Ruffin finally started construction on new Kellogg and Webb development — or did he?
Construction finally seems to have started at the 18 acres Phil Ruffin is developing near the northwest corner of Kellogg and Webb Road.
Or has it?
There’s equipment on the site where Kmart and Michaels once were, and dirt is moving, but it turns out it’s simply for a new road so his Marriott Hotel will have access directly to Kellogg.
In July 2021, the developer and casino owner paid $8.7 million to the city for leftover land it had acquired more than a decade earlier for a right-of-way to extend Kellogg east to Webb Road.
Ruffin told the Wichita City Council he planned a retail, restaurant and entertainment complex on the property.
“Development has gone very, very slow,” he said. “There’s not a lot of retail activity out there yet.”
Ruffin is not worried about that, he said, because he’s taking his time developing the property.
He said that “18 acres is hard to fill, and it’s deep.”
“We want something a little bit bigger than pad sites.”
What Ruffin means is he’s not focusing on deals that might result in smaller businesses, such as new fast food restaurants on small pad sites.
Instead, he’s looking at larger deals first, and the smaller pad sites then will follow.
“But there’s no hurry.”
Since he was already on the phone talking development deals, it seemed logical to check in with Ruffin about his close friend President Donald Trump’s chances at regaining the White House.
After all, Ruffin was one of the people who confidently predicted Trump’s first win. That was after seeing people line the streets to greet him in a way that he didn’t think they did for Hillary Rodham Clinton.
So what are his chances now?
“Well, he’s a solid 40 percent, but you’ve got to be over 50 to win,” Ruffin said.
“I don’t think anybody can beat him in the primary,” he said. “It depends on who the Democrats put up.”
Ruffin said he doesn’t “believe Biden really should run again.”
Though Trump opted out of the first Republican debate recently, Ruffin said that’s a skill he’ll be able to employ along the way.
“Donald’s a very good debater.”
Sometimes Ruffin will share what he thinks his buddy should do in certain situations.
“I give a lot of advice, but he doesn’t take it,” he said. “He’s his own man.”
Even if Ruffin is proven correct, Trump won’t admit it.
“He never admits that I was right about anything, and he was wrong. That’s not Donald, but I love him, as you know.”
