vibrant prosperous growing you'll find those three words at the top of the city of Fort Wayne's community development Web site and with good reason there has been such vibrancy, prosperity and growth over the past decade.

Downtown revitalization efforts have resulted in nearly one billion dollars of investment in the heart of Fort Wayne.

The construction sites across the city reflect development partnerships between the public and private sectors and we'll take an armchair tour, if you will of these current downtown development projects and get updates on their progress on this week's prime time.

And good evening.

I'm Bruce Haines.

Our guests and tour guides are Nancy Townsend, director of Fort Wayne Community Development and with Nancy is Stacy Hegland who is community development administrator and Stacy and Nancy, welcome.

>> Thank you for being here.

Thank you.

Thanks for having me.

You know, you sort of wonder where did that come from?

Where did that come from and you go around and so forth and I think many are still in a happy all of of what all has been perhaps the nucleus of this growth park field in Harrison Square is is that the headquarters of what we're experiencing now?

>> Yes, I think so.

Harrison Square development includes the Park View Field, two hotels parking garage and I think, you know, that's that's been in place now for about 13 years was well thought out, well planned and initially not not overwhelmingly supported.

>> I think it was it was kind of our first risk, if you will, of of these public private partnership projects and you know, the the administrator at the time, you know, really you know, was committed to the project and it takes a lot of commitment to complete any of these projects.

But this you know, the Harrison Square development in particular took a lot of a lot of commitment.

>> I've talked to many neighborhood groups, church groups, the entire community to try to garner enough support in and in fact the city council, you know, saw its way to approve the funding and the other partners and you this magnificent, magnificent multiphase development was was completed, you know, after a number of years to include all those elements and obviously the crown jewel of that is Park View Field and that it's a beautiful facility and fifty four million dollars investment right there.

>> But it has been the catalyst for over what is now over a billion dollars of investment in our downtown.

>> And there you see the Harrison Square right above left center field and and underneath and behind the four hundred club are a couple of hotels that weren't there before either.

>> Yeah.

Yes.

The Hampton Inn and Courtyard Marriott Hotels are there for a couple of reasons and they're very critical in supporting not only Harrison Square or not only Park Field people come to that but our Grand Wayne Center and we have an amazing, beautiful convention center in the Grand Wayne Center did an expansion, you know, maybe ten years ago and you you have to do to balance the number of hotel rooms with your size of your convention center and these hotels were vital to support, you know, that kind of attraction that we have with the with the convention center and you know, on the other side Cityscape Flats comes into play as more housing downtown and now it also senses itself to be a a connector between that area of downtown Fort Wayne and following Broadway down to electric works and beyond.

>> Yes, I know one of the things that makes everything that we do is kind of the you know, the the stir the straw that stirs the drink.

>> It's still about people.

Everything we do about people you know a parking garage is not about cars.

>> It's about the people who drive the cars, you know.

And so rooftop you have to have rooftops, rooftops drive retail rooftops where people live so apartments the condo projects that have happened including cityscape flats and some other ones I think that the viewers will get to see here later in the presentation.

>> Getting people to live and be downtown is critical in that drives retail and that drives interest that that creates that kind of 18 hour a day activity .

That's what we want.

We don't want eight to five and things roll up.

You know, when when the offices are closed people leave.

>> That's you know, that's kind of a death blow to a vibrant downtown that we want.

So we need that 18 our activity and the hotels aren't just hotels.

>> They have restaurants in them.

The rooftop deck on the Hampton Inn is amazing and we worked with white lodging a great development partner who develop both the hotels and we said, you know, it's not going to be a suburban type of hotel that's out by sixty nine .

>> It needs to have a different design.

You know the ad kind of the whimsical baseball and the ad of the eateries and that's you know those are things that we demand and quality you can't you have to demand that and we expect that in our community now and it's it's valuable.

>> Yeah.

Stacy, from your perspective as administrator and community development, I mean it's not been the same twice for a long time now.

>> Right now it's been very busy and that's a great thing.

It's so nice to see how much people are interested in our community not just downtown but the entire community and and it's growing.

>> How much of this are you administrating, if you will?

I mean a coordinating with with others in the department in the division?

>> A good chunk of it.

There's a lot of work downtown also riverfront which is essentially downtown too.

But we're also doing work in the southeast and throughout neighborhoods.

There's a lot of work going on and I know we wanted to focus on downtown and riverfront today so yeah, mostly involved in some of the riverfront work currently and so between downtown and the riverfront buckle in your seat tables are in their locked position.

Let's do our tour and our first stop along the way.

This one has been up in and alive for a little while and brokerage this this is one where you're literally watching changing skyline take place downtown.

>> Yeah, I mean this one there's like two favorite stories to this project that I have and one is, you know, Tidmarsh you know, a long time Fort Wayne businessman was looking to expand and grow his company.

