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Movement Musick, the nonprofit founded by Chase Koch, has announced a multi-part downtown Wichita redevelopment called Somewhere District. Reporting has described housing, a concert venue, public gathering space and a proposed grocery market. Wichita offers several redevelopment incentives, but the available public information does not confirm a specific incentive package, application, amount or approval for this project.

What is the Somewhere District plan?

Movement Musick’s plan centers on the block around Somewhere Works and Somewhere Works Music School at 235 N. Emporia. The Wichita Eagle reported on April 21, 2026, that the proposal includes renovating Shirkmere Apartments, creating a concert venue and adding an outdoor community space. These are announced plans, not completed projects.

Housing at Shirkmere Apartments

The announced plan calls for about 100 apartments, with approximately 40 intended to be affordable and mixed among the other units. The April 2026 report projected that the apartments would open in the second half of 2027. The report did not establish that construction or delivery has occurred.

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A flexible concert and event venue

The proposed venue would be located between Topeka and Emporia along First Street. It was described as a mid-sized space that could accommodate up to 3,000 people, with configurations as small as about 500. The April report said construction likely would begin in 2027 and projected an opening in 2029.

Outdoor gathering space and a proposed urban market

The project also includes an outdoor community gathering space. A July 18, 2026, Wichita Eagle update reported that the proposal had expanded to include a 30,000-square-foot urban-market grocery store within two blocks of Shirkmere, in partnership with the Queen family of Kansas City. A separate July 8 report said no completion timeline had been announced.

Movement Musick development lead Raffaele Fazio told The Wichita Eagle on July 8, 2026: “The current downtown population is simply too small for a grocer to be profitable in the area.” The nonprofit has framed the store as a possible catalyst for attracting more residents and businesses; that is its rationale, not a demonstrated forecast of the market’s effects.

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Scottish Rite Center purchase

The July 18 report also said Movement Musick bought the Scottish Rite Center for $3 million at a sheriff’s sale. That purchase is distinct from the proposed grocery store and the other elements described as part of the district plan.

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What incentives is Wichita considering for the project?

The sources available do not establish that Wichita is negotiating a specific incentive package with Movement Musick for Somewhere District. They do not confirm a project-specific application, proposed amount, agreement or City Council approval. The title’s “in talks” wording should therefore be understood as a report about talks, not as confirmation that public assistance has been proposed or awarded.

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The City of Wichita’s redevelopment information lists tools available for redevelopment generally, including Tax Increment Financing (TIF), Community Improvement Districts (CIDs), Opportunity Zones, façade-improvement financing and Industrial Revenue Bonds. It also points to state and federal rehabilitation tax credits, a historic revolving loan program and Low-Income Housing Tax Credits. The citywide list does not show that Somewhere District qualifies for or will receive any of them.

A May 5, 2026, City Council proceeding includes a speaker’s reference to contact with Koch’s group amid downtown change. That remark arose in discussion of a separate first-responder wellness-center project; it does not verify incentive negotiations for Somewhere District.

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What would confirm a project-specific incentive proposal?

The clearest public evidence would be a Somewhere District application or staff report, a development agreement, a public-hearing notice, a Council agenda item or an approved resolution. Until such a record identifies the project and terms, the city’s general incentive menu should not be treated as a commitment.

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What remains important to evaluate?

The announced project combines housing, music and shared public space, with a grocery proposal added in later reporting. Those elements raise practical questions that cannot be answered by the reported plans alone. The available reporting does not provide a project-specific public cost estimate or quantified benefit forecast, so it does not support a settled cost-benefit conclusion.

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  • Public cost and risk: Any proposed incentive should be assessed against its terms, expected public exposure and the benefits required in return.
  • Housing delivery: The plan’s approximately 40 affordable apartments are an announced target; delivery, affordability terms and timing matter.
  • Access to everyday services: The urban-market proposal has no announced completion timeline, and its rationale depends in part on attracting more downtown residents and businesses.
  • Reuse and preservation: Renovating Shirkmere and the Scottish Rite Center purchase make the treatment of existing buildings relevant to the project’s progress.
  • Timeline and public access: The reported dates are projections. Progress against them, along with access to the proposed community space, will help show how the plans take shape.

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