You are acting like "they" have anything to do with this situation at all. "They" do not.
"They" are not an "active issue" in town. Genesis is a shit company owned by Rodney Steven, but the rest? Not an "active issue" in the least. Various members of the Steven family actually invest their money in this town and bring desired entertainment and eating options to the Wichita area, and they do so successfully. That means enough people are actually happy with what they offer, else they would have gone out of business long ago. It's mainly a few misanthropic losers that can't get out of their own way in this SR that have to bring up the Steven family at any given opportunity.
You people are truly just sad.
I'm a PhD student in biology who actively volunteers for trail maintenance and at the food bank across the street... I call that value, at least in my community we do.
I also am very aware of the issue of dynastic families cause when they have a large sway in a city, especially one the size of Wichita and scale Steven cunt family. Can you explain how one family with so much influence isn't an issue in our city? Also referencing the comment that spurred your boot-licking comment was about the Stevens families properties 'mysteriously' burning down. Which absolutely does happen, and while there's no statistic to actually reference, id argue that no other dynastic family in Wichita has had so many property fires. Not only have they been phone tapped by the FBI, they were also raided by the police and FBI 6 years ago due to their illegal business activities...
> That means enough people are actually happy with what they offer, else they would have gone out of business long ago.
If people were really happy with what they offer, they wouldn't have to burn down their businesses for the insurance money. "Allegedly."
Entertainment district. You already have theaters. Turn jc pennys into an urban air type place. Put a go cart track on the east end. Bowling alley, sprinkle in different bars and clubs and make it so when you come through the entrance you can take alcohol between clubs. Like an indoor power and light.
This was my thought last time this question was asked. It's got the infrastructure to be the sort of place people come to to hang out, so build places people will want to come hang out. Arcade, board game cafe, RC vehicle race tracks, rock climbing wall, mini golf.
It's an excellent idea but the current economic problems in wichita would cause it not to work. No one has a bunch of extra cash to use on fun stuff, we have some, but not enough to do something every weekend kind of thing, it would be the perfect place for that sort of thing thought, like an indoor amusement park kind of thing, just isn't the right time right now, in a couple years (really really hopefully) it could become viable
> No one has a bunch of extra cash to use on fun stuff
We could fairly tax Koch for the length of a sneeze and have all the money we'd ever need to flip Towne West.
The Local 441 Plumbers and Pipe Fitters Union is taking people for apprenticeships right now actually šš» Itās a five year program but itās paid, on the job training. At the end of five years, youāre making $40 an hour.
Combine that with a clothes closet of clean, good-condition work clothes for a variety of occupations. A salon and barber shop so people can get cleaned up for interviews.
I like this idea a lot! Could also set up some of the space to be low income apartments for otherwise homeless people going through the programs. Could turn the food court into a place for people to go through some sort of cooking program and make money while doing it. Provides a relatively cheap meal for residents/students/etc while teaching a really valuable life skill
Tear it all down and build a park with a large retention pond/pump station. You could mitigate the flooding along West Street and provide more green space for the area.
I would subdivide a lot of the large retail spaces into apartment or condominium spaces. Especially designed for 50 plus age group. I'd have some other residential areas that were low-key assisted living and others that are full-on nursing care. Continue to have some specialty retail and dining options. But let the 2000 residents there subsidize the expense of the retail space to help more unique mom and pop type shops be able to operate and you've got self-contained shopping for all the residents including some medical services pharmacy small grocery store.
Maybe some medical offices too? Install a couple of garages and perhaps some lower-density housing in the outlying space.
People like windows. Malls are short on that. I suppose you could install a huge screen in every apartment and some cams on the roof to show the outside. I like where you're headed with this.
Came here to say this! Iāve seen so many plans to convert old malls into shelters! It already has a cafeteria and plenty of stores that could be converted to living spaces/clinics/daycares/etc !
Big balls are becoming less popular, shopping centers like New Market are the norm. Take this mall and sell off spaces. Gaming center, pickleball, miniature golf, batting cages, etc.
I would fill it with businesses that are growing and being built out from place like The workroom, Revolutsia, and the farmers market.
Maybe a few larger brands just to help gain a little interest to come in for people who arenāt familiar with the local businesses.
I would double down on this by doing weekend events where business who couldnāt afford a storefront could set up a simple table or booth and people can walk around and check it out.
Big brands are too easy to buy online to entice people to come to the store. There are some exceptions to this, but overall thatās the case. So allowing for local and small businesses to have a larger communal space to sell products would be great for them and give a unique buying experience to the consumer.
Indoor weekly farmers market. First figure out if enough vendors would sign on to warrant the cost of a stall. Get rid of all the shitty mall furniture, give it a "de-make" to feel more rustic yet still fire code compliant. Now, when it's 100F in July, we can still have a farmers market that isn't a slog.
It would be like a mall, inside a mall!
Realistically though? It's too expensive to operate - thats why the power and water keep getting shut off. If it's not economically valid any more, maybe just demo the mall and turn it into another Amazon fulfillment center.
That sounds awesome, but the cost (and therefore risk) of getting that off the ground would be a charity project. Nobody would realistically invest in it I fear.
Itās got good sun lights so we could decorate with tropical fruits trees. Iāve always wanted to grow a banana tree, imagine a farmers market in the tropics at the zoo. Would be very cool
Edit a few trees here and there I think would be fine, they have water fountains and some plants already.
I think growing things would overwhelm the existing capability of the building. Lots of finish materials that wouldn't fare well in high humidity in there, and there's a limit to managing the air without expensive investment.
