WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – The Krispy Krunchy Chicken near 13th and Broadway in Wichita has been closed for months. There were plans to turn the restaurant into a wings and burger joint, but that never happened. Now residents say it has become a magnet for vandalism and even some attacks in that area.
Sedgwick County Commissioner Lacy Cruz lives next door to the vacant building, which is now falling into disrepair.
“I took 3 hypodermic needles out of the yard, people come and urinate back here,” she said.
The building is an eyesore for those who live nearby, and some worry for their safety.
“I had to pull my Taser once, but I didn’t have to use it,” said Holly Piland, who lives across the street. “It’s scary with homeless people.”
Crews and Piland want to know how the property got so bad.
“It’s just a matter of time to get through all the red tape to clear this up. “I’ve been talking about this for at least a month,” Cruz said.
A trespass notice was posted on the door before some windows were smashed. We called the owner, who lives in Montana, on the ad and asked when he planned to have the windows repaired. He said he didn’t want to talk to us. A law firm came and took the infringement notice off the door. We tried to ask what was going on but no one could tell us.
The city’s Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department said it has been in contact with the owner and is working with local maintenance professionals to carry out the repairs. She said she doesn’t understand why Kruse is hanging onto his property if he doesn’t make money and lives across the country.
“This is an example of what happens when a business is run and the type of activity that surrounds such businesses,” she said.
And the longer it sits, the more expensive it will be to repair in the future.
“A real friend of mine had someone who wanted to come in here and put a Cajun restaurant in, but if things in the building get more damaged or damaged inside, who knows what’s going to happen? I mean, nobody would buy a building like that,” Cruz said.
Kruse hopes the building won’t be boarded up for too long like some previous businesses in the area. Instead, she said, she would like someone who lives nearby to invest in the building and change it for the betterment of the area.
Friday morning, a contractor with the city of Wichita stopped by the building to see which windows needed to be boarded up. The city said it should be completed within 24 hours.
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