On Tuesday, Botanica plans to ask city leaders to help it nearly double its footprint in Wichita. The nonprofit is asking the Wichita City Council to sign off on a 30-year lease of a portion of Sim Park.
The rental price for about a third of the park land between the gardens, Arthur B. Sim Golf Course and the Arkansas River is set at $1 a year.
In principle, it’s similar to a pitch Botanica made a year ago to the council.
In September 2025, Botanica asked for the city’s support in submitting a $7.3 million grant proposal to the state’s Water Projects Grant Fund. The nonprofit hoped the state would approve its plan to create what it called “The Water Journey Project.”
That endeavor called for a new retention pond and reservoir, clear water lines, a conservatory, European-style gardens and a “hydro-learning center” with interactive classrooms and labs for local K-12 students.
The project was inspired by a pilot project earlier in the year in which Botanica captured and reused millions of gallons of water from tests of the city’s under-construction water treatment plant to water its gardens.
The goal of the new additions to Botanica would be to “tell the story of how water moves through the environment from rainfall and stormwater to storage, reuse and plant growth,” Botanica wrote in its application for the state grant.
Central to the development was the use of neighboring Sim Park. Early plans called for an 8,000-square-foot conservatory with a skywalk and a 6,000-square-foot learning center — and Botanica couldn’t pursue the project without more land.
In March, Governor Laura Kelly and the Kansas Water Office awarded more than $19 million to 44 projects throughout the state. Botanica’s pitch was not among them.
In a memo to the council, Wichita city officials now say a signed lease for the park land is necessary “to codify the organization’s ability to apply for grants, develop and improve the existing grounds together and the ability to pursue new development on land with Sim Park.”
