The Wichita city council has voted to allow the demolition of an historic downtown building that formerly housed the Mead’s Corner cafe.   The vote reversed a decision by the city’s Historic Preservation Board to deny the demolition of the building on the northwest corner of Douglas and Emporia.

The council held a public hearing Tuesday to hear an appeal of the Preservation Board ruling.   Greg Kite, president of the Historic Preservation Alliance of Wichita and Sedgwick County, said it sets a dangerous precedent to allow developers to buy an historic building only to demolish it.   Several other speakers urged the council to prevent the demolition.

Korb Maxwell, an attorney for the developer, said there is no feasible alternative, and historic preservation for this site will not work.   The developer plans to construct a four-story building with 70,000 square feet for office and retail space.   Maxwell said the building is appropriate for the Douglas corridor and brings the street frontage back to life.   The developer also wants to purchase a city-owned parking lot on the east side of Emporia to provide parking for the building.   The project also calls for the city to convert Emporia from a one-way to a two-way street between Douglas and 1st Street.

Council member Cindy Claycomb said the project will provide infill for two surface lots on Douglas and that will be very important to the downtown area.

The council voted 6-1 to overturn the Preservation Board decision and allow for the demolition of the building.  Council member Brandon Johnson was the no vote.  The council also approved an ordinance to create a community improvement district and industrial revenue bonds to help with the financing of the new office building.   The district will allow for a two percent sales tax for businesses within the district to go toward the project costs.   The council voted 5-2 in favor of the district, with Johnson and vice mayor Bryan Frye voting no.    Frye expressed concern about the size of the incentive package that was being provided for the developers.

Mead’s Corner closed last July because of increasing rent costs for use of the building.