Wichita's City Council faces three consequential votes Sept. 8, including an $18 million pedestrian bridge, the fate of a riverfront building and a federal housing grant.

The council meets at 9 a.m. in City Council Chambers at 455 N. Main St., according to the meeting agenda.

Redbud Trail bridge budget nearly doubles

The biggest-ticket item is a revised budget for the Redbud Trail Phase 2 pedestrian overpass at Rock Road in east Wichita. The council delayed a vote on the funding increase at its Tuesday, Sept. 1, meeting, KWCH reported.

The new budget totals $18,230,824. That is up from $10.2 million in September 2025 and $12.1 million after a Dec. 23, 2025, consent-agenda increase, the Wichita Eagle reported.

The revised breakdown: $12,518,061 from the city, including $400,000 for public art; $5,562,763 from the Federal Highway Administration; and a $150,000 donation from Koch Inc. The Koch donation would pay for wire mesh on both sides of the bridge "to prevent items being dropped onto vehicles," according to the city's agenda report. The bridge would cross Rock Road near the Wichita home of Koch chairman and co-CEO Charles Koch.

The bridge, designed by Portland, Oregon, artist Ed Carpenter, would resemble a Venus flytrap with poles jutting from either side. An estimated 93 pedestrians use the trail at Rock Road daily, about 42% on bikes, according to the Wichita Area Metropolitan Planning Organization.

City spokesperson Megan Lovely said in an Aug. 31 written statement to the Eagle that the project scope has not changed. "Once we bid out portions of Phase 2 of the project, then the General Obligations dollars programmed could be reduced due to the federal dollars we've received," Lovely said.

The Eagle reported the city's own share rose by $4.4 million without a clear public explanation.

Boathouse lease termination returns

The council will also revisit whether to end a 99-year, $1-a-year lease at 515 S. Wichita, known as the Wichita Boathouse. Bill Koch's America3 Foundation signed the lease in 2009 but now wants out, 17 years in, the Wichita Eagle reported.

The 2009 agreement required the foundation to maintain the roof, foundation, exterior and mechanical systems. City officials say the roof and soffit need critical repairs, and no building permits have been pulled on the property since 2016, according to the Eagle.

The lease has no early-termination penalty. Council member Dalton Glasscock told the Eagle the city's only leverage is taking the building back, which is what the foundation wants.

City Manager Dennis Marstall told the Eagle the foundation approached him in May, saying it has "no more use for it." Mayor Lily Wu pulled the item from the consent agenda at the council's Aug. 19 meeting, moving it to a public discussion. The council voted unanimously to defer until Sept. 8 for a fuller assessment of the building's condition.

Park Landing housing grant

The council is set to accept a federal Affordable Housing and Supportive Services Demonstration (AHSSD) grant for Park Landing, a 75-unit building on the Second Light Campus at 1025 N. Main.

The project had a ceremonial groundbreaking Dec. 10, 2025. Sally Stang, the city's director of housing, told the council at its May 19 meeting that the first floor will serve as non-congregate shelter and the upper two floors will be housing units with project-based vouchers. Stang said the team expected a 13-month build with an opening targeted for June or July 2027.

The dollar amount of the AHSSD grant is not listed in the agenda or available public documents.

Residents can attend the meeting in person or watch via the city's live stream.