Together With

Good morning, Wichita!

Today’s deep dive covers a topic that most people have an opinion on, one way or another.

Fill out the survey at the bottom so we can get your raw, unfiltered opinion.

Let's get to it!

- Landon Huslig

Together with RAHA Mediterranean

If you’ve ever had Fio Rito, you know the chefs are top notch.

Coming from the people who brought you Fio Rito and located inside Tap N Paddles is a brand new mediterranean restaurants called RAHA!

It is now open and we highly recommend you go check it out ASAP!

Paid Parking in Downtown Wichita

The first half of 2025 is coming to a close which means we are closing in on the official roll out of paid parking regulations for downtown Wichita.

The purpose of this deep dive is so we are all on a level playing field as to why we’re moving towards this, what it means, and how it affects each of us.

The paid parking plan kicks off on Tuesday, July 1st.

Park Wichita

You may have noticed the installation of new parking meters and kiosks.

The old quarter meters are being replaced and you will now pay at kiosks or mobile apps like ParkMobile (Download the app) and PayByPhone (PayByPhone.com).

You get a free hour when you purchase your first hour of parking between July 1, 2025 and August 1, 2025 (in eligible areas - public garages are not eligible).

Who has to pay for paid parking?

Pretty much everyone. That includes you and me, for better or worse.

Accessible & Disabled Veteran Parking

• Accessible & Disabled Veteran on-street parking is free.

  • Must have permanent accessible license plate; temporary or permanent hanging placards are also accepted if properly displayed

  • If parked in a stall for longer than 24 hours – parker may be cited for overtime parking

• Accessible & Disabled Veteran parking in public surface lots is paid.

  • There will be signs at the pay station informing parkers that accessible parking is paid.

  • Accessible parking sign at each parking stall.

• Accessible & Disabled Veteran parking in public parking garages is paid.

  • There will be signs at the pay station informing parkers that accessible parking is paid.

  • Accessible parking sign at each parking stall.

What area does this cover? Where is considered “downtown”?

When do I have to pay?

You will have to pay to park downtown:

• Monday - Thursday between 8am - 6pm

• Friday - Saturday between 8am - 9pm

Outside of these hours, it is still free to park*.

*except when there is Event Parking, then it may vary by event.

How much do I have to pay?

(except when there is Event Parking - that is still a separate conversation)

Alright, alright, so you have to pay. How much we talking?

• $1 per hour (or daily rate of $5) if you are parking in a public parking lot

• $1 per hour (or daily rate of $10) if you are parking in a public parking structure (i.e. parking garge)

• Monthly rates may be available for public surface lots and public garages, depending on availability

Why paid parking?

The main reason is to drive more revenue that goes towards finance operations, maintenance, security and capital outlay, and more. It’ll make just under half a million dollars in year one.

The parking fund has been declining for years and if there is not a drastic change, property tax from the general fund will have to be used to subsidize the parking program.

The paid parking system will now allow the parking fund to be supported by ALL users including out of towners, instead of just Wichitans.

It also allows for extra security like enhanced lighting and security cameras.

How to Use the Paid Parking Kiosks

As we mentioned above, you will now pay at kiosks or mobile apps like ParkMobile (Download the app) and PayByPhone (PayByPhone.com). Here are a couple of how to videos if you are getting anxious:

Kiosks

PayByPhone

ParkMobile App

A Look at Other Cities

We are currently #48 in the list of top 50 largest US cities by population. I want to take a look at a few of these that are right around our size to compare:

• #50 - Arlington, Texas - Seems to have plenty of free public parking

• #49 - New Orleans (who would have guessed we’re bigger than New Orleans…?) - uses the same ParkMobile App as Wichita as well as recently installed new meters for coins, cash, and card

• #47 - Tulsa - uses the same ParkMobile App and similar meter system

• #46 - Minneapolis - 8700+ metered parking spots in high-demand areas

• #45 - Oakland - Paid parking

• #44 - Miami - same apps as Wichita

• #43 - Omaha - Operates metered parking spots on nearly every block in downtown and midtown Omaha - same apps as Wichita

I wanted to look at similar sized cities because one criticism I hear often is “Wichita is not a big city, we shouldn’t have to pay for parking like one”. It seems like most cities, bigger and smaller, have some sort of paid parking attached.

Feedback from the Community

Here is a little feedback we’ve seen from the community so far and I will say it is mostly negative:

If you’re brave enough, head over to Reddit and discuss.

What do you want to see us go deep on in a future deep dive?

Let us know!

Quick Event Rundown

• Anime Festival | Hyatt Regency | 6/27 - 6/29

• Taco Fest | Fountains at Waterwalk | 6/28

• Dude Perfect | Intrust Bank Arena | 7/11

• Nate Bargatze | Intrust Bank Arena | 12/10 (rescheduled from September)