Occidental Management Inc.’s purchase of Sprint Corp.’s headquarters campus nearly two years ago wasn’t simply about taking ownership of one the area’s largest office hubs.
The Wichita-based developer acquired a 207-acre canvas, upon which it intends to create an estimated $750 million live-work-play landscape at what stakeholders consider “Main and Main” for Johnson County.
Sprint originally designed the campus as a hub for as many as 14,500 of its employees, with limited focus beyond the company’s needs.
At a fall meeting, neighbors who had visited the campus at 119th Street and Nall Avenue said they felt “not allowed” and “not welcome.”
Occidental began planning to change that even before its $250.9 million purchase closed in July 2019.
“This (campus) already has great amenities,” President Chad Stafford said. “We want to improve upon that, utilize the technology and really create a state-of-the-art location that helps companies and people that live and work there attract and retain the best talent in the country.”