>> He was looking in the suburbs.

I was looking I sixty nine and kind of having having more this greenfield type of campus and brought him in and said How about downtown you look here and look here and he instantly kind of fell in love with the idea and so designed this you know beautiful multi multi use development that includes the headquarters for for Ashbrook Ridge, the parking garage.

>> We needed to support that development but also all the other things that were going on in downtown and when that project was completed I had a meeting there probably within a month after maybe a year or so it was completed really neat office furnishings.

>> You know the neat amenities for employees including a rooftop park and I ask one of the employees was sitting there waiting sitting with me in a conference room and I said, hey, you know how how do you like your how do you like the new office?

>> How do you like this place and her reaction was oh my gosh, I love being downtown.

>> It wasn't I love my new computer.

>> I love these chairs.

I love the cappuccino machines.

I love being downtown.

And when I heard that I was like Oh yeah, that's the attraction and that's the draw.

>> And that was that was very rewarding it Tidmarsh again he took he took a step out there with us in partnership.

We believed in each other and we did whatever it took to get it across the finish line and then great capital partnered with us on Skyline Tower element of this project.

>> Yeah, very successful.

Just up the street from Eshe brokerage is the landing which has its second or third coming or iteration and this one also stunning is they say I like what you've come to the place he writes Yeah City Fort Wayne's first downtown going back to the eighteen hundreds and I'm going to let Stacey talk a little bit about the public space the street.

>> But one thing I do want to say is what this project represents is something we're very proud of is the all the investment in downtown it's not all shiny new.

>> I mean there's been adaptive reuse of some gorgeous buildings that have been there.

I've been part of our community since the eighteen hundreds even in some cases and so reusing old existing buildings and turning them into something else along shiny and new is something we're super proud of .

>> Another interesting element here is what we did in the public space right.

The streetscape for the landing is key I think to some of its success.

>> It is designed in such a way that the district can be closed to vehicular traffic so it's only for pedestrians and they have so many different events down there.

But even without the events all the restaurants have outdoor dining and it's just a place that people want to walk around.

People watch just spend their evenings and I think that makes it a really, really nice space.

Some of that success also comes to the model group who is the one the group planning all of those events and so kudos to them for all the programing they've put on your background in landscape architecture comes in handy more than likely, yes.

>> Yeah, I had fun with that streetscape around the corner from the landing is the Bradley Witch.

There are a lot of those the Bradley Bell landing by Wedge but this is another which for many are there probably I need to get there.

>> I haven't done that right.

Yeah.

And it's you know, another great story.

Barbara Bacca, one of the co-founders of the Vera Bradley wanted to have a more you know, a boutique type of hotel.

>> She brought guests in from all over the country and in some cases all the world all over the world and a lot of them were in the fashion industry or fabrics and you know, enjoyed having some special places.

>> So she was she was very much committed to having a unique hotel, one unique to Fort Wayne and you know, it's amazing.

>> It's again it offers, you know, dining options and other retail options.

>> It's not just, you know, beds on heads.

Right.

Opportunity and that's what we wanted.

>> It's got four sides really to it that that you see.

And so Stacey along with others really worked closely with them on the streets, gave the sidewalks around it because it is you know, it does have four sides and so those are things that that we think about and work with these developers very closely and that the other story about that project that I loved is I mean that was an all hands on deck project in terms of partnerships, the public funding side, the capital improvement board, the county, the city council, county council and it was just a lot of a lot of good partnership in that project to make that make that project come together neat .

Let's stay a just steps away from the Bradley and say hello to something that is coming online that star financial literally being built before our eyes.

>> Yes.

Across the street from from the Bradley Hotel again kind of a mixed use.

It's an office building but the first floor will have some retail elements so so like everyone might have an interest to enter the building not just people who work there.

>> It will also accommodate parking parking beyond the needs of the buildings on both both ends of this block.

And so it'll it'll provide public parking that others can use as they're coming downtown .

>> And so the neat part of this project is there are there is some commercial and retail space I'm going to say the south incap of this structure.

>> It goes from Main Street to Barry Street.

So it's an entire block and so there will be some some commercial and retail elements on that end of the building as well.

>> A number of the city projects that we're seeing in a couple of others we will get to share two little words mixed use.

>> How big are those two little words?

It's vital absolutely essential that again seeking that 18 hour activity.

>> So you know, a purely commercial building, you know, oftentimes that's say eight to five seven to six type of activity and you know, it's nice when the whole building doesn't go dark, if you will, at that time and having that retail space and the first floor space which is often on the first floor that we're where people can enter all of these buildings and see feel like it's accessible as they're walking along there's something the next block there may be an opportunity to go in a building on the next block in the next block.

>> And I think I think that that's very important and quite honestly from a, you know, financial package on the developer side, you know, maybe sometimes not putting all your eggs in one basket if one part of an industry, you know, kind of has a slowdown, then you've got some other income and other positive things going on in your investment.

