FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — At Tuesday’s Fort Wayne City Council meeting, Downtown Fort Wayne presented a status update regarding the state of downtown regarding a variety of factors.
The discussion, which kicked of the meeting following a short public hearing, discussed issues such as office vacancy rates, homelessness trends, crime trends and steps the organization is taking to address them.
Office and Retail Vacancies
The presentation — led by Director of Marketing Preston Wallace and interim President and CEO Bob Walters — started by revealing the most recent data on office vacancy rates and retail vacancy rates in downtown. Wallace said the data came from a 2024 report conducted by The Zacher Company, a real estate agency located downtown.
According to the report, office vacancy rates are at 12.24%, which is roughly 8% lower than the national level. However, Wallace noted the number is elevated compared to levels seen prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and he believes changing technology and the trend toward remote work have played a factor in less workers being in downtown. The report also showed the downtown population sat around 3,600 in 2024…