Vision (indicate your vision choice on attached ballot)

Before 2024 Wichita will:
1. Create a climate which encourages retention, expansion, creation and recruitment of manufacturing and non-manufacturing businesses.
2. Provide an environment that promotes growth that makes Wichita the place to be.
3. Proactively and responsibly provide the necessary resources to retain and expand current businesses, recruit new businesses; and establish an entrepreneurial network to sustain and innovate.
4. Have an environment that encourages new (value added) companies to come to Wichita as well as spurring growth for existing businesses and the creation of new companies.
5. Create an environment that is competitive in recruiting jobs while establishing a network that fosters creativity and an entrepreneurial spirit.
6. Become an innovation center dedicated to driving economic growth through research and entrepreneurship and attraction of cutting edge technology businesses.
7. Be economically vibrant, secure, diversified and growing.
8. Be proactive in creating an environment conducive to vibrant economic development thus attracting creative and talented people who in turn will make Wichita the most coveted city to live in.

Strategies (read and circle your highest education strategies and rank on the attached ballot)

A. Image and Marketing

1. Develop an aggressive marketing program that creates diversified value added jobs through retention, expansion, relocation and creation of new business enterprises in targeted job sectors that provide enough direct jobs to meet our Key Benchmarks. Value added jobs are direct jobs that bring cash into Wichita. These jobs have to be aggressively marketed; require a high level of private and public sector cooperation; a competitive business climate and result in the creation of indirect jobs. Indirect jobs are normally lower paying jobs. (Each direct job will average creating between 1.0 and 1.8 indirect jobs, depending on the new job sector mix.) Recognize that for the economic development strategies to be achieved, success will be required in the interdependent education, quality of life, infrastructure, government and private sector leadership foundations. Because of this interdependence these strategies in other foundations will not be repeated in economic development.
2. Retain our existing workforce and students and recruit new workers from outside Wichita. Creating a larger skilled, educated and creative workforce must be a parallel effort or even a more important effort than job creation. Accomplishing this intellectual capital creation will allow success in the job and income growth Key Benchmarks but can only occur with success in the other 6 Key Benchmarks (Education, Family Stability, Downtown Development, Arts/Culture/Recreation, Racial Harmony/ Opportunity & Diversity and Leadership). This is because of the intense competition for workforce among communities over the next 30 years and the shortage of highly skilled workers. Historically, cultural and recreational opportunities have ranked fairly low as a site selection factor for companies. However the input from over 2000 people in Wichita indicates that these two factors, diversity and downtown development are absolutely essential to retaining and attracting a workforce in the future. Employers will begin to realize that their most important asset is their employees and the vital importance of maintaining their allegiance.
3. Develop a brand that can be used to position Wichita internally and externally. Involve many organizations in developing the brand which will be authentic and inspiring and be used to retain and attract jobs, visitors and workforce. This may require a year or so to accomplish. Market the brand and Wichita’s competitive advantage internally and externally.
4. Develop processing plants for agricultural products; promote ag-tech and bioscience, and develop new farming methods and new markets.
5. Increase the medical community’s regional attraction by increased technology and medical innovation. Increase services for the elderly.
6. Create clusters and their supply chains with a critical mass for growth. The 2001 Porter study identified potential new clusters in addition to the existing aerospace vehicles and defense cluster.

7. Create a dental school.
8. Maintain a continuous inventory of projected job openings over the next 5 years with skills required. Ensure that the educational institutions have the education/training slots available and recruit students to fill those positions. (See the Education foundation.)
9. Encourage existing businesses and higher education to collaborate on the enhancements and development of existing technologies.
10. Aggressively retain, expand and recruit corporate headquarters.
11. Maintain Spouse Career Network.

