What's next for Southeast Fort Wayne? A hotel + more...

Hey Locals,

We recently learned about an interesting $9.5M hotel development planned for Southeast Fort Wayne at Southtown Centre. Today, we’re exploring how it fits into the city’s ongoing Southeast Strategy, and what’s next for Southeast, in general.

For a quick refresher: 

• Fort Wayne natives, Tracy Foster and Quinton Dixie, plan to break ground in August on a three-floor, 80-room hotel in a vacant lot next to Menards (1661 S. Phoenix Parkway). Upon completion, the hotel is expected to create three full-time jobs with average salaries of more than $46,000, along with eight part-time positions. 
• Last week, City Council approved a 10-year tax abatement* for the project, saving the developers roughly $1.3M, while still collecting about $1.6M in taxes within that timeframe. Since the lot is vacant, it’s not currently generating any tax revenue for the city.
• The city’s Southeast Strategy (created in 2007 and updated in 2021) 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. 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?

To answer these questions, we spoke with Councilwoman Rohli Booker (D-6th) as well as the city’s Community Development Director, Jonathan Leist, and PIO Mary Tyndall. We also reached out to the developers, and we’re working to get more information about the project itself in coming weeks.