Celebrating Project Downtown
10 years of implementation recognized with International Award
In 2010, a community plan was launched to drive investment and development in the urban core – Project Downtown: The Master Plan for Wichita. This year we are celebrating a decade of the plan’s implementation and the tremendous outcomes that have helped shape downtown into the vibrant urban center that we know today.
The celebration begins with an exciting announcement – Downtown Wichita has received a Pinnacle Award from the International Downtown Association (IDA) for the implementation of the Project Downtown plan. Each year, IDA recognizes outstanding projects from downtown development corporations around the globe. These awards, named the Downtown Achievement Awards, highlight the best projects in urban place management. Read a Wichita Business Journal article or view a press release to learn more.
The industry’s highest recognition, the Pinnacle Award, represents the most creative and inspiring innovations in urban place management. Pinnacle Award recipients in 2019 included San Antonio, San Francisco, Winnipeg and more.
This award is the result of a number of key outcomes driven by Project Downtown over the past decade:
- Over $1 billion of investment in the downtown district
- 3 new hotels completed, totaling 375 new hotel rooms
- Residential units have doubled, adding 1,228 new units and 21 new properties
- Over 445K square feet of retail space added (39%) in the Central Business District (CBD)
- The CBD has shown a 14% increase in occupied office space and 23% increase in lease rates
This award recognizes the commitment by our community to work together and realize the vision set forth in Project Downtown. The transformation that has occurred would not be possible without the continued investment from the public and private sectors.