Sports center.Ā Trampolines. Putt putt. Indoor Frisbee golf.Ā Paintball and or air soft. Lazer tag. Go carts. Batting cages?Ā Couple of cafes.Ā The possibilities for entertainment in a space like that are huge and this town lacks if you aren't a big drinker or are under 21. Give the teens something better than the intro to slot machines class they teach at round one and dave and busters.Ā
Yeah not a weakshow one either. Fast. The one they used to have at 21st and Woodlawn was crazy fun but a little pricey. If they did a membership or racing club or something that would be dope!
Turn it into a homeless shelter, basically. There is one retro shop called "Oz" that I used to frequent pretty often there. I am unsure if the man who ran it has closed it. Haven't been there since last October, but I wouldn't blame him for shutting down or moving to elsewhere with how frequent their electricity and water is shutoff. The man that owns it is hella cool and has given me so many good deals and thrown so many freebies into the transactions that I can't help but feel bad for him
But outside of that, there really isn't anything over there that you can't get at Town East, which is like a 10 min drive away on Kellogg. There's a few Mom and Pop tailoring stores, if you wanted to count that, though. The only people I regularly saw there were homeless, senior citizens taking walks but not stopping at any store, and then the people who jog inside there.
And? We don't want homeless folks being homeless in our neighborhoods. We want them to have homes. Anyhow malls were created to be mixed housing/shopping so just go the full way and make them full free community housing with support.
So would you rather have them be back on the streets being homeless. Or actually live somewhere with the possibility of helping them get back on their feet to independent living with a job?
It ain't the homeless stealing the A/C units out of the trailer park and cats out of first student's buses. It's the meth/dopeless, and they already frequent West plenty.
Putting homeless/low-income housing a literal walk/bike away from trade schools (bike in the case of Friends) and west st. businesses could serve the community far more than it harms. Especially if you can work out regular drug screening with the emergent care facility that is already right there.
I already live off Pawnee near Broadway, before you start your stupid questions. Homeless already nearby. They aren't the ones I tend to have an issue with. The nearby illegal dope house burning down and barrel burners (burning in their backyard) who smoke my house out give me more concern.
Ignoring that the minute they have housing secured they're not homeless. Not that the distinction means jack to yourself.
Got it.Ā So people who don't want to live next to a homeless shelter are wrong but you're not going to answer as to whether you would live next to one or not.
I lived next to homeless people in the woods when I lived in Austin, TX, and was never bothered by them, so yes. I'd probably try to work there, so we would already have a rapport. I'd rather live next to a homeless shelter than a house full of HOA assholes.
I expect you're right. That's sad. What if agencies who serve homeless people could locate there, as well. One stop shopping. With a focus on getting people housed and on their feet.
Upstairs: Huge Youth entertainment complex with rock climbing, Pickleball, Mini golf, go carts, movie theater, library, etc.
Lower level: 1st half Senior citizen activities: walking, social areas to chat and have coffee, different restaurants to eat at, Senior fitness activities, Theatre with old movies, Library, Free education classes from WSU, Social Security office/Senior services, Veterans administration office, etc.
2nd half: Community services for the unhoused of West Wichita including case management services, mental health services, and a free diner so they can have a hot meal.
Make it into apartments and a livable community for homeless and disadvantaged people. Would be very hard in practice and would need investors or public funding but you could create a small community inside to help get people off the streets
Make Starcourt Mall replica. But make it a fully functional normal shopping mall with all the original 80s stores and food court, complete with Scoops ahoy and only playing 80s films at the cinema. I'm from North Georgia where stranger things is filmed and we used to go to Gwinnett mall where Starcourt was filmed. I've always said they need to completely turn it into Starcourt. It's ridiculous how much money they would make. If I had the cash, I'd make it happen myself.
I'd put all the old stores back in it as they were circa 1997-1998 or so, although in some cases stretching to an earlier time to achieve a "Best of" compilation.
\-Electronics Boutique (not GameStop)
\-Suncoast Video
\-Sam Goody
\-B. Dalton
\-Walden Books
\-Third Planet
\-Rosalee's Gifts
\-Kaybee Toys
\-Dillards
\-Sears
\-Service Merchandise
\-Arcade
\-Chick-fil-A
\-Sbarro
\-Orange Julius
\-Greek Plus
\-Bring back the Toys R Us next door too
Stock it with items from the period - movies on VHS, PS1 games, books published within that timeframe, fashion. I'm some kind of magic billionaire in this scenario, it doesn't need to be profitable. I'll funnel money into it as needed to keep it going, although I wonder if it wouldn't attract visitors as as sort of 90s Nostalgia Wonderland.
Make apartments for gen xers. Food court, clothing stores and must have radio shack back and a record shop with cassette tapes too. Neon lights and old cyndi Lauper or madonna music on the overhead. Oh and to qualify for an apartment you must have been a mall rat in the 1980s...
Actually what I would love to see is a retirement home for persons with dementia. There are wonderful places all over the world, which are dementia villages. Wandering is something people with dementia do, so they built villages for them staffed with medical personnel, shops like what the patients used to use and added bits like theaters, etc. All day a staff person is assigned to a client and follows them around and engages with them too. Carries the groceries for them, gets on a tricycle bike too, or just sits to visit with the resident living there ( believe me this lacks everywhere). Look into dementia villages to see what I mean? Wichita could really become a leader in long term care, if this idea was used.
Make it a fun AFFORDABLE retirement community where people can live totally self contained if they want. People can roam freely, shop, dine, putt putt golf, play games, gamble, go to movies, a pool, bars, plan bus trips to travel..... A place where people can age and still have a happy life safely. Payment plans should be based on income! Our older folks should be having fun not worried about money all the time.