>> A similar diverse space is just next door to the Bradley that's the pearl of word came from choux hurricane friends back in February of this year.

>> Yeah.

I mean, you know, obviously you know our community we're so lucky to have so many people here and Chuck Sarac is no exception.

>> I mean his commitment and loyalty to our community has been boundless and this is this is really a great example of that a mixed use project that has some unique offerings for artist space and those sorts of things.

>> And the other thing we've done with them again is they recognize the importance of the street, the public space and maybe you can also talk about how you're working with them on the on the connections to other projects.

>> Sure.

Yeah.

We're working with them specifically on streetscape.

They like the feel and the vibe from the landing.

So we're trying to recreate that not one for one but still have that same vibe.

They'll be able to close the street and have concerts out there in front of the Pearl Oak and trying to make it Kerbis So again it's more pedestrian friendly so you don't have to worry about trip hazards as you're going from one side to the other and you're also blending into it.

We will get the prominent part but you are also blending into that whole experience just just to the north of everything right is right in the heart of what's happening right now.

>> I'm also looking to at the blending of new and old and landscape and then some and it's all electric works that's getting plugged in on Broadway in different parts with some aspects of it keyed for later this summer early fall.

>> Yeah.

I mean I know the farmer's market is slated to open this fall do it best.

>> Obviously international headquarters that we have here in our community will be moving in later this year and that will be a large you know, a good magnet for this project.

You know, five hundred and fifty or so employees there that will help support the food market and obviously downtown in the neighborhoods.

>> And I think one of the things and maybe we'll get to it later so I don't want to get off topic is some of the things you talked about and you mentioned is connecting these things together and we have this urban trail concept and maybe we can I think we'll be getting to it but yeah.

Electric works.

Yeah, The quintessential adaptive reuse project as you said.

I mean an old factory that anybody here probably impossible to not have somebody in your family.

>> Oh I my uncle worked there.

My cousin worked there.

My grandpa worked there and that sort of thing and so those sort of connections are truly Fort Wayne and to have have at least part of that campus in an adaptive reuse project of this scale magnitude is this something yeah.

>> Yeah.

I was thinking about this and Stacy this is where we go right to the rivers because you know San Antonio has its river walk.

>> Memphis has Beale Street, New Orleans has its French Quarter.

We have three rivers taking advantage of a natural and economic asset.

>> Talk a little bit about what's going on with that park that really feels like it's always been there which is fascinating.

>> Yeah, Promenade Park has been so successful.

You know, we started riverfront planning back in twenty fourteen prominent park opened in twenty nineteen and I think you can all agree to the success of that.

You can see shots here from the grand opening weekend.

>> It wasn't just a one day event and it has been so popular since then.

>> I think if you can look up in fun times the the pamphlet that comes out through our department, you'll see all the different programs that are are available within the riverfront area specifically promenade.

But to build off of that even the pavilion at Promenade is rented out every Saturday throughout the end of the year and every Sunday through November like that's just how popular this park is and I think one of the best things about it is it is open for everybody to use it's public space.

>> Everybody can be there.

It was designed thoughtfully with universal design.

There's a visual tactile strip that runs through the ribbon of the the heart of the park itself so that somebody that is visually impaired can follow that throughout the site.

So there are lots of elements that are built in there to make universally accessible.

>> I was noticing too there were a couple of projects along the way to to be sure that other space was available for prominent development.

>> I think we had buildings move yes.

And some preserved and otherwise relocated.

There's a lot of vision here and a lot of audience participation and a tremendous amounts of suggestion from the community on you know, if I were king I'd do this you know, that kind of stuff into the building.

>> You see it well in the previous shot was the Canberra building and that was moved to make promenade Park happen and some of that goes back to the adaptive reuse that Nancy was talking about that's been relocated to and it's slated to be a restaurant at the corner of Harrison and Superior.

>> So that's super exciting and of course there is new construction right next door.

Let's be sure we get to that the riverfront at Promenade Park and it if you think that building looks awfully similar to another piece of construction going on, you're not too far off.

>> Right?

Right.

The riverfront promenade is a significant project about a ninety million dollar project mixed use project with apartments and commercial space.

That's one hundred percent leased already for that and then some retail space on the first floor.

>> It's a you know, when we assembled that site we put things out for called request for proposals we're developers can can hey I'm interested that site and here's what I'd build and here's how I do it .

>> The site we put it out we had a couple of developers say that is probably one of the most desirable sites certainly the region if not the state at that time because of our planning and riverfront.

And so we had a lot of interest in that site and we landed on a partner Berrett it's totally out of Carmel and you know, again we talk to them quality, quality, quality and take in take advantage of the park.

