Wichita's historic Union Station, just east of Downtown. (Currently, Union Station is being vacated by Cox Communications; the Greyhound bus terminal is on Broadway, in south-central Downtown.)

DEVELOPMENT COSTS -- WHO PAYS?:

Consultant Sarah Woodworth -- who also is in the business of arranging public/private funding for downtown developments -- stated that financiers require a minimum of an 8.5% ROI (annual Return on Investment) to be willing to back a development.

She hinted that the inherent economics of proposed development projects would likely be multiple percentage points below that, requiring partial public funding (or funding guarantees) equal to an annual city contribution of 1%-4% of the total project costs -- each year, indefinitely -- if private financiers were to be effectively attracted to underwriting Wichita's downtown development projects.

For instance, a 10-million-dollar development project could require a $100,000 a year subsidy from the city, for the life of the financier's loan. With several hundreds of millions in downtown development proposed by the consultants, that may tap the City coffers to the tune of millions of dollars every year, for decades, to support this one-time investment in downtown revitalization.

(And that is to say nothing of the continuing costs of the proposed radically expanded transit service, nor the cost of operation and maintenance for the proposed new parking garages, streets, sidewalks, signals, signs, lights, trees, decor and other public amenities.)

To raise the construction money, the consultants, developers and others have proposed sales tax* hikes -- as done to fund the construction of the Intrust Bank Arena -- as a way to underwrite and fund the proposed downtown developments, and guarantee financiers an acceptable rate of return on their Downtown investments.

During a public question-and-answer break, this author asked about what the city's return on the massive investment would be from the proposed developments -- and whether the consultant's had any hard numbers on THAT. The Goody Clancy consultants (including head consultant David Dixon) admitted to the audience that they had not gathered any such numbers -- and that they were, indeed, crucial and needed for evaluating the plan, and making decisions on whether to go forward with it (particularly on specific projects and financing decisions).

* Critics note that a sales tax is regressive, creating the greatest hardship for those who can least afford it -- shifting the suffering from the rich to the poor and working class.

RESIDENTIAL COSTS:

Others expressed curiosity and concern about the affordability of the 1,000 additional residences that Goody Clancy consultants say the city needs to integate into the downtown plan, over the next several years. Dixon tried to reassure his audience that there would be low-cost housing integrated with the very high-priced condos currently being proposed by downtown's chief developer, Minnesota-based "Real Development."

Dixon also defended a previous position, announced at Goody Clancy's Feb.28th "public-input charette," suggesting that Wichitans need to think about spending more years' salary on their home, and that downtown residences need to be developed and priced accordingly.

This author, questioning Dixon publicly on the consultant's proposed price of downtown housing, expressed concern that national economists are saying America has long over-spent on housing (the problem underlying the recent national economic catastrophe), making greater spending on housing contrary to the long-term trend change prescribed for the nation by most economists.

Dixon acknowledge the concern, and noted that developing downtown housing costs more than building in "green fields," a factor reflected in its pricing. But Dixon said it was important to evaluate housing costs in terms of more than simply the price of the residence.

"Transportation is a key factor in the cost of housing," said Dixon, adding "that cost is affected by rapidly rising energy prices." Dixon noted that "some very good national studies" show that downtown living -- in pleasant and accommodating surroundings, with necessary shopping and dining in walking distance, and good public transit handy -- results in an "average reduction of $8,000 annually in household costs."

Dixon said that the benefit from that savings could help homebuyers fund the higher cost of acquiring new downtown residences.

ALREADY A DONE DEAL?

Mayor Carl Brewer, speaking at the meeting, however, seemed rather dismissive of concerns expressed -- noting that the City's downtown-redevelopment planning process had "already generated a lot of excitement", and as a consequence "we already have a lot" of downtown developments underway.

Indeed, to a large extent, the announcement of Goody Clancy's detailed plan was rather anti-climactic, since most of the major factors of downtown redevelopment are already in place, settled, underway or being negotiated in advance of the city's formal development plan (click on last map at far right) --

Some examples of developments previously undertaken, or initiated have already included:

• Local government has already funded and built the downtown arena (Intrust Bank Arena), probably the largest and most influential development in Downtown for decades to come.

• The City Council has enabled out-of-town developers "the Minnesota Guys" (Real Development -- who heavily the funded campaigns of victorious Wichita City Council candidates) to acquire 9 key/major Wichita downtown buildings -- including nearly a block of major buildings on Douglas in the heart of downtown.

• Two key properties between Old Town and Downtown -- Wichita's historic Union Station and the huge Spaghetti Warehouse -- have reportedly been sold to California/Kansas entrepreneur, Jackson Hill III, for use as a movie studio. Hill does not seem interested in making these properties open to public activity -- making them obstacles (rather than assets) to a seamless connection of Old Town and Downtown. This stands in stark contrast to repeated remarks by the consultants suggesting Union Station as a public railroad station for future passenger train service, with other amenities supporting downtown living.

• Local developer George Farha has already acquired properties in the "Commerce Street Arts District" and begun his own development of them. (Fortunately for the city consultant's plan, Farha's developments match their ideas.)