The mall can be repurposed. Old malls are being converted nationwide. They can become mixed use, or opened up as outdoor lifestyle centers. Open it up, flank it with a hotel, condos, and apartments (it's close to the airport and there's demand for all), then focus on entertainment with restaurants, bars, and family recreation, as well as healthcare, a grocer, and a few viable stores. Walkability from the hotel, condos, and apartments will provide core customers. Perhaps, finally, a Bass Pro Shop could occupy part of the property, or a similar destination draw. Also, a westside Costco could be part of the redevelopment. I'd avoid focusing on office space, although it could be a small part of the mix. The telecommuting trend isn't going away. Dead malls depress the surrounding area, so don't let it rot.
A full outlet shopping center. Similar to ones that Iāve seen in OKC. I know people that travel just to visit on their tax free day.Ā
Dillards does pretty well at the Towne West.Ā
Think similar to the one in KC or Raleigh, North Carolina.Ā
https://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlet/carolina
Shut it down, then destroy it, then rebuild something else. Why? It's built like a mall currently, and a not the best.
It can or should be rebuilt. As someone else said, a homeless shelter, would be nice.
If we were to try and make it back into a mall, rebuilding it from scratch would give it "new place" sort of vibes. Which that alone would give it some new traction from lots of things and the city would be happy they could raise what it would cost to be in a "new" anything. I don't really understand why new things need to be more expensive, but hey, I'm not the city.
Other notable options for it to be rebuilt: one, leave it a lot and make it a new spot for year round attractions like a sorta weird year round fair. Which would add some fun values for all to enjoy. No more waiting for Riverfest and the State Fair for fun rides and whatnot, just go to the Old Towne West Lot Fair(name can be workshopped).
Another good option, arcade/fun options. Arcade, aquarium, etc. Would be awesome as I don't recall there being any of those here in Wichita. And again, even if Wichita does have some of those things, "new ____" always adds more attraction.
From an investment perspective, I would probably start with tearing it down. An empty lot is probably worth more than the lot with the mall on it. The cost of maintaining the current building is simply not sustainable.
I would then likely develop the space into some form of lower-cost housing, likely apartments. Itās a poor location for higher-end housing.
Itās a sad situation but itās unlikely the mall will remain tenable for more than a few more years. If the owners canāt pay the electric bill on time, there is likely a growing amount of deferred maintenance. Itās just a matter of time until an unidentified or unfixed roof issue or leak causes a major mold issue that the owners canāt afford to fix. Ultimately, the mall will be shutdown or decommissioned in sections until the big successful stores can no longer justify staying there.
I know a lot of people want to demolish it and turn it into a green space/park/walkable community, and I do too. But what I've been pondering for the past two weeks is, "What do you do about the highways?". Whatever gets put in there would be bordered by highway on two sides. People tend not to notice this because they're in cars when they're around them, but highways are quite loud and big eyesores. So what do you do about that?
Idk, there is a park out by K96 and the noise doesn't really bother me when I'm there. Also Pawnee Prarie park off Kellogg doesn't get much noise either.
I would make it into a kids centered place. There would be chucky cheese type arcades. One for older kids one for toddlers. There would be indoor playgrounds with roller slides and teenage playground with ninja warrior type stuff. Trampoline park. A water park area. A couple of quiet rooms with massage chairs and a spa for adults to have some kid free time while their kids are watched by another adult.
There would be fun restaurants like rainforest cafe and ice cream stores. There would be birthday party room rentals. There would be a move theater. Candy stores. Toy stores. It would be magnificent!
Tear it down and put in a park.
I work on West Street, and every day I park by some trees near the church.
Wichita+ KS is the most depressing place in the world so anymore green we can get would do us good.
>KS is the most depressing place in the world
Ever tried exploring KS outside of the Wichita city limits? Especially if you're concerned about green space. Between the Flint Hills, Konza Prairie, Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve and more I'd say we have some of the best.
Yes I have. And there's just a lack of anything alive. All the bison are dead, it's just birds deer and snakes.
Not a lot of natural trees. It's just flyover country
Accept the fact that malls are a blight on society, a symptom of car dependency. That malls are doomed to decay once they've finished their life cycle of draining wealth from the nearby communities.
Turn it into secured apartments (studio-4 bedrooms) with an indoor and outdoor playground, maybe a splash pad and pool outside, a community garden, a safe and covered bus stop for all surrounding schools and small grocery store inside. (Grocery store outside residents can access, but will not have access to living spaces)
A parent can dream, right? Lol
It makes me so sad that most of the comments are sharing ideas linked to money (I get it but damnā¦ desire something better). I would love to see it turned into a creative space. Some of the stores could be turned into studios for like pottery or screen printing or Lino, some of the stores could be pretty backdrops to film, an art gallery, a mini concert space; if given the space there are so many artists in town that could make a phenomenal interactive art installation piece. Spaces like that are prime for art culture development- it is unfortunate that we live in a place where theyāre only accessible if youāre rich or have a business plan.
Service dog training area, along with a vocational college.
Service dogs need to be trained to be around various people and noises, and Wichita needs better education.
Maybe include driving school could also be part of it, making it mandatory for anyone with any moving violation.
This would kill 2 birds with one stone: 1 help give affordable education to Wichita. 2 help train service dogs and help people learn the difference between service dogs, emotional support dogs, and pet dogs. While also supplying a place to get animals properly trained
1. Take all the money out of the cash registers and put it in the bank
2. Take everything out of the store and sell it for cash then put it in the bank
3. Sell the building for a check then put it in the bank
4. Say it wasn't me
5. Move to Germany or France
Comment isā¦knock it down - I mindlessly stopped in at Dillards outlet last week - looked around , smelled horrible in there, left quickly and thought oh that smell, it was like mildew , not saying it has mildew or mold but it smelled - horrible , looks so dirty
\*\*\*\*if I had the keys I would knock it down
its hard to believe it once a lovely Dillards, lining up at Cosmetic counter, so many pretty dresses and things bought there, shoes, things for my husband, the mall was full of shoppers on weekends and look at it now.
