'The stars are aligning': Sweeping changes on Kansas River could transform Topeka forever

TOPEKA (KSNT) - From raising old locomotives out of the Kansas River to connecting the heart of the city to the NOTO area, Topeka's Riverfront Advisory Council (RAC) has big plans for the Capital City.

KSNT 27 News sat down with members of the RAC to learn more about exciting changes that could be in store for Kansas' capital. Many of the plans and ideas on the table would completely rework major parts of Topeka, bringing it in line with other major U.S. cities that have undergone similar changes.

What is the Riverfront Advisory Council?

Greg Schwerdt, president of Schwerdt Design group and chair of the RAC and Riverfront Authority, said the 27-member RAC is an outgrowth of the Riverfront Authority established in 2006 by the Kansas Legislature. The purpose of this group is to develop the Kansas River within Shawnee County.

"We had the authority to buy and purchase land and develop the river within the boundaries of Shawnee County," Schwerdt said. "That then was further refined as we began to meet, trying narrowing it down to something that was manageable and we chose between the Kansas Avenue Bridge and the Topeka Boulevard Bridge as our starting point."

Schwerdt said the Riverfront Authority faced several challenges initially due to their limited numbers and mostly volunteer force. However, within the last few years, the RAC was created under the leadership of the Greater Topeka Partnership (GTP) to give the Riverfront Authority more power to get work done.

Ashley Gilfillan, president of Downtown Topeka Inc. and Director of River Strategies with the GTP, said the development of the riverfront was worked into Momentum 2027, a five-year GTP initiative to bring more economic prosperity and growth to Topeka.

"We've had a lot of people who are passionate about this river for a lot of years," Gilfillan said. "The stars are aligning at the moment to get it done."

Gilfillan said one of the big objectives for the RAC is to raise awareness among Topekans about improvements that have already been made to the Kansas River and ways they can use the river for their own enjoyment. Projects such as the installment of a weir and more boat ramps are part of the organization's push to increase access to the river in Shawnee County.

Future Plans

Gilfillan said many ideas are under discussion currently for how the RAC will make the river more usable and enjoyable for local residents. She admitted an executive plan isn't ready yet as the RAC wants to gather community feedback on changes Topekans would like to see on the riverfront. Activities ranging from sandbar volleyball to historical tours are on the table alongside economic opportunities like creating retail shopping locations, new parks and trails, connecting NOTO to downtown Topeka and riverfront housing.

"We just don't know yet until we really start engaging with the community more and finding out what they want and then we'll have to pair that with what we know physically about the river, its natural aspects," Gilfillan said.

Schwerdt said Topeka is behind other cities as it's the only capital city in the U.S. that has a river running through its downtown that isn't developed. However, while Topeka could be seen as falling behind, it can also be seen as a benefit as the RAC can learn about what other cities have done right and wrong.

Schwerdt said there is a lot of synergy now between different local organizations like NOTO and Downtown Topeka Inc. for getting some of the RAC's plans implemented. Upcoming meetings between the RAC and Corps of Engineers are expected to give the organization a clearer vision of how to start putting their plans in place.

"So, you know, we are talking to people now, people who are interested in what's going to happen and who may have an interest in building something on the river, whether that be a restaurant or apartments or an office building, those sorts of things," Schwerdt said. "We're also about activating the river, not just the banks of the river."

Community Engagement

Schwerdt said a master plan was created in 2008 to guide development on the river but is now out of date and in need of replacement. The RAC has plans to release a survey this year asking Topekans what they want to see happen with the river so that a new master plan can be created by the end of 2023 or the start of 2024.

"We're comfortable with the schedule we have and I still think it's aggressive but I think we will have something concrete at the end of the year that I think will be very exciting and forward thinking and hopefully everyone else will as well," Schwerdt said.

Gilfillan said a survey similar to the one released by the City of Topeka for the Polk-Quincy Viaduct project will be released soon to gather community feedback on riverfront development.

