In Home Depot’s attempts to find the perfect spot to lcoate in Wichita, KS, they chose a site located on an existing water-slide park. The site is surrounded by a residential neighborhood, 2 schools, a church, another religious school, and a large nature center and wildlife park. The Wichita Planning Dept ruled that the Home Depot project was “too intensive” and rejected the idea of destroying the water-slide park. Home Depot came back with a “scaled down” version that was accepted 4-3 by the City Council amidst rancorous debate. Under the comprommise plan, Home Depot will build right next to the Water Park, sharing a parking lot. Their building will face single-family homes, and will generate up to 8,000 new car trips down the same connector streets where the schools are located. All the while, there is a new development located just 2 miles away geared towards big box retail. That area did not need rezoning, and is across the street from an airport. Neighbors could not convince officials to move the project to the retail site, and so are now in the process of raising funds to appeal the City’s decision.
For further information about how to help with this project, email BJAHC@aol.com. Donations to help fight Home Depot are welcomed.