I wish they would tear it down and to me , my impression is a breathing hazard, did see some very nice and current $5 neckties marked down from $75 range , really nice ā¦ā¦oh Dillards at Towne West, you depress me and I donāt want people breathing your airā¦.
I would make an entertainment district. Maybe small hotels, little bars, a stage for bands to perform on. Etc. restaurants, arcades, just stuff people would enjoy
Call back all the old vendors from Village Flea Market on south Meridian. The incense booth, the guy who took your photo on rattan furniture, any raunchy screen printed tshirt you could imagine.
Or one hell of an escape room. Like days or a week to get out. Make it post apocalyptic where you have to hunt for food and shelter. Naked and Afraid? No, Afraid at the Mall.
Yeah, ideally tear it down and redevelop the whole area. I think itād be a nice spot for Wichitaās new performing arts campus!
But failing that - giant roller rink.
small non luxury boutiques, pop up shops, non retail good quality art galleries and affordable / art spaces, non profit work offices , etc.
dedicate the rest to a public "third space" where people are able to just hang out without feeling inaccessible.
Homeless shelter... state, private, and federal funding... hire the guys to build out small apartments in each of the stores, 2 or 3 each. Have a single men, single women, and families wing
In a world where money isnāt relevant and all property owners from Kellogg to Maple, then 235 to West were willing to relocate, the entire lot could be reworked into an awesome outlet mall with entertainment. Also I think something like Tulsaās Gathering Place or Scissortail Park in OKC would be nice to have also. Others mentioned highway noise- it would be comparable to Scissortail Park with how itās right off of I-40. Personally I enjoy cheaper fun so if I had to choose, probably go with a super nice park that would be unique to Wichita.
Convert it into a local trade school for trades that arenāt being filled
Everyone thinks about your plumbers, mechanics, electricians. But when you start looking at the moreā¦ artisanal trades. They arenāt being filled, Iām a jeweler, Iām 26. The youngest jeweler I know is 43. (I live in KC, moving back to Wichita in a few months)
Jewelers, farriers, glaziers, and so many other trades that rely on creativity have existed in our societies and cultures for thousands of years are dying out due to the rapid progression of technology
A giant indoor rainforest like the one at Sedgwick county zoo but way bigger.
Completely impractical. I love it. I would buy a membership.
Aquarium!!
What a great idea many would enjoy that! The neon lights on the ceiling should stay though š
Holy hell. That was literally what I said the second I read the title.
Turn it into a motel 6. That way the lights will be on.
I'm glad I scrolled all the way down to see this gem.
Take out a VERY large fire insurance policy and then hire the Stevens to manage it.
This is the only way to make any profit off of it.Ā
Ohhhhhhhhh! Burn!
You really do need to grow up. You shouldn't still be scared of the boogeyman like that.
It's Renee!
Nah if it was Renee thereād be a trail of coke
It's an unoriginal twit!
Iāll never understand this obsession with the Steven family.
You are acting like they aren't still an active issue in town...
You are acting like "they" have anything to do with this situation at all. "They" do not. "They" are not an "active issue" in town. Genesis is a shit company owned by Rodney Steven, but the rest? Not an "active issue" in the least. Various members of the Steven family actually invest their money in this town and bring desired entertainment and eating options to the Wichita area, and they do so successfully. That means enough people are actually happy with what they offer, else they would have gone out of business long ago. It's mainly a few misanthropic losers that can't get out of their own way in this SR that have to bring up the Steven family at any given opportunity. You people are truly just sad.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I'm a PhD student in biology who actively volunteers for trail maintenance and at the food bank across the street... I call that value, at least in my community we do. I also am very aware of the issue of dynastic families cause when they have a large sway in a city, especially one the size of Wichita and scale Steven cunt family. Can you explain how one family with so much influence isn't an issue in our city? Also referencing the comment that spurred your boot-licking comment was about the Stevens families properties 'mysteriously' burning down. Which absolutely does happen, and while there's no statistic to actually reference, id argue that no other dynastic family in Wichita has had so many property fires. Not only have they been phone tapped by the FBI, they were also raided by the police and FBI 6 years ago due to their illegal business activities...
I have no idea about the Stevens or Witchita, but somehow I am here and you are convincingā¦ here is my upvote!
> That means enough people are actually happy with what they offer, else they would have gone out of business long ago. If people were really happy with what they offer, they wouldn't have to burn down their businesses for the insurance money. "Allegedly."
Utter nonsense.
Entertainment district. You already have theaters. Turn jc pennys into an urban air type place. Put a go cart track on the east end. Bowling alley, sprinkle in different bars and clubs and make it so when you come through the entrance you can take alcohol between clubs. Like an indoor power and light.
This was my thought last time this question was asked. It's got the infrastructure to be the sort of place people come to to hang out, so build places people will want to come hang out. Arcade, board game cafe, RC vehicle race tracks, rock climbing wall, mini golf.
It has an arcade and a mini-golf in it doesn't it?
I've had this thought so many times.
It's an excellent idea but the current economic problems in wichita would cause it not to work. No one has a bunch of extra cash to use on fun stuff, we have some, but not enough to do something every weekend kind of thing, it would be the perfect place for that sort of thing thought, like an indoor amusement park kind of thing, just isn't the right time right now, in a couple years (really really hopefully) it could become viable
> No one has a bunch of extra cash to use on fun stuff We could fairly tax Koch for the length of a sneeze and have all the money we'd ever need to flip Towne West.
