Fort Wayne Development News

[Strate]

Old building gets new life





Justice may be blind, but if she could see her new digs at the law firm of Van Gilder and Trzynka, she’d be pleased.

The firm of five attorneys and eight support staff moved into its newly renovated building at 436 E. Wayne St. over Thanksgiving weekend. It formerly occupied space on the second floor of the Metro building, 202 W. Berry St.

The smell of fresh paint lingers in the entryway as light flows through glass block inside and outside the building. In a conference room, a statue of Justice, a blindfold around her eyes as she holds her scales, faces a large window overlooking Clay Street near its intersection with Wayne. Pictures, diplomas and other items still need to be hung around the building.

The firm, which was founded in 1996, spent more than $500,000 purchasing and renovating the building, said Dustin Roach, administrative partner. In the 1930s the site was a Goodrich Silvertowns filling station and later a paint and body shop. A photo of the old filling station, with its service bays facing Clay Street, hangs in the reception area.

The former service bays can still be seen amid the restored exterior brickwork. The glass block and windows let in a lot of light, so Roach often doesn’t need to turn on the fixtures in his office. The neighbors include the Foellinger Foundation and the Early Childhood Alliance.

Four months after work began, the building provides 4,800 square feet of office space and another 1,000 in the basement for storage, Roach said.

The firm’s partners, who also include David Van Gilder and Ann Trzynka, were drawn to the historic nature of the building, Roach said. A large green sign outside lets passers-by know who’s inside. Concrete floors and hanging insulation, left over from when the building most recently served as a warehouse, have been replaced by yellow plastered walls with brick columns peeking through.

“Everything’s new; everything works,” said Jessica Gresham, a legal assistant who has been with the firm for four years. There’s no more waiting for maintenance to fix something. It’s handled by the staff.

Staff members had a lot of input into how the new office would look and operate, Gresham said.

“Our shelving is built so we can all reach without the stools,” she said. As the person in charge of the shelving, she helped decide how much was needed.

The only drawbacks? Things are a little louder with the partial walls around the open office spaces, and a glare from the glass blocks is being worked on.

But “everyone seems happier,” Gresham said.

[astyrrian]

I remember seeing that building a little while ago driving by as it was under some construction. I was wondering what was going to be there and it's great to see that an old structure was chosen to be renovated instead of taken down

[astyrrian]

Stadium Update
http://indianasnewscenter.com/Story....&NStoryID=4576

Dec 13, 2006 - Fort Wayne City officials are still negotiating an agreement with the new owners of the wizards to clear the way for a new stadium downtown. Some issues involved in reaching a final agreement include securing land for the new stadium and the amount of money both the city and the wizards owners would commit. Several members of the community have expressed they see no need for a new stadium. But, for the project to go forward, city officials say there would have to both private and public investement and still don't know exactly when a decision will be made.
"We're continuing to have nice discussion with Hardball Capital, we think those will continue. I really wouldn't want to pinpoint a specific date, but not that negotiations are moving forward," says John Perlich.

If an agreement is reached, City officials would then seek approval for financing and go about selecting a developer.

[Strate]

Parkview announces plans for Fort Wayne campuses




Parkview Health plans to convert its Randallia Drive campus in 2011 to offer mainly primary-care services after expanding the Parkview North campus.

Parkview plans to tear down the patient tower structure at State Boulevard and Randallia Drive, as well as the campus's parking garage, as part of the transformation. When completed, the facility will have 64 beds, a 24-hour emergency room, a helipad, outpatient services, obstetrics and surgery suites.

The 100-bed Parkview Behavioral Health Hospital on Beacon Street also will remain, as will the Parkview Eye Institute in the Carew Medical Park.

Parkview North will become home to all tertiary, or advanced services, including specialty heart and cancer centers and Parkview's Level II trauma center.

Construction is expected to be finished by late 2010. By then, Parkview North will have 1.2 million square feet and 524 beds.

Work at the Randallia Drive campus will not begin until work at Parkview North is completed, said Parkview Health President and CEO Mike Packnett.


The announcement today of the master plan for the two hospitals came after several months of work with neighborhood and city leaders. Many residents initially were worried the Randallia campus would close when tertiary services were moved to the Parkview North campus, located off Dupont Road near Interstate 69

[Strate]

Historic look must also make financial sense

Ultimately, it’s more important for businesses to locate downtown than to bemoan their lack of attention to preserving their buildings’ character.




