Fort Wayne receives cleanup grant for North River site
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The city of Fort Wayne has received a $1 million grant from the Indiana Brownfields Program to clean up and prepare parts of the North River property for redevelopment.
The 29-acre site, which was previously home to an OmniSource metal recycling plant, has been vacant since 2006 and is being primed for a new youth sports complex.
The North River property’s history dates back to 1902, according to the city. Before being used by OmniSource, the site served as a rail yard and scrap yard. The city acquired the site in 2017.
The latest grant brings the amount of state and federal funding awarded to the city to $3.4 million. The city has used the grants to test and monitor the site and remove any contaminated soil.
“City, community and neighborhood leaders have been planning for the revitalization of the North River property for almost two decades,” Fort Wayne Mayor Sharon Tucker said in a news release. “This grant is another step forward in achieving our bold vision for the property and ensuring it becomes a hub of economic and recreational activity for generations to come.”
In February, the city announced plans for the North River Fieldhouse, a 160,000-square-foot youth sports facility designed to support a variety of sports and activities, including basketball, soccer, volleyball, wrestling, cheerleading, pickleball, baseball, and flag football.
The project is expected to come with a price tag ranging from $50-$60 million. A timeline for construction on the fieldhouse has not been disclosed, though the city previously targeted groundbreaking for 2027.
The city said it continues to review 20 responses to a request for qualifications from developers who could bring additional development to the site, including a hotel, parking garage, restaurant, entertainment and retail spaces.
In March, the city received an unsolicited offer from Noblesville-based Cumberland Development LLC, a firm led by Sweetwater Sound founder Chuck Surack and Ambassador Steel founder Daryle Doden, who offered to buy the North River property for $12 million and turn it into a mixed-use development, according to our partners at WPTA-TV.
That offer was rejected by the city, which noted in a statement that the property is not for sale.
However, Tucker’s office said city leaders are continuing to have discussions with Surack and Doden.
“Both parties have agreed to productive and positive dialogue moving forward to see how Daryle and Chuck might be able to use their experience and expertise to assist in the project,” the mayor’s office said in written remarks.