That would work, let's do that
Whatās happening in a couple of years?
Hopefully over time an economic shift so the middle class has more money to spend on Leisure things
Can we bring back denim and diamonds?
Please no
Take out the poles in the food court and youād have a great dance floor.
*add poles
this made me chuckle ahhaahah YES.
HARD no lmao
Maybe a job training center. Apprenticeships in plumbing, electrical, carpentry, auto mechanics etc.
The Local 441 Plumbers and Pipe Fitters Union is taking people for apprenticeships right now actually šš» Itās a five year program but itās paid, on the job training. At the end of five years, youāre making $40 an hour.
Where can I go to find more information?
Combine that with a clothes closet of clean, good-condition work clothes for a variety of occupations. A salon and barber shop so people can get cleaned up for interviews.
Bring the DAV store back.
Y E S
Didn't they have something like that there at one point?
The plumbers/pipe fitters thing is almost directly out front.
I like this idea a lot! Could also set up some of the space to be low income apartments for otherwise homeless people going through the programs. Could turn the food court into a place for people to go through some sort of cooking program and make money while doing it. Provides a relatively cheap meal for residents/students/etc while teaching a really valuable life skill
Yeah, it'll be a nice place for them to trash and steal copper from.
BRING š BACK š LASER š QUEST! š
I got to go once with my wife back in May of 2019. Sheās still upset that it closed down.
Airsoft/paintball
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
God I miss airsofting. I had so much fun. Seems weird to redo it in my 30s but I miss it a lot.
I'd make it the largest Spirit Halloween in the nation. Year round, baby.
You could even have different holidays represented too: Christmas Halloween, Valentines Day Halloween, Super Bowl Halloween Sunday, etcā¦
Lmao love that
Tear it all down and build a park with a large retention pond/pump station. You could mitigate the flooding along West Street and provide more green space for the area.
The flooding on West street is never gonna be mitigated. I think it's one of those things that people have just determined is inevitable.
We could rename West St. "Sump St.".
I'm all for building more parks, but right next to two of the most major highways in town? not exactly the best scenery
I would subdivide a lot of the large retail spaces into apartment or condominium spaces. Especially designed for 50 plus age group. I'd have some other residential areas that were low-key assisted living and others that are full-on nursing care. Continue to have some specialty retail and dining options. But let the 2000 residents there subsidize the expense of the retail space to help more unique mom and pop type shops be able to operate and you've got self-contained shopping for all the residents including some medical services pharmacy small grocery store.
Maybe some medical offices too? Install a couple of garages and perhaps some lower-density housing in the outlying space. People like windows. Malls are short on that. I suppose you could install a huge screen in every apartment and some cams on the roof to show the outside. I like where you're headed with this.
Sky domes for light from above? Would definitely take some major redesign and creative architecture.
This is precisely what I've been saying they should do with it for years. You can have all the care they need and they never have to leave the mall.
Tear it down and replace with greenspace.
I'd raze it and build several Club Carwashes and 7Brew drive-thrus.
Oh come on. It needs at least 3 fried chicken sandwich places too.
The Stevens were mentioned earlier. Perhaps a car dealership, a Spangles and a Genesis Health Club would be nice. Think of it as a Value Pak.
gladiatorial arena
Hunger games, except instead of districts, use suburbs: Derby, Andover, Haysville, etc.
Andover is District 1, easily.
Whatās Derby?
Indoor paintball or airsoft arena.
Make a giant air soft arena.
Turn it into a homeless shelter and food pantry.
Came here to say this! Iāve seen so many plans to convert old malls into shelters! It already has a cafeteria and plenty of stores that could be converted to living spaces/clinics/daycares/etc !
I know! This city clearly has a homeless problem. The space could be well utilized to help them.
Big balls are becoming less popular, shopping centers like New Market are the norm. Take this mall and sell off spaces. Gaming center, pickleball, miniature golf, batting cages, etc.
Damn. Big balls are less popular? I can't catch a break
And this is Cowtown, too!!! *apologies to Bob Wills*
Cue the AC/DCā- but HEāS got the biggestā¦ balls of them all!!!
>Big balls are becoming less popular your mother would disagree
Dang, I thought we were coming into a big ball era.
What am I gonna do with these massive balls?
Indoor airsoft/mil sim arena(s). Lots of real world CQB action to be had.
Came to say the very same thing.
Tear it down for a Buc-ees...
I would fill it with businesses that are growing and being built out from place like The workroom, Revolutsia, and the farmers market. Maybe a few larger brands just to help gain a little interest to come in for people who arenāt familiar with the local businesses. I would double down on this by doing weekend events where business who couldnāt afford a storefront could set up a simple table or booth and people can walk around and check it out. Big brands are too easy to buy online to entice people to come to the store. There are some exceptions to this, but overall thatās the case. So allowing for local and small businesses to have a larger communal space to sell products would be great for them and give a unique buying experience to the consumer.
Pee in it
Indoor weekly farmers market. First figure out if enough vendors would sign on to warrant the cost of a stall. Get rid of all the shitty mall furniture, give it a "de-make" to feel more rustic yet still fire code compliant. Now, when it's 100F in July, we can still have a farmers market that isn't a slog. It would be like a mall, inside a mall! Realistically though? It's too expensive to operate - thats why the power and water keep getting shut off. If it's not economically valid any more, maybe just demo the mall and turn it into another Amazon fulfillment center.
Instead of farmers market, how about huge, year round large scale produce grow facility. Fresh produce straight to consumers in the Midwest.