The views and I'm telling you what they did have you know, mostly a glass exterior and floor to ceiling windows in some of the apartments up to three bedroom apartments and we've gone up there and looked at some of those views of those apartments and it's it is phenomenal.

>> It's really neat.

So and they've been a fantastic partner who are very committed and have a strong belief and in a market in the support we can provide them another companion space is not far from probably that park and that's the lofts at Headquarters Park that's going on now.

Yes, the same developer Bharat Stokeley and again as you can see like a different product that looks different and this this design this building really ties into the history the buildings that used to be there and club soda, the building where club soda is and so they chose this design the materials to fit in to party apart building gashouse building and like I said where club soda is.

And so again, you know, based on our kind of requirements, you know, designs I'll scope and scale and this one like the other one has a parking garage in the middle of this that will provide public parking and parking beyond what the project needs.

>> The next one we go back to the park a little bit because it is literally wedged in it seems but not truly but it is at least as far as a name is concerned the wedge yeah, it is referred to as the wedge.

So this one is a proposed building yet you could see with the other one if you've been downtown you'll see that the riverfront promenade is currently under construction.

That one should be complete by the end of this year.

The law's the headwaters.

We've started some site prep but that one will take two years before that one is completed.

This one the wedge has not been started yet as far as construction goes, we're still working through some of the agreements but you can see the the proposed rendering here and it ties very closely with some of the riverfront public open space that we're currently working on designs for and we have a couple of those villages while we have time, let's share those as well.

One of them looks like additional work with riverfront development to the other side of the park.

>> Correct.

So this is currently under construction.

They started two days ago so it's amazing to get this underway.

This provides a connection from Promenade Park on the left of the image to Headwaters Park on the right of the image and it is just in between the the river itself and the riverfront a prominent park development that's under construction.

>> It is this where we'll find some of these other amenities for which there are artists renderings?

>> No, those artists renderings extend beyond that site.

Also the one you can see right now is in front of the wedge that we were just looking at.

>> This shows that get down.

It's just an access for the public to be able to to come and see the river come much closer than what we've been able to in the past.

I see a discovery assent.

Yes.

Right here and in this and a hammock Grove said this Discovery's ascent will take you to the connection for a new tree canopy trail top oh so an extension if you will, of the one that we already have at Promenade but we can't tie completely to it because it would have to cross Harrison Street.

>> So we're having another one and then the hammock grove I'm super excited about this just came across our desk about two weeks ago and it's received some pretty good comments so far and I think I'm stepping on the important part that will be located roughly where if if you can locate Harrison Street and then the old shop metals building this will be right between the river in that shop metals building and this is part that quarter.

>> Yes.

And all of that ties back to public open space.

So all of this with all the development going around there is still open space for all of the public to come and access the river.

You don't have to be part of that private development.

You don't have to live in one of the units of these developments that you see you can still access through this park space.

>> This is something called Boulder Mound.

Yes, We wanted some activity for the kids to get to to run and climb on, provide some seating areas if you just wandering around the park space itself.

>> So a boulder mount that kids can climb play on it.

>> Let's jump to the final rendering if we could because I know Nancy, this was what you were speaking of with the development corridors and the maps here we have an ampitheater still under development.

We have some night shots that are taking place but basically it looks like you can ultimately tour the improvements going on in the city north south and and east west along Harrison's there it is.

>> Yeah, right.

So that shows our urban trail from the conception of this.

We wanted to be able to link riverfront to Park View Field and since then we want to be able to extend out so this urban trails which will cut through the core of downtown and through the essentially the front door of riverfront we'll also tie to electric works.

We want it we want it to tie to CityLink so it's tied to public transportation.

It will reach over to Bar Street and connect into the arts campus.

But essentially what this is is a ten foot wide decorative pavement associated right next to the sidewalk.

>> So we're adding sidewalk space but doing it in a quality way.

It's more much more placemaking than just connectivity but it certainly connects everybody through the riverfront to downtown, to the ballfield, to the convention center so that connectivity is key.

>> Yeah, we have just seconds but Nancy of final word I mean some have described the idea of Fort Wayne.

Is there something electric in the air?

Well, the air has been positively charged for about a decade.

When you look at a lot of this plus electric works, what do you how do you sum up all this?

>> I think partnership and planning I think we've been prepared we've done thoughtful plans that have always engaged to a great degree the community.

We want to build things and put things in place that people here want and I think that's why we've done it.

>> And the partnership of the county, the CIB, the city council, the administration in our development partners is the only thing that makes this possible.

>> Stacey Hegland and Anthony Towns both with the city of Fort Wayne community development and continued success with all of your efforts a fast tour we will now rest up and I hope you have a chance to do more of it again as we go along more information available by phone and by Internet and for all of us with prime time.

I'm Bruce Haines.

Thank you for watching.

>> Take care.

We'll see you again soon.

Good night