Given Fort Wayne’s extensive, expensive efforts to revitalize downtown, you might think a flashy local business’s decision to relocate there would be drawing unanimous praise.

Thanks to the power of competing interests, you would be wrong.

Woodson Motorsports’ imminent move from its current location at 3710 Illinois Road to 436 E. Wayne St. may give the company and downtown a boost, but preservationists say something important will be lost, too: the original character of one of the city’s increasingly scarce historic buildings.

“They aren’t destroying the building, but it’s too bad they’re ‘remuddling’ it,” said Angie Quinn, executive director of the local historic preservation group ARCH. “It’s one of our more important brick buildings. It was on the Lincoln Highway and is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.”

Tracy Foster, however, is paid to think about far more than history.

“The brickwork is beautiful, but it just doesn’t go with the level of excitement we’re looking for. So we made the decision to go very modern,” said Foster, a former Homestead High School basketball standout who co-owns the company with Rod Woodson, who played at Snider High School before going on to stardom in the National Football League.

To generate the hoped-for excitement, the building’s ornate brick façade will be covered with multicolored signs and panels, helping create what Foster believes will be a “gateway into Fort Wayne.” Washington Boulevard is the most-traveled route into downtown from the east, carrying about 17,800 vehicles daily.

Founded in 2003, Woodson Motorsports has 15 employees and is Indiana’s only distributor of BMW motorcycles, in addition to selling a variety of other motorcycles and recreational vehicles. Although its current location is just off busy West Jefferson Boulevard and near Interstate 69, Foster is convinced the business’s unique product line will bring plenty of shoppers downtown when the new location opens early next year.

And that’s very good news to Dan Carmody, president of the Downtown Improvement District.

“It’s great they’re moving downtown. We’re trying to get more retail. The work that had been done to restore the building’s historical significance (by former owner John Tippmann Sr.) was well done, but Woodson had to create a look for their needs,” Carmody said. “This is better than having that building empty.”

And that, really, is a point that needs to be made. As important as historic preservation is, it also must make financial sense. On Tuesday, The News-Sentinel reported on the law firm of Van Gilder and Trzynka’s move into another historic brick building at 436 E. Wayne St. – just a few blocks from Woodson’s new address. But the firm spent more than $500,000 to buy and remodel the building because it believed a historic atmosphere was conducive to the practice of law.

Looking for a building to own instead of rent, Woodson Motorsports paid Tippmann $475,000 for the Washington Boulevard site in September, but ultimately decided a more modern look better fit its image. By investing their own money in empty buildings and boosting the downtown while meeting their own needs, both decisions are legitimate.

“Rod (Woodson) and I are both from Fort Wayne, and it would be nice to see people and retail coming back downtown,” said Foster, 42. “I hope others will follow suit.”

Even Quinn sees some good in that.

“It’s a good use of the building,” she said, noting Woodson’s new building was erected in the 1930s for use by a similar business – Schiefer’s Garage. Most recently, it was home to JJR Mobility Inc., which specializes in transportation for the disabled.

Ironically, because Woodson’s move allows the building to survive, all of that history is assured of surviving, too – even though it will be obscured by a more “modern and exciting” façade.

But if anyone ever wants to, “it could be removed with minimal damage to the brick,” Quinn said.

To which Foster replied: Not so fast.

“We plan to be there for a while.”

[Strate]

Enhancing the city
Council members allocate their funds

When City Council President John Crawford, R-at-large, moved to Fort Wayne in 1976, he noticed the flowers.

“You remember things like that,” Crawford said of the flowerbed that welcomes visitors along Jefferson Boulevard in Swinney Park.

While it wasn’t the flower-bed that made Crawford decide to turn down his other offers and settle in Fort Wayne, he hopes other newcomers react similarly to another project, a Japanese-style pavilion on the west side of Swinney Park that will also create a gateway to the city.

Crawford, Sam Talarico Jr., R-at-large and John Shoaff, D-at-large, have allocated $100,000 toward the pavilion from their 2007 County Economic Development Income Tax (CEDIT) money. Last year, $200,000 was earmarked for the project from CEDIT funds. Construction likely will start sometime next year, Crawford said.