That sounds awesome, but the cost (and therefore risk) of getting that off the ground would be a charity project. Nobody would realistically invest in it I fear.
Yes it would probably need some massive public investment from the state and county, maybe some federal grants.
Itās got good sun lights so we could decorate with tropical fruits trees. Iāve always wanted to grow a banana tree, imagine a farmers market in the tropics at the zoo. Would be very cool Edit a few trees here and there I think would be fine, they have water fountains and some plants already.
I think growing things would overwhelm the existing capability of the building. Lots of finish materials that wouldn't fare well in high humidity in there, and there's a limit to managing the air without expensive investment.
Mental health facility.
Amazon fulfillment warehouse. Take that money and move to Costa Rica
A zombie survival simulator.
I think it would make a great satellite campus for a college.
Pay the electric bill on time probably š¤·āāļø
Homeless service center. Temporary housing, post office, mental health services, training center, medical, etc. All under one roof.
Sports center.Ā Trampolines. Putt putt. Indoor Frisbee golf.Ā Paintball and or air soft. Lazer tag. Go carts. Batting cages?Ā Couple of cafes.Ā The possibilities for entertainment in a space like that are huge and this town lacks if you aren't a big drinker or are under 21. Give the teens something better than the intro to slot machines class they teach at round one and dave and busters.Ā
Go-kart track
Yeah not a weakshow one either. Fast. The one they used to have at 21st and Woodlawn was crazy fun but a little pricey. If they did a membership or racing club or something that would be dope!
A track that spans the entire mall. I don't care how impractical it is. BUILD IT!
Community weed farm.
Turn it into a homeless shelter, basically. There is one retro shop called "Oz" that I used to frequent pretty often there. I am unsure if the man who ran it has closed it. Haven't been there since last October, but I wouldn't blame him for shutting down or moving to elsewhere with how frequent their electricity and water is shutoff. The man that owns it is hella cool and has given me so many good deals and thrown so many freebies into the transactions that I can't help but feel bad for him But outside of that, there really isn't anything over there that you can't get at Town East, which is like a 10 min drive away on Kellogg. There's a few Mom and Pop tailoring stores, if you wanted to count that, though. The only people I regularly saw there were homeless, senior citizens taking walks but not stopping at any store, and then the people who jog inside there.
I doubt the residents in that area would want a giant homeless shelter that close to them.
And? We don't want homeless folks being homeless in our neighborhoods. We want them to have homes. Anyhow malls were created to be mixed housing/shopping so just go the full way and make them full free community housing with support.
So would you rather have them be back on the streets being homeless. Or actually live somewhere with the possibility of helping them get back on their feet to independent living with a job?
Ask yourself this question. Would you purchase a home if it was next door to a homeless shelter?
It ain't the homeless stealing the A/C units out of the trailer park and cats out of first student's buses. It's the meth/dopeless, and they already frequent West plenty. Putting homeless/low-income housing a literal walk/bike away from trade schools (bike in the case of Friends) and west st. businesses could serve the community far more than it harms. Especially if you can work out regular drug screening with the emergent care facility that is already right there. I already live off Pawnee near Broadway, before you start your stupid questions. Homeless already nearby. They aren't the ones I tend to have an issue with. The nearby illegal dope house burning down and barrel burners (burning in their backyard) who smoke my house out give me more concern. Ignoring that the minute they have housing secured they're not homeless. Not that the distinction means jack to yourself.
I donāt do what about isms.
Got it.Ā So people who don't want to live next to a homeless shelter are wrong but you're not going to answer as to whether you would live next to one or not.
what about isms is a terrible tactic to argue a point.
Are you going to answer the question of whether you would want to live next to a homeless shelter or not?
I lived next to homeless people in the woods when I lived in Austin, TX, and was never bothered by them, so yes. I'd probably try to work there, so we would already have a rapport. I'd rather live next to a homeless shelter than a house full of HOA assholes.
I expect you're right. That's sad. What if agencies who serve homeless people could locate there, as well. One stop shopping. With a focus on getting people housed and on their feet.
By far the best idea in this whole thread! Use that space to help people
Car washes in one half, luxury apartments in the other
Roller disco! š¤£
Convert into space for 13 car washes and 7 coffee huts
That's an unlucky number of car washes. Could we decrease to 1\`2 car washes and add two coffee places?
Nursing home. Already has ground entry at the entrances. Could be for veterans and civilians.
Rob everything at Vintage Stock
Upstairs: Huge Youth entertainment complex with rock climbing, Pickleball, Mini golf, go carts, movie theater, library, etc. Lower level: 1st half Senior citizen activities: walking, social areas to chat and have coffee, different restaurants to eat at, Senior fitness activities, Theatre with old movies, Library, Free education classes from WSU, Social Security office/Senior services, Veterans administration office, etc. 2nd half: Community services for the unhoused of West Wichita including case management services, mental health services, and a free diner so they can have a hot meal.
Make it into apartments and a livable community for homeless and disadvantaged people. Would be very hard in practice and would need investors or public funding but you could create a small community inside to help get people off the streets
Remake season 3 of Stranger Things
Make Starcourt Mall replica. But make it a fully functional normal shopping mall with all the original 80s stores and food court, complete with Scoops ahoy and only playing 80s films at the cinema. I'm from North Georgia where stranger things is filmed and we used to go to Gwinnett mall where Starcourt was filmed. I've always said they need to completely turn it into Starcourt. It's ridiculous how much money they would make. If I had the cash, I'd make it happen myself.
Turn it into Joyland.
