Fort Wayne requests qualifications on riverfront property
By Lisa Esquivel Long | Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly
A new developer now has a chance to put a stamp on what the city of Fort Wayne is calling the “linchpin” riverfront project at the northeast corner of Harrison and Superior streets, east of Promenade Park.
The city of Fort Wayne Redevelopment Commission announced March 4 that it is issuing a request for qualifications for teams interested in developing the area.
Three weeks before, Nancy Townsend, redevelopment director, explained that the previous developer for the $61.7 million mixed-use project there – Continental Property Group of Minnesota – hadn’t gotten the financing it needed to build it.
Plans for the seven-story mixed-use private development, called the HIVE, included about 150 apartment homes with views of the St. Marys River and 20,000 square feet of retail space, as well as a parking garage with more than 1,000 spaces. When Continental was announced in December 2017 as the developer, it was hoped that construction would start last spring and be completed this fall.
Parking is a necessary component of anything that goes there, with Townsend emphasizing the need for riverfront guests. Promenade Park, 202 W. Superior St., is set to open June 21.
The request for qualifications asks interested development teams to submit qualifications, portfolios and concepts for the site to the Redevelopment Department no later than 4 p.m. March 22.
A selection committee comprised of redevelopment commissioners, city staff, and a representative from Land Collective, the consultant team leading the Riverfront Implementation Framework, will review the qualifications and select candidate(s) that will be invited to respond to a request for proposals, according to a city statement. City redevelopment officials believe a mixed-use development with options for public parking represent the best long-term use for the site, the statement said.
“I am excited by the interest I am receiving from both local and national developers in this property,” Townsend said in the statement. “This property is critical to the success of our ongoing downtown and riverfront development work, and I’m confident the final project will be something our community can take pride in.”
Related Articles:
Redevelopment Commission Issues RFQ for Riverfront Property from The Journal Gazette
City gauging new interest in site from The Journal Gazette