Mayor Graham Richard gives each district council member $450,000 annually to fund improvements to the district. The three at-large members of council receive $450,000 collectively for projects anywhere in the city.

This year, the at-large representatives selected seven projects to spend their money on, with the largest portion — $124,000 — going toward historic street lamps, benches, a waste container and some brick walk repair to the West Central Neighborhood between Jefferson Boulevard and the railroad viaduct. Councilman Tim Pape, D-5th District, is contributing another $25,000 from his CEDIT fund.

Also receiving $100,000 was the Lifetime Sports Academy in McMillen Park, which will use the money to help pay for construction of a clubhouse due to open this summer.

Crawford did not know how many projects the three of them reviewed before deciding which ones would get money, but estimated nonprofits, governmental agencies, neighborhood associations and residents requested $10 for every $1 actually allocated.

The Fort Wayne Educational Foundation’s “Brain Gain” program, which aims to keep college graduates working in technology fields from moving away, received $20,000 so two Fort Wayne residents, Margarita Jean-Baptiste and Davis Westrick, can repay student loans.

CEDIT projects

Here’s a list of projects Fort Wayne’s three at-large city councilmen will fund with $450,000 in County Economic Development Income Tax money:

♦Street-scaping the West Central neighborhood between Jefferson Boulevard and the railroad viaduct: $124,000. Councilman Tim Pape, D-5th District, also will contribute $25,000 from his CEDIT money.

♦Lifetime Sports Academy Clubhouse at McMillen Park: $100,000

♦Swinney Park pavilion: $100,000

♦New drinking fountain and restroom facilities along the Aboite New Trails: $40,000

♦Pond restoration in Lakeside Park: $37,500. Also contributing money were Councilman Don Schmidt, R-1st District, $25,000; and Councilman Tom Smith, R-2nd District, $10,000.

♦Streetlights in the Hanna-Creighton neighborhood: $37,500. Pape will pitch in another $28,980.

♦Fort Wayne Educational Foundation “Brain Gain:” $20,000

[Unionstation13]

No way! Thats horrible, the city needs to take this into there own hands with zoning laws.
Thats a historical structure, I can't belive there doing that!
Egh, proves agian, historical preservation is need much outside of Indy.
I hope this shitty new facade is removed,
its horrible what there doing to that beautiful structure!

[Strate]

Sorry but I'm gonna have to agree with the citys position on this one. At least it wasn't torn down.

[astyrrian]

Parking myth hurts downtown
Information lacking, not spaces

People in Fort Wayne often use lack of parking as a reason to not go downtown, but officials say that belief is more perception than reality.

“Parking is a frequent and convenient whipping boy,” said Dan Carmody, director of the Downtown Improvement District. “Overall, there’s probably too much parking and not enough demand for it.”

A study commissioned by Fort Wayne city officials estimates 7,600 parking spaces are available downtown for the public.

The study, however, said there is a lack of knowledge about where the spaces are, a lack of marketing for the spaces and recommends parking rates and fines be examined. It also said the parking oversight and management is splintered.

The report was done by Carl Walker Inc., of Kalamazoo, Mich.

Cathy Overholt, owner of Downtown Cards & Gifts on Calhoun Street, said although most of her customers work downtown, parking is a problem for customers, and even friends, who come from outside downtown.

She was most concerned about educating the public about where parking is available.

“There’s a lot of parking garages,” she said. “I don’t think the everyday person coming downtown thinks they can park in them. That’s what I always thought (before working downtown.)”

Greg Leatherman, Fort Wayne deputy director of development, said the city will be working on those issues almost immediately.

The city is creating signs to not only direct people downtown from the interstates, Leatherman said, but also to guide them to available parking, public or private.

“We’re firmly convinced this is the best first step we can make,” he said.

Leatherman said the goal would be to have all of the signs up by the end of the winter. Many of the private parking garages have agreed to participate by paying for some of the signs.

City Councilman Tom Didier, R-3rd, said he would like to see another layer of information available for people about downtown parking.

Paying when it’s free

Of the 636 metered spaces downtown, the vast majority – 529 – are two-hour meters. Most of them are accompanied by street signs that read “Two hour parking 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.”

Didier points out, however, that parking enforcement ends at 4:30 p.m. weekdays and parking is free on weekends and city holidays.

