The desire to improve Downtown Topeka is noble and worthwhile. I believe that what the public is saying is that they want Downtown to be an active and vital component of our community. How do we reach that objective? We undertake changes that will bring results. But we must undertake the project in a way that there is a measurable objective.

Most of these thoughts include the contracting of a business developer (whose own funds are at risk) to create commercial success in Downtown Topeka. Measurable goals could include things like:

1. Create X number of new non-governmental jobs in Downtown Topeka.
2. Demolish or renovate vacant spaces on Kansas Avenue making them viable and then leasing them to 90% occupancy.
3. Build a landmark commercial project which adds X number of daily employees and businesses Downtown. Ideally this BIG IDEA project would extend the commercial area of Downtown to 15th or even 17th street.

These are not real proposals. But you get the idea. We set goals that are measurable and quantifiable. The current premise is change the street and people will come. The proposal is backwards. Let’s say that the city has hired a developer who contracts to deliver on our set of 3 goals. If that developer says this project is only achievable if we have a curvy two lane Kansas Avenue, then we have a reason to make changes. We can take action with a planned objective. The current proposal hopes that if we spend millions of dollars a positive change will occur by happenstance.
The proposal outlined in the newspaper today gives a very narrow definition of looking at three streetscape options for Kansas Avenue and one block of Ninth Street. It appears that we will be moving ahead on an agenda with no measureable outcome.

I am very much in favor of improving Downtown. But there are so many options that this narrow proposal will not consider. By narrowing the scope as reported in the Topeka Capital the project will move to a foregone conclusion being brought forward by one group.

IMMEDIATE ACTION PLAN:

a. Move forward at once on the overdue mill and overlay project. This will freshen and clean up Downtown.
b. Remove the aggregate planters from the crosswalks. Adjust the existing crosswalk areas to open berm style floral and ground cover plantings.
c. Fix the electrical and water connections to efficiently maintain and display plantings and flags.
d. Fix the drainage at crosswalks (where rainwater pools) if the cost is reasonable.
e. Total cost around 2 to 2.5 million dollars. Do it now. By the time we study, plan and find the 10 to 20 million dollars for a big project it will be time to mill and overlay again anyway.

COMMENTS & QUESTIONS related to current Downtown proposals:

1. Outdoor sidewalk dining and drinking was held to be a prime reason for widening sidewalks and narrowing streets. Commercial restaurant operators note that there are only 60 to a maximum of 90 days when wind, temperature and rain make outdoor dining pleasant in Topeka. Changing the streetscape to provide a venue for less than 25% of the year seems questionable.
2. Creating an entertainment plaza in the 100 block of West Ninth poses challenges. The first is that a parking garage will require a major (if at all practical) rework. The Ninth and Kansas garage would have to totally redo auto access. The only practical access point would be onto Kansas Avenue creating an auto hazard in an area some want to be more pedestrian friendly.
3. The entertainment value of Ninth Street plaza would likely be for concerts and gatherings where visitors can see the capital. In reality this is a fallacious premise. Compared to other locations the sight line of the Capitol is restricted by taller buildings on Ninth. Yes, there is a nice framed view of the dome but not the grounds. Much worse is the fact that this view is directly west. In summer months when outdoor activity is possible, guests will be staring straight into the sun as they attempt to enjoy a concert using the capitol as a background.
4. There are other locations better suited as a concert, promenade and capitol view setting. There is already a plan in place for a Van Buren corridor plaza. One only need look at the capitol from both places. Van Buren wins hands down over Ninth Street for a great visual sightline.
5. There is yet another great location if we wish to avoid closing streets. This would involve acquiring some of the parking lot space the state uses on the southwest edge of the capitol complex. This actually provides the best unobstructed view of the capital. It also shares a great view of the Supreme Court and other buildings. Getting the state to buy into this idea will involve adding some additional surface or multilevel parking in the area. This also puts the sun at the back of the audience for use as an entertainment venue.
6. Public information on the proposed study does not indicate that it covers the cost of a traffic study for the Downtown area. Currently 13,000 plus cars use Kansas Avenue daily Downtown. This compares to around 20,000 cars on Topeka Blvd. The two Downtown river bridges provide major arterial access. Restricting Kansas Avenue will cause significant expense to divert Kansas Avenue bridge traffic elsewhere. None of these costs were considered when $10 million was suggested as part of the cost to narrow Kansas Avenue.
7. Ironically our government just spent a significant amount of money to complete Kansas Ave from 37th street south to connect with the Turnpike. We just completed making a second arterial street from the river to the south end of town using Kansas Avenue. Now some would propose that we build a bottleneck.
8. It is critical that we do no harm to existing businesses in the Downtown area as we move ahead. Restricting traffic and reducing parking are not conducive to business. People stopped coming Downtown when retailing and restaurants moved to the suburbs to be near the people. It will take something far greater than a bench on a street corner to bring them back.

In summary, some citizens have proposed a streetscape renewal at substantial cost but with no measureable benefit defined by the expense. I believe we can be better prepared to improve our city by developing a more meaningful plan than that currently proposed. I think we need to have measureable objectives. I think this may involve supporting a commercial developer who will bring offices, businesses and convenience retail to the core area. The only way to make Downtown vibrant is to provide real reasons for people to come. These things all involve commerce and profit making for the developer and the businesses. It is fool hardy to think that residents of west Topeka will drive past multiple restaurants, parks and other venues to sit at a bench on Kansas Avenue.
Looking at this from a bigger picture viewpoint, we deserve to do something far more effective for our community than the direction of the current proposal.

This document was written by Mike W. on May 12. It has since been forwarded to the Capital District Project.