Hey Locals,

There’s an interesting new high-dollar development happening in Southeast Fort Wayne, led by two residents with strong local connections. We fill you in on the project – and what’s happening with the city’s Southeast Strategy – in this week’s Above the Fold.

In Briefs, we share a new FREE dinner series the city is hosting to help residents learn about civic engagement, like public speaking and advocating for causes. We’re attending a few sessions ourselves, and we’d love to see you there! Plus, updates on riverfront development and changes coming to support mom-and-pop businesses on South Calhoun Street.

In our To Do List, we feature a new Coffee Concert series by the Fort Wayne Philharmonic (including donuts) and a few DJ dance parties, including Spoke + Ivy's Cafeton.

Don’t forget: In March, we’re partnering with Spoke + Ivy to bring all paid subscribers to The Local a free cafe beverage with a dine-in purchase (up to $8, one per subscription).

Now, let’s get started.

NOTE: Links to Journal Gazette articles are marked(*) and may be behind a paywall.

A large, local investment for Southeast:

Developers share plans for a $9.5M hotel.

What's happening?

Last week, City Council approved a tax abatement* for a rare $9.5M development in Southeast Fort Wayne. 

• What are the plans? F&D Hospitality Group, led by Fort Wayne natives Tracy Foster and Quinton Dixie, plans to break ground on a new hotel at 1661 S. Phoenix Parkway in August, next to Menards at Southtown Crossing. The three-floor, 80-room hotel is expected to create three full-time jobs with average salaries of more than $46,000, along with eight part-time positions. 
• Why the tax abatement? The lot is currently vacant and not generating tax revenue for the city, so Council voted 7-1 to phase in property taxes over 10 years, allowing the hotel to save roughly $1.3M (while still paying $1.6M) in that time. 
• You might remember: The City of Fort Wayne’s Southeast Area Development Strategy (originally created in 2007 and updated in 2019) identified hotels and restaurants as important for community development there. But so far, mostly grab-and-go chain eateries, like Starbucks and Taco Bell, have entered the market. Locally led developments and sit-down restaurants have been scant. As former CEO of the Fort Wayne Urban League, Dixie tells The JG* he hopes the new hotel will create a market for a long-awaited sit-down restaurant.

So what’s the state of the Southeast Strategy, especially considering its recent $1M budget cuts (due to SB1)? And how does the new hotel fit into efforts to revitalize the area?

Stay tuned for more information in this week’s Above the Fold newsletter on Thursday – available to paid subscribers only.

• The City’s Department of Neighborhoods is hosting a FREE dinner series this spring to help citizens prepare for civic engagement and community involvement. The Power Lab Workshops “provide interactive learning experiences designed to equip residents with the knowledge and tools to improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods.” All workshops also include a free dinner provided by sponsor WesBanco, and events run from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the ACPL’s Main Branch Downtown. Topics include: Winning sponsorships for neighborhood projects on March 26, Public speaking essentials on April 30, Expressing support or dissent for public projects on May 28, and Avoiding burnout and developing resiliency on June 25. Online registration is now open (and required to attend).
• More “mom-and-pop” shops might be coming to South Calhoun Street soon, thanks to city planners making strategic zoning changes in the area. Last week, WANE 15 reported that the city’s Community Development Division is seeking to change many commercial lots along Calhoun into “urban corridor” (UC) zoning. While it might sound boring and technical, the change is intended to encourage “diversified types of retail and services” and mixed-use developments in the area, which connects Downtown to the South side. Planners say most of South Calhoun’s zoning is currently more supportive of automotive, commercial business, and industrial uses.
• Fort Wayne residents concerned about rising utility bills can find out just how much of their monthly bill is going to corporate profits. A new Utility Profit Tracker created by the Energy and Policy Institute (EPI) offers a calculator where you can get estimates from your bills. Among Indiana’s five “monopoly utilities,” it says NIPSCO, which supplies gas to the Fort Wayne region, is reaping the highest profits from consumer price increases at 19.7%, followed by Duke Energy Indiana at 14.7% and Fort Wayne’s electricity supplier, Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) at 13.7%. “Families across Indiana have been struggling with some of the highest utility bills in the Midwest, which led Indiana Conservation Voters and Citizens Action Coalition to release the Help Hoosiers Now: Ratepayer Relief Plan in December,” the EPI reports. It notes that while some ratepayer relief was recently passed by the Indiana Legislature in House Bill 1002, the legislation “left many long-term, foundational policy solutions—statewide permitting reform, energy efficiency and a ban on utilities using ratepayer funds for lobbying expenses—on the cutting room floor.” 
• The Fort Wayne Redevelopment Commission chose a Kansas-based firm, PB Development, to lead the city’s North River District master plan. The commission approved up to $1.5M of support for the project, transforming the 30-acre former site of the Omnisource scrap yard into a mixed-use site for the North River Fieldhouse, restaurants, housing, trails, greenspaces and more. Once complete, the development is expected to create 900 jobs and generate about $36 million in economic activity annually. 
• Toward the end of this summer, Pufferbelly Junction Ice Cream* and its historic Craigville Train Depot will be moving to accommodate new utility lines for riverfront development. Less than four years ago, local developer Don Steiniger helped to redevelop and relocate the historic train and depot to its current spot near Fort Wayne Outfitters. (The depot has been moved multiple times since it was built in 1879 along the Nickel Plate Railroad in Wells County, The JG reports.) Last week, the Fort Wayne Redevelopment Commission unanimously approved a $1.3 million contract, which will move the depot (and train) to a new mixed-use parking lot near the Schaab Riverfront project, which Steininger is also leading. Along with accommodating utility lines, city leaders hope this will make the depot more visible to customers.

• Check out: a new Coffee Concert series by the Fort Wayne Philharmonic with Ravel's Piano Trio on March 19 at 11 a.m. at Purdue Fort Wayne’s Auer Performance Hall. The series includes complimentary coffee and donuts from Sugar Creek Donuts, as well as post-concert discussions and activities. ($28/person)
• Dine out: at the Dash-In Spring Wine Dinner on March 19, 6-9 p.m., featuring a Cajun-themed menu. ($60/person for a four-course dinner; reservations required)
• Experience: Neo-Art and Soul by Urban Update at The Fairfield on March 20, 7:30-10 p.m., featuring live performances by local artists and DJs, as well as vendors. ($15 entry)
• Redeem: your free coffee drink deal at Spoke + Ivy’s Cafeton event on March 21, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., celebrating the release of Black Rabbit’s new tropical cocktail menu with DJs and dancing.
• Craft: at Cinema Center for a ‘Lights On’, B.Y.O.C. (bring your own crafts) screening of Amélie on March 22 at 2 p.m.
• Get outside: for a Third Saturday Guided Hike at LC Nature Park, on March 21, 10 a.m.-noon, including a guided hike through the park’s beautiful prairie and woodland trails with potential bison and elk sightings and stories on Indiana’s native plants, wildlife, and ecosystems.
• Support: a Free Meal Giveaway hosted by Nourishing our Neighbors at Bravas on March 23, beginning at 4 p.m. and ending when all 300 meals are distributed.
• Register: to vote by April 6 in the May primary election. The League of Women Voters is hosting a Decarcerate Democracy Training at the Tecumseh Branch Library on March 23 at 6 p.m., providing insight on voting for people who are in pre-trial, returning home from jail, experiencing house arrest, and facing other barriers.

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Have a great week, Locals!

-Your Editor, Kara Hackett

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