FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WFFT) — Fort Wayne is seeking a consultant team to draft a new downtown plan, expanding its definition of “downtown” both north and west across the St. Marys River for the first time. This expansion will include parts of several nearby neighborhoods within the planning boundary.
The city’s request for proposals outlines a study area that extends into the North River area and includes portions of Bloomingdale, Spy Run, Hamilton, Nebraska, and West Central. This marks a departure from the last comprehensive downtown plan in 2003, which focused on the traditional core. The updated study area map also features the Broadway & Taylor area of the “07,” including Electric Works, as part of the city’s expanded downtown.
The Community Development Division stated that the new downtown plan aims to guide investment, growth, and development for the next decade or longer. It will be adopted as an amendment to the All In Allen comprehensive plan.
Years of riverfront planning have already begun to push the downtown boundary north, highlighted by developments like Promenade Park and the Riverfront Overlay District framework…