Theme 2: Living and Working

Wichitans expressed that they want to live and work downtown. More residents bring activity to the streets day and night and create demand for the shops, restaurants and services people want to experience close to home.

Building that kind of full-service downtown requires more housing, everyday amenities and infrastructure to support them.

The Living and Working theme focuses on three priorities: expanding housing opportunities, attracting missing residential amenities and strategically managing parking to unlock development.

Creating More Housing Opportunities

More residents are at the center of downtown’s future, especially as the Wichita Biomedical Campus℠ is set to welcome 3,000 students downtown in 2027.

Market analysis projects demand for up to 3,765 new housing units downtown by 2030 (approximately 750 new units each year), with opportunities across a range of housing types and price points.

The Action Plan identifies development tools, strategic partnerships and targeted infrastructure investments that can help make new housing projects more financially feasible.

For developers, this is an opportunity to respond to a growing market while strengthening the residential base needed to support a more active downtown.

Attracting Residential Amenities

More people living downtown will increase demand for the places that make daily life easier and more enjoyable, from grocery stores and pharmacies to restaurants, shopping and gathering spaces.

The Action Plan calls for targeted efforts to attract businesses that fill these gaps. As the  Action Plan was being finalized in 2026, Movement Musick responded to recommendations in the plan by announcing they will build a 30,000-square-foot grocery store downtown. Occidental Management has also shared that it is in talks to bring an urban market and grocery concept to the historic Union Station complex downtown.

This reinforces that downtown’s growing population creates opportunities for new businesses, expanded services and spaces that meet the needs of downtown residents.

Managing Parking

Downtown has no shortage of parking. Surface parking lots occupy nearly half of the Action Plan’s land area (48%), and most lots are privately owned.

Downtown is currently using just 15% of the development capacity allowed under existing zoning, leaving 85% of that capacity unrealized. That means downtown has significant room to grow within its existing framework. Surface parking lots represent an opportunity to support that growth with more housing, businesses, amenities, and gathering spaces.

The Action Plan calls for better management of existing parking, including shared and structured parking, to help unlock opportunities for development while maintaining convenient access throughout the district.

Building a Downtown That Works for More People

For developers, property owners and business leaders, the Action Plan provides a framework and detailed guide for identifying where their projects and investments can contribute to that cycle. The Housing Development Toolkit walks property owners through seven different housing types, the parcel size required, and the incentives available to fill project financing gaps.

Living and working is about creating a stronger cycle of downtown growth: more housing brings more people; more people support more businesses and amenities; and a more complete downtown attracts more residents, workers and investment.