Wichita City Council members have approved the sale of a building that was just recently used as an emergency winter shelter for the homeless.
The Council approved the sale of a former Cessna training facility at 21st and Opportunity Drive. The 19,798 square-foot building was used during the past winter as an emergency shelter operated by HumanKind Ministries, and the shelter closed on April 1st.
The city received four bids for the building last fall, and the Council approved a bid of $682,500 from Wichita Habitat for Humanity, Inc. The building will be used for offices for the program and it will provide warehouse space for the construction program to build homes for needy families.
Staff recommended that funding from the sale should be set aside for costs related to the city’s efforts to develop a Multi Agency Center to serve the homeless. Wichita and Sedgwick County officials had hoped to get funding from the Kansas Legislature for creation of the MAC, but lawmakers did not approve that in their current session.
The sale of the building will not add value to the city’s tax base because it’s going to a non-profit agency, but it will relieve the city of maintenance costs for the building. Council member Mike Hoheisel said the sale will be a win-win for the community, with the building going to an important organization and the money helping with the development of the MAC facility.
The Council voted 5-1 to approve the sale, with Council member J.V. Johnston voting no. Council member Brandon Johnson abstained from the vote due to a conflict of interest.
