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City Manager: KDOT property acquisition will not significantly affect Wichita park system, temporary bike-trail closure planned
Summary
City Manager Bob Layton told the Wichita City Council at its Jan. 17 agenda review that the Kansas Department of Transportation’s planned improvements to K-96 would require the acquisition of roughly 3.9 acres of city parkland and the temporary closing and reconstruction of about one-third of a mile of nearby bike trail.
City Manager Bob Layton told the Wichita City Council at its Jan. 17 agenda review that the Kansas Department of Transportation’s planned improvements to K-96 would require the acquisition of roughly 3.9 acres of city parkland and the temporary closing and reconstruction of about one-third of a mile of nearby bike trail.
Layton said the recommended finding is that “the taking of approximately 3.9 acres of parkland and the temporary closing and reconstruction of about a third of a mile of bike trail in the vicinity of K‑96 … would have no significant impact on our park system.” He added that KDOT will pay for the acquisition and that those funds would be returned to the parks system to be used for amenities identified later “with consultation and approval by the park board.”
The finding described by Layton is presented in the council’s agenda packet as a staff recommendation for concurrence; no final council vote on the item was recorded during the Jan. 17 agenda review. Layton also said the item previously went before the Park Board and passed unanimously.
Council members asked procedural questions about the packet and about where the replacement-amenity decisions would be documented; Layton said staff would identify amenities later and that KDOT funds would be deposited back into the parks fund for that purpose. The record does not specify a timeline for acquisition, reconstruction work, or when the park-board consultation will occur.
The agenda-review discussion made clear that KDOT—the agency responsible for the highway improvements—will cover land-acquisition costs. The city’s written agenda recommendation frames the action as a finding of no significant impact to the park system rather than a final approval of specific replacement amenities or construction details.
If the council places the item on a future meeting for action, staff would be expected to return with any necessary documents, identified amenities, and timing details for the temporary trail closure and reconstruction.
