REVITALIZATION OF THE BOULEVARD
By MORGAN CHILSON Photos by JEFF CARSON
Once a thriving retail center and the home of White Lakes Mall, the South Topeka Boulevard corridor is finally seeing the impact of new investment and planning. Now that city and business leaders have taken steps to trim overgrown bushes and demolish run-down buildings, they plan to build on the corridor’s refreshed energy.
“I really appreciate the vision that a lot of our local developers bring to the changing landscape of Topeka. It attracts outside developers, as well, because they see things happening. It’s exciting right now,” said Mayor Michael Padilla. “I really like being a part of all this energetic thinking, all the positivity. You’re always going to have the struggles, every city does. You can’t get stuck on just those struggles.”
Drive along the boulevard and you’ll see new spaces that have been cleared for development, not to mention plenty of thriving businesses.
The corner of 29th and Topeka Boulevard is a perfect example. Lines of cars head to Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Scooter’s, Crunch Fitness and the new IHOP. Businesses like CoreFirst Bank & Trust, Briggs Auto and McElroy’s have been successful in the area for years, while the locations of the much-talked about new Chick-fil-A and Whataburger restaurants at 32nd and Topeka are just a few blocks away.
Justin Lamison, franchise owner and operator of the Chick-fil-A on Southwest Wanamaker Road, also owns the new location and is excited to expand the business. If everything goes according to plan, he said, Topekans can dine at the Chick-fil-A on South Topeka Boulevard as early as September.
BRING BACK THE BOULEVARD
Redeveloping a once-popular retail area comes with challenges. A few sections’ clean-up efforts have lagged behind, which is something that business leaders Kent Lammers, Chuck Engel and Frank Main hope to change. Lammers, president and CEO of Polo Custom Products Inc., doesn’t like the unkempt look of the southern end of the Boulevard, specifically around 45th Street. He wants to give commuters a better first impression when they enter the capital from Forbes Avenue and the interstate.
Both Lammers and Engel, a Topeka attorney, separately contacted city leaders about four years ago to say, “Hey, I think we can do better,” said Lammers.
“What pushed me into action is two things,” he said. “Near the train trestle at 45th and Topeka Boulevard, there was an old recliner laying on the sidewalk right near that bridge. I just wanted to see how long it was going to stay there. It stayed there an entire summer.”
The second thing that pushed Lammers to act was when a Washburn University official told him that their athletic teams take a different route when bringing prospective recruits into Topeka. They do this to avoid some of the city’s less-than-appealing aesthetics, of which the South Topeka corridor was among.
Padilla, Lammers and Engel met to discuss what they could do to create change. Soon, the Bring Back the Boulevard group was born. The group’s board consisted of Lammers, Engel and Main. However, many other area business leaders have contributed to the impact of Bring Back the Boulevard.
“The mission was to improve the first impression of Topeka,” Lammers said, adding that many businesses use private aviation to bring in guests at Forbes Field so that they can avoid the rougher-looking areas. “Even though they’re going downtown or to Wanamaker, the first impression is like ‘Hey, close your eyes and don’t pay attention.’”
Bring Back the Boulevard has already installed a new Welcome to Topeka sign, featuring Washburn University, at the corner of the boulevard and 45th Street. Donations from Washburn University, Greater Topeka Partnership, Engel Law P.A., Bring Back the Boulevard and Greater Topeka Partnership made the sign possible.
Padilla said that there used to be an overgrown field and an old house in the place where the sign is now located. “As you came into that intersection, especially if you came in from the east and had to stop at a stop sign, that was the first thing you saw,” he said. “This field with this rundown house sitting there. It drew more attention to a bad condition.”
IMPROVEMENTS EVERYWHERE
Padilla said that clean-up is essential to improve the boulevard’s condition, and he’s been excited to watch business owners dive in and make it happen. One person who was quick to support the Welcome sign project was Erik Knox, the owner of Knox Signs & Graphics. He brought in volunteer crews to clear some of the brush by hand, then began to buy other properties to bring them back to life.
“There are many private individuals who see the value of trying to make that area welcoming,” said Padilla. “We were fortunate to get the attention of the Kansas Turnpike Authority, and they chose Topeka to put in their new facility. Now when you come off the interstate there, you don’t immediately see just a bunch of cedar trees and bushes. You’re seeing development. That’s encouraged others.”
The work, however, is far from done. Business owners continue to work with Bring Back the Boulevard to give new life to the area.
“The improvement process has been contagious,” said Knox. “We have noticed when a business is clean and maintained, they are oftentimes considered more reputable and respected. We are pleased to be one of the process-leaders by providing continued improvements to the boulevard.”
Lammers has fond memories of visiting White Lakes Mall as a youth. For that reason, he’s not afraid to put in the work to help the area find a new purpose.
“Rhiannon Friedman [with] the City of Topeka contacted us and said, ‘Hey, we really like the sign that you all helped with, and we’d like your thoughts on duplicating that in other parts of Topeka.’”
This is exactly what Lammers and other members of Bring Back the Boulevard had hoped would happen: that the energy in Southwest Topeka would spread throughout the rest of the city.
“We created a task force to look strategically at what areas and main corridors and what kind of signage that ought to be,” Lammers said. “We’re still in the brainstorming session on how that should look and where it should be. I’ve always said that we have to remember that we’re the capital city of Kansas, so we should be the envy of other cities who are not. We have to act like it. We’re proud of our community, we’ve got to pay attention to the details.”
Beautification is the next step in the process. Ideas include the installation of street banners to highlight key tourism and retail sites in Topeka. They’re also considering a Topeka archway, as well as signs that direct traffic to historic downtown.
Lammers said they’re discussing infrastructure improvements with the City of Topeka Public Works. He hopes to see improvement efforts begin by the spring or summer of 2024.
“They’re having it designed now, by a consultant, and they’re starting at 21st and Topeka, which is really problematic in terms of safety and drainage. They’re going to redo that intersection completely, and do a complete rebuild south to 29th Street,” said Lammers. After that, he added, they plan to continue moving south.
Lammers and others would love for the beautification project to include the planting of trees along the road. He said that they’re incorporating landscaping in the appropriate areas from 21st Street to 29th Street.
“We’re trying to raise $50,000 to $100,000 for that,” Lammers said.
Padilla is excited that the project has led to a surge of interest in beautifying all areas of the community — taking efforts far beyond South Topeka Boulevard.
“That area is so nostalgic. Let’s not just remember what it was.
Let’s keep it going and help the next generation have that same nostalgia for this area,” he said of the boulevard. “Growing up in this town, I know that parts of the city don’t get as much attention as other parts. That’s historic, not unique to Topeka. But we can change it for ourselves if we invite people to participate.”
Knox said that if the community works together, they can make it happen.
“We want people to take pride in saying they are from Topeka,” Knox added. “This type of undertaking definitely requires the help of a collective team, with individuals, business and government working together for the aesthetic and economic growth of Topeka.”