B. Business Climate

12. Create a progressive competitive business climate:

• We will not be controlled by an atmosphere of fear; we will be risk takers and persevere. We will not be overwhelmed by the magnitude of the change required. We will recognize that there is not one magic silver bullet but hundreds of changes that together will help us succeed.
• Competitive incentives for companies to retain, expand or create net new value added jobs.
• Expect high levels of collaboration within the public sector and between the public and private sectors.
• Increase productivity, decrease absenteeism, improve work ethics and deliver first class customer service.
• Favorable tax environment. Favorable regulatory environment that works effectively and efficiently to help businesses expand and relocate.
• Recognize that Kansas is only average in business climate among the 50 states; lobby to improve the business climate in Kansas and in the meantime find ways to aggressively improve the Wichita business environment (see page 113 & 114 for Kansas competitive position ranking and page 115 & 116 for Wichita’s competitive position ranking – Tab 6 Vision Task Force notebook.)
• Recognize that being average really means being invisible. Set a benchmark to be in the top 5 regionally in competitiveness within 5 years; and then nationally and internationally.
• Availability of a highly skilled workforce will be a Wichita competitive advantage.
• Maintain a community consensus on the necessity of a high rate of job and income growth.
• Tort reform.
• Ensure that Wichita is prepared in advance for economic development by having available sites and buildings. This is required today because of the short cycle time companies/prospects have for getting a product or service to market.
• Low cost loans available for businesses

13. Improve management and labor relations.
14. Create a climate that attracts high income retirees to stay or relocate to Wichita.

C. Tourism and Visitors

15. Promote tourism and convention visitors as an opportunity to sell Wichita, create direct value added jobs and provide expanded activities for our residents.
16. Provide water taxi system on the river.
17. Create a large theme park (See Quality of Life – Arts & Culture).
18. Provide more aggressive marketing of existing attractions both internally and externally.

D. Entrepreneurs and Small Business

19. Create an entrepreneur and innovation mecca for direct value added businesses.

• Build on Wichita’s entrepreneurial tradition
• Support entrepreneurs with a positive business environment – low taxes, regulatory friendly, customer friendly government support, legal and regulatory structures friendly to the creation of new business.
• Develop sources of capital from angel investors to venture capital firms including small business loans and Small Business Innovation Research Grants (SBIR)
• Develop an entrepreneurial network
• Provide leadership/mentoring from successful entrepreneurs
• Recruit entrepreneurs to Wichita and don’t forget the entrepreneurs all ready here. Recognize and celebrate risk taking and successful entrepreneurs (i.e. Entrepreneur of the Year.)
• Entrepreneurial education and training (see the Education foundation)
• Strong small business associations to help with research
• Advisory board to help with marketing and accounting issues
• Technical assistance and incubator for entrepreneurs – a one stop place to find available information on entrepreneurial assistance
• Develop a website to share ideas and concepts that have potential for development and commercialization.

20. Support small business development in non-value added jobs.

E. Retail and Commercial Development

21. Create world class business and industrial parks.

Infrastructure

Vision (indicate your vision choice on attached ballot)

Before 2024 Wichita will:

1. Focus on downtown and neighborhoods that range from urban to suburban to become a community of vibrant neighborhoods.
2. Develop a plan for infrastructure that provides for downtown revitalization; improvement of existing neighborhoods and growth in an environmentally responsible way.
3. Promote growth through revitalization of the downtown central city, neighborhoods and suburban growth.
4. Ensure that Wichita plans and develop infrastructure that invites people and business to be in Wichita.
5. Build infrastructure that addresses current needs as well as setting us up to be a world class community.
6. Have the high quality of infrastructure needed to ensure a viable economy and an attractive quality of life.
7.. Evaluate and redevelop the infrastructure to address the diverse needs of people and businesses.

Strategies (read and circle your highest education strategies and rank on the attached ballot)

A. Urban and Regional Development

1. Provide infrastructure required for downtown, central city neighborhoods and suburban growth that supports and allows our Key Benchmarks to become a reality.
2. Maintain greater alignment between cities and counties on infrastructure issues.
3. Diversify planning commission to better represent the community.

