22 Feb Marketplace projects on schedule to change the face of Andover and Kellogg
Wichita Business Journal – by Adam Knapp
But in about two months, when the weather is warming up, you’ll begin to see some steel structures. And that’s when momentum for the 140-acre "Marketplace in Andover," which is being developed by Vantage Point Properties president Paul Jackson, will be taking off.
"We’re definitely pleased with the progress on Kellogg," Andover mayor Ben Lawrence says. "We fully intended on that being a regional shopping attraction in our long-range plans, and it’s developing just as we’d hoped."
Marketplace will feature the largest branch in the Greater Wichita YMCA system, a 115,000-square-foot facility that will have an outdoor water park and is on schedule to be open this time next year. Dillons will open a 122,000-square-foot store there this fall.
Big Plans
Jackson just announced plans for "The Shops at MarketPlace," a 15,500-square-foot retail shopping center on the west end of the development with six to 10 tenants. He plans on the announcement of at least one big-box retail store there soon.
"I think with Augusta, Rose Hill, Towanda — maybe even clear out to Leon — you’ve got a population that this can draw from," Jackson says. "It’s very convenient for those folks. That’s what we’re trying to capture."
The Shops at Marketplace will face Andover Road. Krehbiel Architecture is designing that project, which will be tenant-customized for space configurations. No tenants have yet been announced.
Local and National Mix
"The idea really is to bring in local retailers and smaller retailers to mix in with the nationals that we have," Jackson says. "It gives us some nice flexibility."
Dennis Schoenebeck, CEO of the Greater Wichita Area YMCA, says the Andover facility will have a similar look to the Northwest Y, which is Wichita’s largest at 102,000 square feet. But the Andover branch will have a learning facility. The two have the same architect, Schaefer Johnson Cox Frey and Associates, PA, and contractor, Coonrod and Associates Construction Company.
"It’s going to be a great addition to the area, and very visible from (Highway 54)," Schoenebeck says. "It’s definitely a destination Y that’s going to pull people from a distance. I wish it was done today."
Schoenebeck predicts Marketplace will create a "new hub of activity" for not only Andover, but the region.
"I live northwest, close to NewMarket Square," Schoenebeck says. "I’ve seen what that has done to the west side. It really has changed the center of gravity there. I’m wondering if the same thing isn’t going to happen with this."
Jackson says he’s not sure there’s a comparison.
"NewMarket Square’s such a behemoth out there," he says. "Andover’s a smaller community. I don’t have delusions that this is going to be NewMarket Square. I do think it sets some services out in Andover that they need on a scale that they can support. But we’re not trying to develop a lifestyle center."
Also included in Marketplace will be Prairie Creek Elementary School, a 64,000 square foot facility with 31 classrooms scheduled to open this fall, and a 30-acre residential housing area.
Lawrence, for one, would like to see at least one sit-down restaurant in MarketPlace.
"I don’t think it’s going to change Andover," the mayor said. "I think it’s going to greatly enhance the quality of life and amenities that we’re trying to provide for our residents that are here, and those that are to come."
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