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Restaurant, art shops planned for ‘Boardwalk’
By David Dinell
Last Updated: June 04, 2015

A new commercial project is in the works for Kechi.

Paul and Virginia Riemann are planning to construct three buildings and open a restaurant and art shops in the 200 block of East Kechi Road on a two-acre lot called "The Boardwalk." They plan on keeping that well-known name for the new development.  

However, before that project happens, the couple will have to get approval of the Kechi Planning Commission at its June 15 meeting. The property is zoned "C-1 Special Commercial District," but because of the proposed building sizes and setbacks, they need the commission's approval.

Virginia Riemann, a member of the governing body, will excuse herself from that decision to avoid a conflict of interest.

If the green light is given, the couple will be set to proceed and the one small remaining building on the site will be torn down and the site cleared of brush and building debris. 

As proposed, the project will have a 3,000-square-foot restaurant and two other buildings, one a 2,000-square-foot structure housing two retail spaces, and the other a 3,000-square-foot building with three shop areas, making it a total development of about 8,000 square feet. 

Virginia Riemann didn't have a cost estimate for the project, but did say she and her husband are self-financing it under their company, Hornet Enterprises LLC. Earlier this year, Riemann said she had hoped that the project would be ready by August, but that estimate won't be met. She didn't have a timeframe on a new completion date.

"We just have to go through all these political steps," she said, "which is understandable because that's the way cities work. You have to do these things one thing at a time."

The Riemanns, who live north of Kechi in rural Sedgwick County, have Kechi ties as Virginia Riemann was on the city council for 12 years and now heads up its farmers market.

She sees a solid, growing future for Kechi. 

"I just like what's going on over there with small shops coming in and that development plan with the arts district," she said.  

Paul Riemann has been operating a Valley Center business, Retro Systems LLC, which was fully owned by the Riemann family. They now have sold two-thirds of it, and Riemann, the company's president, has been weaning his way out of the enterprise. 

"This is pretty much something to keep him busy," Virginia Riemann said of the new venture.

The shops will be more on the "artsy" side, she said. However, if an antique dealer wants to be in there, she would be open to it. 

Another party would be operating the restaurant. She's in discussions with someone, but can't name the person at this time. The food will likely be "home-cooked" style. 

"It won't be bar food," she said.

Riemann said its hours and offerings will match the market throughout the day. As such, she plans to have the restaurant offer early morning breakfast all the way to late into the evening, when the nearby Kechi Playhouse crowds leave the show and the eatery can offer customers coffee or a glass of wine. 

Riemann said the couple is excited about the new venture. 

"There are a lot of nice people there," she said of Kechi. "If we can get this going as a destination, that would help the town."





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