Joel Weihe

Downtown development in Wichita Kansas is booming! If you've been away for awhile and are back in town you'll have noticed the major makeover going on downtown and in Old Town too. Businesses are moving back in. Buildings are being refurbished and restored. New restaurants and stores are opening. Crowds are forming. The excitement of downtown development in Wichita is palatable.

It all started 20 years ago when a group of investors and city officials decided to do something about the crumbling infrastructure that was the old warehouse district now called Old Town. Downtown development in Wichita was underway. Now Old Town is a thriving place in Wichita. Old brick warehouse buildings have been restored into specialty stores, restaurants, world class hotels and themed night clubs.

Crowds of party goers, business people and shoppers fill the area that was once an eyesore. The night life is alive, well and exciting. Downtown development has been good for Wichita.

In recent years many old buildings in Old Town Wichita have been refurbished and developed into condominiums and apartments attracting young, middle-aged and elderly alike to move in downtown. The newly developed Water Walk complex is a new modern building gracing the entrance to downtown Wichita along with the new Fairfeild Inn Suites.

A new boutique hotel is planned to be put in one of the old abandoned building on the Main drag of Douglas. The old Broadway hotel at the corner of Douglas and the Arkansas river just completed a huge makeover for the downtown development plan in Wichita and is open for business. Several hotels are open for business in Old Town too.

All these rooms will be needed as the new world class Intrust Bank Arena continues to draw first class acts and concerts from around the country and indeed the world.

The old round Century II building that houses the concert hall where the Wichita Grand Opera and The Wichita Symphony orchestra preform received some much needed updates and repairs lately. The Orpheum downtown has been and continues to be developed and renewed to it's old glorious self in Wichita.

Downtown development in Wichita is moving full speed ahead with no signs of slowing down. In 2002 a corporation was formed around Wichita downtown development to keep the projects coming and make some order. Aptly named Wichita Downtown Development Corporation or WDDC.

Wichita Downtown Development Corporation works closely with the private sector and local government to stimulate new investment in downtown Wichita. Wichita Downtown Corporation's mission as they put it is to direct a comprehensive economic development program to strengthen downtown as:

• The heart of the city for all citizens.
• An active and prosperous place for business and employees.
• A center for artistic and cultural experiences.
• A vibrant urban environment for residents, workers and visitors.

Ambitious? Maybe, but Downtown development in Wichita is happening and it is exciting!

The first time home buyer Home 80 program in Wichita Kansas is a program to help first time home buyers with down payment and closing costs assistance. For homes that need a little work there is some help with rehabilitation expenses. The assistance for first time home buyers in Kansas is available within certain parts of Wichita.

The Home 80 program sponsored by Wichita helps first time home buyers with low to moderate incomes buy their first home. The first time home buyer assistance comes in the form of a no interest, deferred loan part of which is forgivable. Deferred means no monthly payments. The loan is secured as a second mortgage that provides help for down payment and closing costs.

The maximum amount of the Home 80 program loan is $9000. The final amount depends on the mortgage lender requirements. In 5 years one half of the loan is forgivable as long as the first time home buyer in Wichita occupies the home. The remainder of the deferred loan is payable to the city of Wichita when the first time home buyer sells the house, refinances or moves out. Remember, half the loan with the Home 80 program is forgivable if the first time home buyer occupies the house for 5 years. The rest can be paid out of profits from the sale.

The Wichita first time home buyer must submit an application and qualify for the help. Applicants can not have owned a home for the previous three years unless they are single parents with Minor children. The credit report must be free of delinquent obligations and an approval from a reputable lender is necessary. The first time home buyer in Wichita has to come up with at least $1000 of their own money to complete the home purchase.

The applicant has to attend a city sponsored homeowner-ship training program. There are several training opportunities available in Wichita through the Home 80 program. Contact me for details.

The property itself has to more than one year old. There's another and different program for new construction. The house has to sell for less than $95,500 and be able to pass a city of Wichita inspection.

Of all the first time home buyer programs in Kansas the Home 80 program is the one that allows participants to buy a home within the city limits. The areas are limited but still within the city.

If lack of cash has been holding you back from becoming a homeowner this may be the program for you.

The first time home buyer Home 80 program in Wichita Kansas.

If you have questions or want more information about Wichita's Home80 program contact me.

Joel y at 316 833-2677

There is a first time home buyer assistance program with incentives available in Kansas. It's called FTHB for short. FTHB is not as well known as the famous first time home buyer tax credit of recent history but a powerful incentive program in it's own right.

The biggest obstacle to home-ownership for first time home buyers in Kansas is lack of cash. They may have a great job history and a perfect credit score but lot's of young people trying to buy their first home are cash strapped. This program is designed to solve that problem with assistance and incentives.

First time home buyers in Kansas first have to qualify for the assistance program with a participating lender. Contact me to find a reputable lender that participates in the program. Once qualified the incentive program offers plenty of financial help for first time home buyers in Kansas.

To qualify for the assistance program the first time home buyer in Kansas must have a combined household income at or below 80 percent of the median for their area. Depending on the applicants income level the forgivable loan can be for 15-20 percent of the purchase price of the home. For the loan to be completely forgiven the first time home buyer must live in the Kansas home for a 5 full years. A percentage of the assistance and incentives drops off every year until the fifth year when the loan is erased from the books.

The first time home buyer in Kansas is expected to come up with $500 or two percent of the purchase price, whichever is greater. The house cannot cost more than $150,000, cannot be in a flood zone and must be occupied by the qualified first time home buyer in Kansas to get the incentives and assistance. Another big condition is the home cannot be with in the city limits of Wichita, Topeka, Kansas City, Lawrence or Johnson county. In that aspect it's a lot like the rural incentive assistance program in Kansas but FTHB offers more and is exclusively for the first time home buyer.

