Wichita city officials and District 1 residents used Saturday’s district gathering to get input about the neighborhood near 13th and Oliver. Within a week a Walmart grocery store and a QuikTrip gas and convenience store were closed, leaving few options for nearby residents.
Suggestions for what to bring to the area included another grocery store, clothing retail shop, education center and sit-down restaurant.
John Hall, the director of Housing and Social Services, said the city needs to be strategic in what businesses it recruits and can sustain.
District 1 Representative Lavonta Williams said she has been talking to Walmart and QuikTrip about what businesses the neighborhood would like to see move in.
"We don't want it to be a liquor store, we don't want it to be anything that's an entertainment area, and we don't want it to be a payday lending facility," she said.
Williams said there will be more meetings to discuss not only solutions for 13th and Oliver, but for areas around the city with vacant buildings and little access to quality food.
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