Planning staff: applicant seeks vacation of Midland Valley railroad corridor for Red Guard expansion; advocates press for preserved bikeway

Planning staff told the Wichita board that an applicant has requested the city vacate a strip of city-owned former Midland Valley Railroad corridor south of East 47th Street, between Broadway and Seneca, to allow expansion of an industrial campus owned by Red Guard.

The request has drawn opposing recommendations from planning bodies and public comment that stressed competing priorities: economic development and a potential north–south bikeway identified in multiple city plans.

Scott (Planning Department staff) told commissioners the corridor was acquired by the city in the 1980s, was recently platted as right of way and is roughly 6 acres. He said public utilities, fire and stormwater raised no objections to the vacation; Wichita Public Works requested an easement for a future water line. He also said contamination testing for the corridor showed levels that would not require remediation, and that the corridor could be surfaced as chip rock, similar to other local trails.

Jay Cook, agent for the applicant with Baughman Company, said the applicant, Red Guard, owns property on both sides of the strip and plans a roughly $20 million expansion of its campus to the south and west that would include heavy equipment storage and movement. "Red Guard came to us... and they're trying to kind of have a full on campus there," Cook said, describing equipment and security needs that the company says make keeping the property free and clear important for operations.

Planning staff noted the corridor appears in several planning documents. The 1996 Parks and Pathways plan and subsequent master-plan updates recommend the former railroad corridor be considered for a greenway or shared-use path; the corridor also appears in the most recent bicycle network mapping but is not listed in the priority network. Staff told the board that the capital improvement program contains a line item for bikeways, and that the current CIP includes $6,800,000 in total for bikeway improvements, though that line item typically does not identify specific projects in summary tables.

On review history, the MAPC Subdivision and Utility Advisory Committee recommended denial of the vacation by a 4–1–1 vote, with public testimony urging retention of the corridor for a future bikeway. The full Metropolitan Area Planning Commission voted to approve the vacation 8–5–1, subject to the dedication of a waterline easement along the south portion of the vacation area; planning staff said the dedication document has been received. Staff also said franchise utilities Evergy and Cox do not object; any relocations would be at the applicant's expense. Union Pacific was identified on slides as an active rail crossing in the area.

Board members and members of the public asked about maintenance and access to the corridor if vacated, who currently mows the strip, how a bikeway would cross active railroad tracks and industrial property, and whether a paved or unpaved trail would be feasible. Planning staff said crossings and design were conceptual only; design work and funding for a bike trail have not been developed. Staff also said a water-line easement dedication was a condition of the planning commission's approval.

Because the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board did not have a quorum, it took no formal action. Planning staff told the board the item is scheduled for a City Council meeting next Tuesday, where councilors could vote on the vacation request.

Votes at other bodies: the MAPC Subdivision & Utility Advisory Committee recommended denial (4–1–1); the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission approved the vacation (8–5–1) subject to the water-line easement.

If City Council acts on the vacation request next week, that decision will determine whether the corridor remains available for future bikeway development or can be incorporated into Red Guard's expansion.