"One of the things that we've done really well is grow as a city in the last five to ten years and one of the things we've done very strongly is community engagement," Gilfillan said. "With Momentum 2027, equity is at the center of everything, so making sure community engagement is equitable and that we're reaching all the populations and diverse populations is going to be extremely important to us."

Gilfillan said the RAC plan to collect the community's thoughts through in-person meetings, online surveys, social media surveys and other mediums to ensure every group has a say in the future of Topeka.

The Big Changes

Several large-scale projects are in the works or under consideration to help the RAC reach its goals. Schwerdt said some of the biggest include:

• A plan to remove a lane from the Kansas Avenue Bridge to create a pedestrian footpath/bike path
• Create a new trail system in the area of the Great Overland Station
• The removal of train debris left in the river from the 1951 flood
• Placing another weir dam on the river near the Oakland neighborhood
• Creating a lake out of the Kansas River in Topeka for recreation

Schwerdt said a grant is scheduled to close a lane on the Kansas Avenue Bridge permanently for the creation of a pedestrian/bike path to better increase travel between NOTO and the downtown area. The project is currently on ice as the city works to complete the Polk-Quincy Viaduct project. Schwerdt said a construction project on the Kansas Avenue Bridge would add to more confusion among motorists traveling from one end of the city to the other.

Shawnee County Parks and Recreation Public Information Supervisor Mike McLaughlin said a levee trail is planned from the current river weir to the Great Overland Station, but this is still in early development. He said there is a grant application for crushed limestone to be used as a surface for the trail.

As part of the idea to turn the Kansas River into a safer recreational area, Schwerdt said the RAC is considering adding the second weir to dam up the river to create a lake similar to a project completed in Lawrence.

"One of the concepts that we've always had is to be able to build another downstream weir in Oakland and then back up a body of water that would be a pristine, calm lake," Schwerdt said. "If we could do that, we could potentially have kayaking across the river versus down the river, possibly have paddleboats, those sorts of things."

Part of this includes the idea of removing debris left behind during the 1951 flood that's still at the bottom of the river. The debris poses a potential hazard to those traveling up or down the river and would be costly to remove.

"We've got a tremendous mess in the river," Schwerdt said. "From the standpoint of the 1951 flood... I mean, the bridge is still down there, the locomotive is still down there. When the river is low that can be dangerous from a kayaking standpoint. You don't know those are there so we've been working with the government, the railroads on maybe how do we get this out of there, can we get this out of there, trying to remove the locomotives out of there, things like that."

Schwerdt said removing the train debris is unlikely as conversations with railroad authorities have not had any real results.

"There may be new people that come to the table kind of as those plans progress and help us come up with those solutions that we're not quite sure what they are yet," said India Yarborough, communications director for the GTP.

As for funding for these projects, Schwerdt said there are five entities that are "strongly committed." The RAC hopes to gather funding as plans for riverfront development begin to take shape.

"We do have a variety of people that are willing to contribute to the river, the point is that when building this council, we wanted to make sure all the champions were in the room," Gilfillan said. "Having everybody open and sharing their thoughts together, while we don't have our funding sources established right now, I have no question in our mind that the champions in the room will make that happen."

One issue confronting the RAC's continued work on the riverfront is the number of homeless living on or near the Kansas River's bank in Topeka.

"That's obviously a glaring thing... there's a ton of unsheltered right there on the river and one of the reasons is because its legal to camp on the river," Gilfillan said. "As far as our unsheltered go I think if we had a plan that was going to be 100% effective then we would be the richest consultants in the country at this point because homelessness and unsheltered is definitely something that's plaguing our entire country. I think its become a very hot topic right now and its become a divisive topic amongst a lot of different entities and people within the city but its something we are following very very closely because it does impact us not only as far as the property of the river but just as a community in general."

Moving forward, keep an eye out for the RAC's survey so you can give your input on what you'd like to see happen with the Kansas River in Topeka.