Over the last 18 months, the Planning and Development Department, has been working with a myriad of downtown stakeholders to develop a vision for the next 10 years and beyond. The Downtown Master Plan builds upon Downtown Topeka, Inc’s 2019 Market Strategy and Uses - a market-based approach to project where/how projected residential housing units, hotel beds, new class A office space, and retail uses should be developed.
The Plan
The Downtown Master Plan is broken down into three sections and two appendices. Each section is summarized below.
Part I: Downtown Context
The background, plan purpose, goals and objectives and existing conditions for the Downtown Study Area are included in this section, While expanding on market conditions and incentives for Downtown Topeka.
Part II: District Plans
The Downtown is divided into nine different districts:
- Capitol
- Civic
- Historic Kansas Avenue
- NOTO/River North
- Office and Catalyst
- River to Rail
- River South
- Tower
- Van Buren
Each district plan consists of a history, district brand, potential build-out, circulation/complete streets, land use, zoning, and implementation summary. Breaking down the full study area into district plans allow for a more in-depth look at the existing conditions and shows potential sites for new development or conversions that align with the goals and objectives outlined in Part I of the Downtown Master Plan.
Part III: Implementation
Part III provides the “Big Ideas” or takeaways for an implementation path including land use allocations by district, roadway projects, and a future zoning map. Information from the Downtown Topeka Citizen Input Survey (Appendix B) sheds light on what citizen’s view as important vs. what is perceived as a public need, and provides additional context as to how each new development can impact the greater Downtown footprint.
Appendix A – Urban Design Standards
The Downtown Topeka Urban Design Standard provides the regulatory authority to ensure new construction and renovation of existing structures is consistent with the established urban form of Downtown Topeka. Design Standards are applied to non-residential and mixed-use buildings, parking facilities, and residential buildings. Within each section site design, materials, and architectural detailing are defined. These standards would be applied to both public and private projects that fall within the planning area.
Appendix B – Downtown Topeka Citizen Input Survey
From January 25 to March 1, 2021 the City of Topeka received input from the public related to the Downtown Master Plan. During that time, 178 responses were collected. This appendix provides the responses to the four questions found in the survey including 105 comments.