The city of Wichita has released design concepts for a new baseball stadium that will include a sports museum and the capacity to host other sporting events and concerts.

The designs were created by a team of architects, engineers and construction firms from Kansas City and Wichita.  The stadium will have at least 10,000 fixed seats with 12 suites and some party and group areas.   The stadium is to be completed in March of 2020 in time for a Triple A team to begin its season.

At a city hall news conference, vice mayor Jeff Blubaugh said parking is not being addressed in the design.  He said there are more than 5,000 parking spaces within a five-to-ten-minute walk of the stadium location.   He said this will be an urban stadium that will be a draw for the surrounding Delano neighborhood, and people will be able to visit a restaurant or do some shopping before going to the stadium for a game.    There will also be ways for people to use bikes, scooters and the Q-Line trolley to get to the stadium.

Blubaugh said public input will be gathered on the designs and the city’s district advisory boards will have a chance to make comments, and then the city council will vote on a design at their February 12th meeting.   There are plans for a groundbreaking later that day or on February 13th, and construction will begin.

Blubaugh said McLean Boulevard will continue to be just east of the stadium.  He said it may be converted to a two-lane roadway with pedestrian paths, but there are no plans to close McLean.

Scott Sherry with JE Dunn Construction said a sanitary sewer line will have to be moved to a placement just east of Sycamore, then the existing line can be taken out to allow for construction to begin on the stadium.   In March, the seating bowl and the stadium will begin to take shape, and steel structures will be going up in June.  Grass will be planted for the stadium in September or October.   The stadium will be ready in March of 2020, and in April a Triple A baseball team will begin its season.