‘Potential’ Fueling Downtown Makeover in Fort Wayne

As Fort Wayne prepares to christen its latest big downtown project, Mayor Tom Henry says there are no signs of transformational development slowing down in the state’s second largest city. The Landing, a $34 million downtown redevelopment project, is expected to officially open soon, one of an estimated 14 projects that Henry says can help Fort Wayne become a destination city. 

Since the opening of Parkview Field more than a decade ago, Henry says momentum has continued to build. “We did build Parkview Field and I think that served as a catalyst for a lot of additional development and the more that was developed, the more people wanted to develop,” said Henry, who points to the planned construction of 500 additional downtown apartments as validation of demand.

Henry talked about his vision for making Fort Wayne a destination city on this weekend’s edition of Inside Indiana Business with Gerry Dick.

Construction on The Landing began in early 2018. It is being developed by the same people who remade Over the Rhine in Cincinnati. 

The Landing is located along Columbia Street in downtown Fort Wayne and envisioned as a center of activity that will include more than 60,000 square feet of office and retail space along with street-level dining and entertainment options. There will also be 70 apartment units.

The Landing is just one block from the recently-opened Promenade Park, the $20 million first phase of a dramatic redevelopment along Fort Wayne three historic rivers.

As for the biggest project of all, the $440 million Electric Works development, Henry says work still needs to be done before the transformation of the former GE campus can begin. “Right now what they are look at, and struggling with, is to get a number of anchor stores,  What we’d like to do is to bring in a major anchor and that would serve as a catalyst for others.”