Zoning change paves way for high-end duplex development on outskirts of west Wichita

A zoning change approved Wednesday will pave the way for a controversial new housing development on the outskirts of west Wichita.

Bridger Development, an Arkansas-based company, plans to build 300 high-end duplexes and an unspecified number of single-family homes on 133 acres on the northeast corner of Central and 135th West.

The Sedgwick County Commission approved the zoning change to allow two-family dwellings by a 4-0 vote over the objection of about 350 protest petitions from residents in the surrounding area. District 3 Commissioner David Dennis, who was one such resident to protest the development, recused himself from the vote and left the room for Wednesday’s discussion.

The District 3 citizens advisory board recommended denial of the zoning change from single-family residential to two-family residential use, and because of the number of valid protest petitions, a supermajority on the commission was required for the change to go forward.

“I understand the previous record for protest petitions was around 100. We said ‘Amateur, hold my beer.’ We have over 350 protest petitions,” said Brian Scharping, president of the Deer Glen homeowners association. “The neighborhood doesn’t like this.”

Most of those protests centered on concerns about increased traffic, compatibility with surrounding neighborhoods and the potential impact development could have on public services, including a need for more law enforcement presence.

Parcels to the north, south and east of the site are within Wichita city limits and zoned for single-family homes. The site is on unincorporated county land but developers plan to apply for annexation into the city of Wichita now that Sedgwick County has approved the zoning change.

“This is in the natural growth path of the city of Wichita. This needs to be developed eventually,” said Greg Ferris, a former Wichita City Council member who is consulting on behalf of Bridger Development.

“This is not what we think of normally when we think of duplexes. These are really more like condo two-family homes.”

Bridger has developed or is in the process of developing similar projects in Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri. The company plans to design, construct, own and manage the development through a homeowners association.

“The reason we’re here is because we’re trying to strike before other folks do,” said Bridger partner Justin Underwood.

“If this goes through, as quick as we build these, people will rent them.”

He said that in today’s market, monthly rent rates for the proposed duplexes would be about $1,850.

“We don’t want these buildings 10 feet apart from each other. We want people to have backyards that they can actually let their dogs go in or sit out on the patio,” Underwood said. “At the end of the day, people will pay for it. People will pay for a nice place to live.”

Hickory Creek resident John Shively questioned whether west Wichita needs more rental properties.

“Younger generations and people moving to Wichita, they want to be able to build personal wealth and equity and live the American dream building equity and not paying rent,” Shively said.

“Wichita’s attractiveness is that we have always offered affordable homes compared to other markets. Are we losing our identity here?”

Underwood suggested that the in-house property management could be appealing to people in a number of demographics, including retirees.

“We’re moving into an environment where people retire, they don’t want to worry about their air conditioner going out or if they’ve got to get a new roof,” he said. “It’s fixed cost. When you can live in a nice property that’s taken care of and it’s fixed cost, it just works.”

Bridger also plans to build single-family homes on three sides of the 133-acre site to shield surrounding neighborhoods from the duplexes. There is currently no estimated cost or project timeline for the proposed development.

Sedgwick County Appraiser Mark Clark told the Commission Wednesday that the county needs another 25,000 to 50,000 additional residential units to keep up with demand in an overheated housing market.

“We need additional rooftops today. That’s the reality of some situations that we’re facing — both ones that are owned and leased,” Commissioner Sarah Lopez said before the vote.

Commissioner Ryan Baty said he sympathized with protesters but ultimately voted to approve the zoning change.

“On a personal level, I moved to an area where I live on 10 acres because I don’t want development around me, so when I see this many protests and people coming and saying, ‘Hey, I want to protect the environment that I moved into, the atmosphere,’ I sympathize. I hear that,” Baty said.

“The challenge is, I’m not allowed the subjectivity to say that just simply because if I lived there, I wouldn’t want this type of development — I’m not allowed that.”