Barry Owens
The Douglas Design District, an association of merchants along the avenue between Washington and Oliver, made inroads with the city last month in its effort to revamp the corridor with better lighting, benches, greenery and signage.
No money was promised during meetings late last month with city council members, but the city’s planning department agreed to explore landscaping, lighting and infrastructure possibilities with the association in regular monthly meetings, beginning this month.
It was a small step but an important one for the association, which was founded last year with the hope of revitalizing and re-branding the area as a design district—so called because furniture, interior and kitchen design, antique and rug shops are plentiful along the avenue.
Members of the association say that revitalizing the avenue — adding green space, pocket parks, trees, more lighting and benches, among other features—is more than an effort to promote the area as a “Design District.” A vibrant avenue, association member Monica Smits said, could be a boon to Wichita by creating an inviting environment for new businesses and raising property values in the inner city.
“I am happy to be a part of any district,” said Smits, who is owner of Aspen Boutique, at Douglas and Oliver. “I don’t care what it is called. I just want the area to be a destination.”
So it was that late last month Smits, along with Art Davis, co-owner of Traditions, at Douglas and Hillside, and other members of the association, logged time at City Hall, lobbying city council members and city planning staff for resources. A reporter from The Commoner attended the meetings. The exchanges between parties shed light on the process, and the challenges of winning city funds for a neighborhood project.
“I can tell you now, forget the arch,” said councilman Paul Gray, only minutes into the presentation in his office. Gray said the avenue-spanning arch, proposed by the association to mark the entrance of the district, would be difficult to engineer and expensive to build. A similar arch was planned for the Delano district, but was scrapped, Gray said, for the same reasons.
“I want you to have realistic expectations for what I’m willing to support,” Gray said. “If you take it too far, I will not be with you anymore.”
The association’s members (there are about 50) pay dues and hold fundraisers. Davis said some of the district’s proposed features, such as the arch, a similar stone column, and a trolley monument, could be funded in part through private donations and dues. Those features could come later in the project. The more immediate need is new infrastructure, Davis said, such as sidewalk repairs, plantings and traffic islands. Davis would also like to see better lighting around East High school.
“I think what were asking is, just allow us to go forward with the city planning department so we can scratch our heads and figure out what we can do,” Davis said.
“Any thoughts?” Smits asked at the end of the presentation.
“I do have a thought,” Gray replied.“Special assessments.”
Vice Mayor Sharon Fearey gave the group 20-minutes. She expressed support, but asked no questions—and if she had an opinion on funding for the project, she did not express it.
Davis said he had met previously with the mayor and council members Lavonta Williams and Sue Schlapp, and characterized the reception to the plan as enthusiastic. Schlapp told The Commoner in October that she was supportive of the project, but stopped short of any funding promises.
The talk came easy up on the 10th floor in the offices of the Metropolitan Area Planning Department, where the staffers are not elected and proposals are welcome challenges to be puzzled out.
“I’m a process guy,” said David Barber, advanced plans manager for the city. “There are ways of getting this done.”
There was discussion of taking aerial photographs of the proposed district, of creating a list of stakeholders, of forming a committee. Calendars were pulled out of pockets. No promises were made, other than that there would be more meetings. But to Davis and Smits, it signaled a beginning.
“I think we’re started,” Davis said in the elevator. “I think we rolled the stone.”
The Douglas Design District welcomes community input and volunteers. The District’s board members meet monthly at Furniture Options, 1336 E. Douglas. The board will meet March 5 at 9 a.m. The public is invited to attend. For more information, call Karen Cundiff, 425-7337.