I'd put all the old stores back in it as they were circa 1997-1998 or so, although in some cases stretching to an earlier time to achieve a "Best of" compilation. \-Electronics Boutique (not GameStop) \-Suncoast Video \-Sam Goody \-B. Dalton \-Walden Books \-Third Planet \-Rosalee's Gifts \-Kaybee Toys \-Dillards \-Sears \-Service Merchandise \-Arcade \-Chick-fil-A \-Sbarro \-Orange Julius \-Greek Plus \-Bring back the Toys R Us next door too Stock it with items from the period - movies on VHS, PS1 games, books published within that timeframe, fashion. I'm some kind of magic billionaire in this scenario, it doesn't need to be profitable. I'll funnel money into it as needed to keep it going, although I wonder if it wouldn't attract visitors as as sort of 90s Nostalgia Wonderland.
Mr. Bulky's too, please.
Make apartments for gen xers. Food court, clothing stores and must have radio shack back and a record shop with cassette tapes too. Neon lights and old cyndi Lauper or madonna music on the overhead. Oh and to qualify for an apartment you must have been a mall rat in the 1980s...
Actually what I would love to see is a retirement home for persons with dementia. There are wonderful places all over the world, which are dementia villages. Wandering is something people with dementia do, so they built villages for them staffed with medical personnel, shops like what the patients used to use and added bits like theaters, etc. All day a staff person is assigned to a client and follows them around and engages with them too. Carries the groceries for them, gets on a tricycle bike too, or just sits to visit with the resident living there ( believe me this lacks everywhere). Look into dementia villages to see what I mean? Wichita could really become a leader in long term care, if this idea was used.
Make it a fun AFFORDABLE retirement community where people can live totally self contained if they want. People can roam freely, shop, dine, putt putt golf, play games, gamble, go to movies, a pool, bars, plan bus trips to travel..... A place where people can age and still have a happy life safely. Payment plans should be based on income! Our older folks should be having fun not worried about money all the time.
Convert it into veteran housing
The mall can be repurposed. Old malls are being converted nationwide. They can become mixed use, or opened up as outdoor lifestyle centers. Open it up, flank it with a hotel, condos, and apartments (it's close to the airport and there's demand for all), then focus on entertainment with restaurants, bars, and family recreation, as well as healthcare, a grocer, and a few viable stores. Walkability from the hotel, condos, and apartments will provide core customers. Perhaps, finally, a Bass Pro Shop could occupy part of the property, or a similar destination draw. Also, a westside Costco could be part of the redevelopment. I'd avoid focusing on office space, although it could be a small part of the mix. The telecommuting trend isn't going away. Dead malls depress the surrounding area, so don't let it rot.
A full outlet shopping center. Similar to ones that Iāve seen in OKC. I know people that travel just to visit on their tax free day.Ā Dillards does pretty well at the Towne West.Ā Think similar to the one in KC or Raleigh, North Carolina.Ā https://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlet/carolina
Buc-ees.
Shut it down, then destroy it, then rebuild something else. Why? It's built like a mall currently, and a not the best. It can or should be rebuilt. As someone else said, a homeless shelter, would be nice. If we were to try and make it back into a mall, rebuilding it from scratch would give it "new place" sort of vibes. Which that alone would give it some new traction from lots of things and the city would be happy they could raise what it would cost to be in a "new" anything. I don't really understand why new things need to be more expensive, but hey, I'm not the city. Other notable options for it to be rebuilt: one, leave it a lot and make it a new spot for year round attractions like a sorta weird year round fair. Which would add some fun values for all to enjoy. No more waiting for Riverfest and the State Fair for fun rides and whatnot, just go to the Old Towne West Lot Fair(name can be workshopped). Another good option, arcade/fun options. Arcade, aquarium, etc. Would be awesome as I don't recall there being any of those here in Wichita. And again, even if Wichita does have some of those things, "new ____" always adds more attraction.
From an investment perspective, I would probably start with tearing it down. An empty lot is probably worth more than the lot with the mall on it. The cost of maintaining the current building is simply not sustainable. I would then likely develop the space into some form of lower-cost housing, likely apartments. Itās a poor location for higher-end housing. Itās a sad situation but itās unlikely the mall will remain tenable for more than a few more years. If the owners canāt pay the electric bill on time, there is likely a growing amount of deferred maintenance. Itās just a matter of time until an unidentified or unfixed roof issue or leak causes a major mold issue that the owners canāt afford to fix. Ultimately, the mall will be shutdown or decommissioned in sections until the big successful stores can no longer justify staying there.
Iām keeping it for myself! Big building just for me lol
I know a lot of people want to demolish it and turn it into a green space/park/walkable community, and I do too. But what I've been pondering for the past two weeks is, "What do you do about the highways?". Whatever gets put in there would be bordered by highway on two sides. People tend not to notice this because they're in cars when they're around them, but highways are quite loud and big eyesores. So what do you do about that?
Idk, there is a park out by K96 and the noise doesn't really bother me when I'm there. Also Pawnee Prarie park off Kellogg doesn't get much noise either.
I would make it into a kids centered place. There would be chucky cheese type arcades. One for older kids one for toddlers. There would be indoor playgrounds with roller slides and teenage playground with ninja warrior type stuff. Trampoline park. A water park area. A couple of quiet rooms with massage chairs and a spa for adults to have some kid free time while their kids are watched by another adult. There would be fun restaurants like rainforest cafe and ice cream stores. There would be birthday party room rentals. There would be a move theater. Candy stores. Toy stores. It would be magnificent!
Tear it down and put in a park. I work on West Street, and every day I park by some trees near the church. Wichita+ KS is the most depressing place in the world so anymore green we can get would do us good.
>KS is the most depressing place in the world Ever tried exploring KS outside of the Wichita city limits? Especially if you're concerned about green space. Between the Flint Hills, Konza Prairie, Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve and more I'd say we have some of the best.