B. Transportation

4. Develop and implement a long range plan for highways that connect Wichita internally and externally to the rest of the United States.
5. Build a new airport and increase the competitiveness of the Wichita Airport in ticket cost and number of flights.
6. Enhance transportation opportunities for the poor and disabled.
7. Complete a circumferential highway around the city. Extend K-96 south to Derby and west to Haysville to form a south bypass.
8. Develop a viable public transportation system
9. Increase air, rail and highway freight capacities to create a multi-modal logistics hub
10. Study feasibility of re-routing rail lines from the center city to along the Big Ditch.
11. Provide better transportation to connect attractions downtown.
12. Four lane interstate quality US 400 from Joplin to Colorado with a south bypass around Wichita. US 54 expansion to El Paso.
13. Eliminate tolls on turn pike and provide easy Wichita access points. Create reasons for through traffic to stop in Wichita.
14. Streets leading out of downtown need maintenance.
15. Develop Arkansas River navigational waterway to Tulsa.
16. Provide passenger rail transportation.
17. Encourage large signs with street names and street addresses on businesses so it is readable from the street.
18. Attempt to keep commute times to 20 minutes or less.

C. Water, Sewer and Other Utilities

19. Seriously look at building wind generator plants to provide local electricity for residences and businesses. Utilize grain for renewable energy.
20. Establish wireless internet environment throughout Wichita.
21. Increase and enhance recycling
22. Ensure both quantity and quality of water resources required to meet Key Benchmarks.
23. Ensure that drainage system eliminates flooding for all neighborhoods.
24. Need fluoridation of drinking water.
25. Recycle water for irrigation use.
26. Fix the algae bloom problem.

D. Environment and Natural Resources

27. Create “Emerald Crescent” linear park from South Arkansas River Park through Wichita along the Big Ditch to a newly created North Arkansas River Park.
28. Clean up the river.
29. Recognize Pawnee Prairie Park for the unique natural resources that it is with mechanisms in place that prevent intrusion from sewage treatment plants and other uses not compatible with the area.
30. Resolve environmental issues that are barriers to development in downtown and inner city neighborhoods.
31. Save the land around waterways for conservation and greenways. Connect these greenways all over the region. Restrict development in flood areas, these areas could be used for recreation and green space.
32. Recognize that policies sensitive to the environment can result in positive cost benefits.

E. Housing

33. Provide housing affordable for all income segments.
34. Create more mixed income neighborhoods.
35. Encourage more home ownership.
36. Assisted care apartments for the elderly downtown.
37. Encourage the building of new houses in existing neighborhoods on vacant lots or by demolition of sub-standard structures
38. Develop or enforce housing occupancy and condition standards.

F. Downtown Redevelopment

39. Make downtown a vibrant community and a destination point for our residents, visitors and businesses. Develop downtown to attract and retain singles and young educated people, giving them the desire to want to stay in or move to Wichita. Provide more restaurants, attractions and more people services (grocery stores, drugstores, medical, etc).
40. Create a downtown center city business park with a focus on bio-medical and technology.
41. Offer incentives for inner city, residential and business development.
42. Create a solution to the problem with multiple owners of land under buildings downtown. Multiple ownerships discourage renovation and redevelopment and land acquisition is difficult. City needs to make land available and eliminate barriers.
43. Build a downtown arena. (See Quality of Life #9.)
44. Consider converting empty into first floor retail and upper floors residential.

G. Neighborhoods

45. Revitalize inner city neighborhoods to reverse the population decline. (Between 1990 and 2000 the center city declined 5,858 in population to 181,565 – see Tab 3, page 29 in task force notebook.)
46. Identify neighborhoods and establish neighborhood centers and community centers for groups of neighborhoods. These centers will have meeting places proportional to the size of the neighborhood or community. A center could be a part of or adjacent to a school, recreational facility, EMS or public safety station or church. The center could include retail and commercial offices. Connect the centers with trails, bikeways and sidewalks. Retrofit over time for existing development and encourage for new development.
47. Redevelop old refinery and stockyards on 21st Street.

H. Historic Preservation

48. Provide grants and other incentives for historical preservation of Riverside, College Hill and other historical neighborhoods.

I. Beautification & Attractiveness

49. Continue and support beautification efforts underway.

J. Facilities

50. Build a Keeper of the Plains similar in size the St. Louis Arch.
51. Build a rainbow arch over the Arkansas River.
52. Ensure ADA compliance.
53. Build an amphitheatre on the river.