By a 4-3 vote, the Wichita City Council narrowly approved beginning the process of putting the Crown Uptown Dinner Theatre on the Wichita Register of Historic Places.
This comes after the building's owner applied for a demolition permit on February 5, after the city council rejected a request to increase capacity.
Mayor Lily Wu, along with Council members JV Johnston and Dalton Glasscock voted no on placing the building on the historic register. While the Mayor supports the Crown Uptown, located near Douglas and Hillside, she also supports property rights.
City code says a public notice must published about the move, followed by a hearing by the Wichita Historic Preservation board. If the board approves, they would file an application with the Planning department and if it passes a hearing by the planning commission, the city council would have the final vote on the designation.
The council also approved the purchase of property for the Wichita Police Department.
The traffic section has been located at 332 N. Riverview in the downtown area since 2018. The department wants to purchase both the office building and parts of the parking lot and make upgrades.
The city says each are necessary for current Police Department operations. The building and lot are currently available for sale, following approval from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The council approved a $1 million budget for the project.