If you have questions about the first time home buyer assistance program in Kansas contact me at 316.833.2677 or drop a line at joelw@rwwichita.com.

Wichita Pizza Company - Wichita, KS - Gluten Free Dining Review

I stumbled upon a mention on another Wichita gluten-free diner's blog of a pizza place that did a good gluten-free pizza. If you've gone gluten free, and have kids, one of the top things you generally miss is pizza! My family went from a bi-weekly Papa John's delivery to no pizza in sight for a very long time! It wasn't until we visited Waldo Pizza in Kansas City that we realized you could have pizza that was gluten free and tasted good!

So I was excited at the chance to go to a pizza joint here in town.

Wichita Pizza Company is located at 1520 S. Webb, on the North-East corner of Harry and Webb, near the Dairy Queen.
It didn't look like much from the outside, and when you first walk in, I almost thought we were in a bar. First thing you see is the bar-area! Overall, it has a sort of sports-bar feel to it as far as decor, sports on the tv's, and bar presence go. However, there really wasn't anyone drinking in there, and they didn't even ask if we wanted a drink, so I don't think it's too "bar-like" in practice. Still felt like a family-friendly place.

However, we found our seats in some comfy booth tables and picked up a menu. We weren't sure how the size would be, as often the gluten free ones come in only a personal size, so we ordered a variety of flavors to be sure we had enough for everyone. There was a meat lovers, a plain cheese, a pepperoni, and a BBQ chicken. They can do pretty much any of their combinations on the gluten free crust, just check their menu for options.

AND IT WAS GOOD!



That was the small size! The kids gobbled up every bit. I think we maybe had 2 slices left to take home. The crust was more like a "normal" thin crust pizza, without the gritty after-flavor found in the frozen gluten-free varieties. The toppings were good, fresh, with a lot of variety.

They were lacking in the safe dessert aspect, but the kids stuffed themselves so much on pizza that it wasn't an issue. And if they had really wanted dessert, the Dairy Queen is right next door.

All in all - So glad to have found a safe pizza place for my family!
It's not the same as having it delivered to the house, but I know I can swing by and pick up great food or take the family out and enjoy it!

Wild Thyme Cafe and Bakery - Maize Ks - Gluten Free Dining Review

I'd heard rumors from a friend that this place had gluten free offerings, so it was definitely on my tops list of places to try.  The first time, it was nearly 7pm and they close at 7pm, so I was not able to make it.  So I planned a lunch date with my kiddos! 

Wild Thyme is located in Maize, KS - just North of North-West Wichita.  You can just go right up Maize road until you nearly reach the stop sign, and it'll be on your West side in a little strip mall area.  If you're coming in from K-96, get off on the Maize road exit, turn south at the stop sign, and it'll be on your west side. 

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The location was tiny!  Very well done with great decor - though the tables are all counter-height and that could be overwhelming for smaller kids or anyone in a wheel chair.  It was just a nice place though.  The dining room is small, about 5-6 tables.  So try to hit it in off-peak hours or you may find nowhere to eat, though I'm sure the food's just as good when carried out! 

I was impressed with how open their Gluten Free options were.  It was noted on their specials sign, it was plainly stated in their regular menu that they could do any sandwich on Gluten Free bread, that there was Gluten Free bread to accompany the salads, etc.   Probably the most thrilling thing for me was the bakery case.  Proudly displayed amongst the regular fare were items labeled as a Gluten Free such and such.  For example, there was a GF Smoked Turkey Quiche on the day we went! And in the dessert section, there was a GF apple cake with caramel rum sauce!  Oh my! 

There wasn't an obviously stated kids's menu, but they do have a kid's sandwhich.  It's supposedly half the regular sandwiches, but I found them to be ample sized, with more meat than some restaurants offer on adult sandwiches!  I'm not a fan of the pop-chips they offered, but they are GF.  Two of my kids loved them, the other didn't like them either.

I'm not a chef, a professional reviewer, or a foodie.  So as far as the quality goes, I can only compare to what I've eaten.  It was DELICIOUS!  A gluten free crust that was flaky and wonderful, I was in heaven!   You can choose your sides from their deli case, I went with the fruit salad since it was a hot day and fruit sounded good, but there were potato options, pasta salad options, cucumber salads, etc.   I also had a piece of the apple GF cake, and it was great!  Moist and non-crumbly (a common GF problem!).  It was so good that my husband stole my leftovers!

Probably the best part for me was just that my kids and I could go out to a family and eat safe food in an environment that didn't relegate us to the back corner but made options that were tasty, well priced, and available freely and openly.  My kids were able to get dessert, something they've really not been able to experience like normal children!  They had chocolate ganache brownies. 

Wild Thyme also had the brownies, cookies, and rolls available at the case to buy on an ala carte way as well.  They had a beautiful looking apple tart that I lamented was not GF (pastry is something I really miss!!) and the owner said they could do one GF and just let them know when I'd be coming in and they'd do one!  Oh Yeah!!!

All in all, I would and will go again in a heartbeat!   A place that embraces gluten free, does it very well, and the whole family can eat here. 

Hmmm.... Where Next?  Tips have pointed me to d'Sozo's as having some gluten-free options including pizzas, which the kids would love to be able to eat out!


*** I was absolutely not paid, provided with anything, bribed in anyway, or otherwise compensated for this or any other restaurant review.  I am doing this out of my own personal struggle and the hope that I can help other GF'ers find someplace to eat besides home! ***