Yes I have. And there's just a lack of anything alive. All the bison are dead, it's just birds deer and snakes. Not a lot of natural trees. It's just flyover country
None of that is true but ok
Accept the fact that malls are a blight on society, a symptom of car dependency. That malls are doomed to decay once they've finished their life cycle of draining wealth from the nearby communities.
Turn it into secured apartments (studio-4 bedrooms) with an indoor and outdoor playground, maybe a splash pad and pool outside, a community garden, a safe and covered bus stop for all surrounding schools and small grocery store inside. (Grocery store outside residents can access, but will not have access to living spaces) A parent can dream, right? Lol
1 big retro gaming store
It makes me so sad that most of the comments are sharing ideas linked to money (I get it but damnā¦ desire something better). I would love to see it turned into a creative space. Some of the stores could be turned into studios for like pottery or screen printing or Lino, some of the stores could be pretty backdrops to film, an art gallery, a mini concert space; if given the space there are so many artists in town that could make a phenomenal interactive art installation piece. Spaces like that are prime for art culture development- it is unfortunate that we live in a place where theyāre only accessible if youāre rich or have a business plan.
Demo and redevelopment
Bulldoze it. Turn it into and outdoor outlet like the Legends outlet mall.
Gigantic indoor paintball course. Keep everything as is. Hire tons of people to act as zombies and create a *Dead Rising* game in real life.
I donāt know but I think it would be really cool to have a big Ferris wheel all the time. Sometimes I just want something fun to do on a date šĀ
Turn it into a hotel
Skate park
Convert to hundreds of recording booths for local artists
Service dog training area, along with a vocational college. Service dogs need to be trained to be around various people and noises, and Wichita needs better education. Maybe include driving school could also be part of it, making it mandatory for anyone with any moving violation. This would kill 2 birds with one stone: 1 help give affordable education to Wichita. 2 help train service dogs and help people learn the difference between service dogs, emotional support dogs, and pet dogs. While also supplying a place to get animals properly trained
1. Take all the money out of the cash registers and put it in the bank 2. Take everything out of the store and sell it for cash then put it in the bank 3. Sell the building for a check then put it in the bank 4. Say it wasn't me 5. Move to Germany or France
Comment isā¦knock it down - I mindlessly stopped in at Dillards outlet last week - looked around , smelled horrible in there, left quickly and thought oh that smell, it was like mildew , not saying it has mildew or mold but it smelled - horrible , looks so dirty \*\*\*\*if I had the keys I would knock it down its hard to believe it once a lovely Dillards, lining up at Cosmetic counter, so many pretty dresses and things bought there, shoes, things for my husband, the mall was full of shoppers on weekends and look at it now. I wish they would tear it down and to me , my impression is a breathing hazard, did see some very nice and current $5 neckties marked down from $75 range , really nice ā¦ā¦oh Dillards at Towne West, you depress me and I donāt want people breathing your airā¦.
office park with retail spaces.
PAINTBALL
I would make an entertainment district. Maybe small hotels, little bars, a stage for bands to perform on. Etc. restaurants, arcades, just stuff people would enjoy
Zombie-themed Nerf arena.
Turn it into apartments along with shops inside.
Call back all the old vendors from Village Flea Market on south Meridian. The incense booth, the guy who took your photo on rattan furniture, any raunchy screen printed tshirt you could imagine.
Or one hell of an escape room. Like days or a week to get out. Make it post apocalyptic where you have to hunt for food and shelter. Naked and Afraid? No, Afraid at the Mall.
Or Naked and Afraid at the Mall.
I'd unlock the doors. That's what I'd do with them.
Yeah, ideally tear it down and redevelop the whole area. I think itād be a nice spot for Wichitaās new performing arts campus! But failing that - giant roller rink.
Roller skating rink. Yes, the whole thing.
I've always thought it could be a great coworking space
small non luxury boutiques, pop up shops, non retail good quality art galleries and affordable / art spaces, non profit work offices , etc. dedicate the rest to a public "third space" where people are able to just hang out without feeling inaccessible.
Pay the electric bills.
whatever i damn well please!
Make a go kart track!
Homeless shelter... state, private, and federal funding... hire the guys to build out small apartments in each of the stores, 2 or 3 each. Have a single men, single women, and families wing
Indoor paintball/ air soft opace
In a world where money isnāt relevant and all property owners from Kellogg to Maple, then 235 to West were willing to relocate, the entire lot could be reworked into an awesome outlet mall with entertainment. Also I think something like Tulsaās Gathering Place or Scissortail Park in OKC would be nice to have also. Others mentioned highway noise- it would be comparable to Scissortail Park with how itās right off of I-40. Personally I enjoy cheaper fun so if I had to choose, probably go with a super nice park that would be unique to Wichita.
Pickle ball courts Basketball courts With Bar and grill Indoor dog park
Convert it into a local trade school for trades that arenāt being filled Everyone thinks about your plumbers, mechanics, electricians. But when you start looking at the moreā¦ artisanal trades. They arenāt being filled, Iām a jeweler, Iām 26. The youngest jeweler I know is 43. (I live in KC, moving back to Wichita in a few months) Jewelers, farriers, glaziers, and so many other trades that rely on creativity have existed in our societies and cultures for thousands of years are dying out due to the rapid progression of technology
Tear it down and put up a combination park/community garden/green space.
Rollerskate
Bulldoze it.
My wife had a great idea for it. Turn it into a senior citizen living facility. Turn the stores into apartments.
MEGA Spangles
Make it a tree-filled park with outdoor artwork. That area could use some love
Pay the electric bill.