Choose Topeka Talent Initiative

By Greater Topeka Partnership Digital Team

GO Topeka is excited to share that it has received approval from its board of directors as well as the Joint Economic Development Organization (JEDO) to fund Choose Topeka, a talent pilot program that will offer matching incentives by partnering with employers to encourage talent to move to Topeka & Shawnee County.

“Choose Topeka was created with the intention of investing in employees to live and work in Topeka & Shawnee County, so that we may foster an ‘intentional community,’ one of community support builders.” said Barbara Stapleton, VP of Business Retention & Talent Initiatives, GO Topeka, an organization of the Greater Topeka Partnership.

Incentives will be performance-based, after the employee has moved and resided in the community for a year and could be used for all types of moving related expenses. For primary residences only, the rental agreement incentive is $10,000 - a $5,000 match of employer and JEDO funds. The purchase or rehabilitation of home is a $7,500 match of employer and JEDO funds. Moving costs alone to move a 1-2 bedroom apartment can range from $4,000 to $7,000 and for a 3-4 bedroom home, range from $10,000 to $16,000, depending on the distance and location.

To read the full article, click here or email Alexia Eanes.

Intercity Visit 2019: October 2 - 4

Expedition Montgomery Is Set to Engage Topeka's Community Leaders, Influencers and Activists

As we get closer to Expedition Montgomery, the GTP team is putting together a thought provoking agenda. Some of the major topics and highlights so far include in-depth discussions with Montgomery officials on their collaboration with Market Street consultants to create three community-wide plans similar to Momentum 2022. The topic of what worked, what didn’t work and more will be continuously examined throughout the trip, which will prove especially relevant as Topeka quickly approaches the strategy's halfway point. Attendees will also hear from the Chief of Police on their SMART Watch program designed to combat crime, from city officials on how the city won the SMART CITY Challenge just last year, which was a combined initiative to connect and leverage the communities unique technology assets, and from educators on how the community has rallied to go from a city with some of the lowest preforming nationally known schools to having one the best Magnet schools in the country. Sessions are also coming together that will see GTP leadership break out according to the five pillars of Momentum 2022 for afternoon tours relevant to the issues facing Topeka today: from innovation campuses, to schools, to Montgomery’s strong civil rights tourism, to driving neighborhood tours and discussions. Even with a high-level agenda, the GTP has still found ways to allow for fun and networking within the group. Each day will conclude with a riverboat cruise and a superb dining experience at one of Montgomery's excellent local restaurants, before we call it a night and make our way back to the Renaissance Hotel. More information here.

      To read the full article email Alexia Eanes.

Momentum Grows in Topeka Via Holistic Economic Development Plan

By Kristin Hiller

A renaissance is underway in Topeka, Kansas, with undeniable momentum as new commercial, industrial and residential developments emerge citywide.

The year 2015 was pivotal with a $9.4 million public-private investment in infrastructure and amenities along Kansas Avenue downtown. Local investors have purchased more than 25 buildings on the avenue for gradual restoration into thriving businesses like Iron Rail Brewing, The Pennant, Cyrus Hotel and Kansas Avenue Lofts.

The 45,000-square-foot Evergy Plaza is slated to open in March 2020 in the shadow of the Kansas Statehouse. A crowning jewel of downtown development, the plaza will feature a 50-foot performance stage, digital screen, programmable fountains, fireplaces and an ice skating rink during the winter.

According to a recent market study, growth in the Capital City shows no signs of slowing down. St. Louis-based Development Strategies says downtown could support expansion over the next decade to include 900 new or rehabilitated housing units, 300,000 square feet of new or rehabilitated office space, 690,000 square feet of retail space and at least 200 more hotel rooms.

To read the full article click here or email Alexia Eanes.

JEDO Approves Funding for Downtown Topeka Plaza, NOTO Parking

By Sherman Smith

The Joint Economic Development Organization on Wednesday cleared the way for completion of a public plaza in downtown Topeka, granting more than a million dollars to the project and sparking debate on how countywide sales tax funds are distributed.                                                                                                

In a 4-3 vote, JEDO members approved recommendations made by a panel of community volunteers to award $2 million in economic development money to four projects out of 16 applicants.

One of those projects will invest $644,000 in the NOTO Arts District, assisting in efforts to add parking and establish Redbud Park.

Mayor Michelle De La Isla rebuffed criticism over pouring the bulk of available quality of place funding into jewels in the heart of the city, saying feedback from the community makes it clear residents want to make the city more attractive.

To read the full article click here or email Alexia Eanes.

Editorial: A decisive mayoral contest in Topeka

By The Capital-Journal Editorial Board

Topeka’s mayoral primary is less than two weeks away (Aug. 1), and a public forum brought all five candidates together on stage at the Jayhawk Theatre on Wednesday night. The event attracted an overflow crowd to the theater — even though 180 chairs had been set out, 230 people showed up. Considering the dismal turnout for most local elections in Topeka, this level of interest is encouraging. It demonstrates that Topekans value civic engagement and recognize that this is a critical time for our city. However, if you look at the turnout numbers from recent mayoral primaries, you’d come away with an entirely different impression. For example, in the 2009 primary, only 13.08 percent of registered voters cast a ballot. In 2013, the proportion was a pitiful 4.4 percent.

To read the full article click here. If it has been removed, please email Alexia Eanes for a copy of the entire article

Editorial: Forge attracts young professionals

The Capital-Journal Editorial Board 

According to the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Topeka’s population fell for the fifth straight year in 2016. While the census is conducted every decade, the Census Bureau provides annual population estimates for cities, counties and states across the country. When the last census was released in 2010, Topeka had a population of 127,473 — a number that has fallen to 126,808 if the Census Bureau’s estimate is accurate. The 2015-2016 decrease (457 people) was larger than any of the preceding four years. 

A static or shrinking population can have harmful effects on a community. In September 2016, Market Street Services Inc. completed a community assessment that “examines the competitive issues facing Topeka-Shawnee County” for the Topeka-Shawnee County Holistic Economic Development Strategy steering committee... 

To read the full article click here. If it has been removed, please email Alexia Eanes for a copy of the entire article.

New report highlights data, challenges in Topeka, Shawnee County

Morgan Chilson
Topeka Capital-Journal


A 64-page community assessment of Topeka and Shawnee County released Thursday is bursting with data, comparisons to other cities and, most importantly, six primary issues that tell the capital city’s story.

Those six, identified in the Market Street Services Inc. report, are:

■ A critical need to improve community pride.

■ Threats to a strong workforce go beyond population growth.

■ Quality of place enhancements are needed to change outlooks.

■ Homegrown talent: a need to connect the local and regional talent pipeline.

■ Enhancing economic opportunities through existing strengths.

■ Prosperity and well-being lag behind.

“It’s not all rosy, is it?” said Matt Pivarnik, CEO and president of the Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce and GO Topeka. “We have our work cut out for us. I think that this actually confirms a lot of what our gut was already telling us. It puts some data behind it.”

To read the full article click here. If it has been removed, please email Alexia Eanes for a copy of the entire article.