What's next for Lutheran Park?

Hey Locals,

Social media – and City Council – have been buzzing with some confusing news about Lutheran Park and its land for sale on the South side.

For a quick refresher:

• We received several reader emails last weekend about a listing by Sturges Property Group advertising a “Rare Urban Development Opportunity” on 9.49 acres of land at Lutheran Park – a 14-acre community treasure on the South side.
• Since then: We’ve heard that the listing is incorrect, and the park's owner, the Boys & Girls Club, is actually only selling about 3.9 acres, which they disclosed to the public last summer when they received the park as a donation from the Lutheran Foundation.

So... what’s next for Lutheran Park? What exactly is for sale? And what’s planned for the rest of the park – which has seen spells of less-than-usual maintenance since the ownership transfer last year?

To answer these questions, we spoke with:

• Joe Jordan, President & CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Fort Wayne
• Geoff Paddock (D-5), City Councilman for the district of Lutheran Park
• Steve McDaniel, Director of Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation
• Ben Roussel, Executive Director of Department of Planning Services 
• Kevin Leininger, the original reporter of the park donation last year and a former board member for Lutheran Foundation when the park was originally created.
• The Packard Area Planning Alliance (PAPA), a group of 18 neighborhoods around Lutheran Park.

We’re still waiting to hear back from Mark Dixon, President & CEO of Lutheran Foundation.

Let’s dive in.