The Wichita city council has delayed action for two weeks on a development agreement with the Triple A baseball team that will be relocating to the city from New Orleans.  The agreement would give the team the right to develop close to four and a half acres of land surrounding the new stadium that is under construction.

The team would purchase the right to buy the land, and development would have to occur on a schedule involving three phases.   In the first phase, the team would have to purchase the property and then begin construction within 15 months of at least 30,000 square feet of commercial development, including retail, restaurants and hotel space.   The second phase would call for development of another 20,000 square feet of commercial space, and phase three would require at least 15,000 square feet of commercial space.  The team would purchase the property for one dollar per acre.

The new development would have to be in line with the Ballpark Village master plan that has been developed, as well as the Delano Neighborhood Plan.   Assistant city manager Scot Rigby presented a concept drawing that includes a ferris wheel, and he said the vision of the Ballpark Village plan is not to fill up the area with typical retail space, but to create an environment that brings entertainment opportunities to the area.

Several business owners and residents in the Delano area raised questions about the impact on existing businesses in the neighborhood.   Jack Kellogg, owner of Hatman Jack’s, said the agreement does not address parking.  He said there are 15 businesses in the 600 block of West Douglas and they have a total of 17 spaces of street parking.   Other residents asked about the process leading up to the agreement and calling for public input.

Mayor Jeff Longwell said the delay in approval of the agreement will allow more time for the city to provide transparency and more information to the public.    He said the development that will occur will generate over $38 million in revenue for the city, and he said developments like this allow the city to grow its tax base without raising taxes.

The agreement will be back on the city council agenda for March 19th for more discussion and a vote.