Didier has seen numerous people plunk nickels, dimes and quarters into the meters when they didn’t have to.

“Wouldn’t it be an enticement (to come downtown) for people to know it’s free parking?” he asked. “You gotta do the little things.”

The study commissioned by the city also said Fort Wayne’s on-street parking rates and fines are low compared to parking garage rates, creating an “upside-down” parking rate structure.

The $5 parking ticket written at meters is less than the cost of parking in a garage all day, making it likely for employees of downtown businesses to take the risk of parking on the street.

Overholt said she knows of several employers who tell employees to park in metered spots all day and just pay the fines.

City Clerk Sandy Kennedy, who is in charge of parking enforcement, said drivers should know that vehicles can be ticketed every hour for violations.

Councilman Tom Smith, R-1st, said he likes the idea of creating a tiered fine structure, which was suggested in the report.

In it, first-time offenders would receive a warning citation, but people who consistently park illegally could be fined $50 or $75.

Overholt said a tiered fine structure would make sense and would benefit customers who come downtown infrequently.

“These people that abuse it should be fined more than someone who makes it downtown once in a great while,” she said.

Smith said the warning tickets would also help relations between downtown parkers and parking enforcement. He said he’s seen people yell at the enforcement officers, who were just doing their jobs.

A warning ticket could alleviate that problem, he said.

Smith, however, said paying 25 cents an hour at the meter is still an appropriate amount.

Didier even suggested removing some meters in spots that are seldom used to increase the number of free parking spaces.

Leatherman said on-street parking will likely never be free downtown during the workweek because parking places are in such high demand.

“If you go to larger cities than us, you’re not going to go to urban cores and find free parking,” he said. “You can’t be convenient, abundant and free at the same time.”

Controls in works

The top recommendation from the report was to create a unified parking system that controls all aspects of publicly owned parking and works with privately owned public parking entities.

Leatherman said this type of structure would be the best to address questions of parking rates, fines and additional information on meters

It would have a director and be overseen by a board of directors made up of downtown stakeholders.

Currently, the city clerk is in charge of enforcement, the redevelopment commission is in charge of management contracts and planning, and the City Council is in charge of setting rates and fines.

Leatherman said he plans to bring a proposal to the City Council by June to create a unified parking system. He said he believes the downtown parking authority could be self-sustaining from parking revenues and fines, and it would likely not need more than one new employee.

Even with the perception that there is a dearth of parking in downtown Fort Wayne, Carmody, of the Downtown Improvement District, said that can be overcome if people want to be downtown.

He said that was demonstrated when thousands of people flocked to watch the lighting of the giant Santa Claus sign on the side of the National City Bank building last month.

“We’ll never be able to compete with the suburbs (on parking),” he said. “We just have to do as good a job as we can.”

By the numbers

7,600: Estimated spaces available for public parking downtown

2,800: Public parking spaces owned by Fort Wayne and Allen County

636: Metered spaces downtown

19: The number of 15-minute meters; the rest are one- or two-hour meters

25 cents: Hourly cost to park at a meter

50 cents: Least expensive hourly cost for off-street parking

$3-$7: Range for daily maximum charge for off-street parking

$5: Price of a parking ticket for a metered space

Source: Fort Wayne Parking Management Review draft report

[Strate]

For anybody that might be interested...
http://jordan.fortwayne.com/cgi-bin/...num=1153762279

[astyrrian]

Baseball Stadium Announcement Imminent
http://indianasnewscenter.com/Story....&NStoryID=4613

Dec 18, 2006 - An announcement regarding a downtown baseball stadium development in Fort Wayne will apparently happen later this week.
It's expected Mayor Graham Richard will provide an update on the effort to finalize a stadium deal on Thursday.

Indiana's NewsCenter has learned, Mayor Richard will provide specific details about the city's odyssey to try and bring a baseball stadium, retail shops, condominiums and other economic development components to the downtown area.

Deputy Mayor Mark Becker met privately today with several city council members.

We understand the city wants to locate the stadium somewhere on land north and west of the federal building, that the development would come in concert with construction of a hotel and a parking garage, and would involve retail and residential components to be built in phases.

No one is talking about how the project would be funded, but one elected official briefed on the details said there would be a sizable amount of city taxpayer money dedicated to the project.

Presumably the Mayor will also update what the future holds for the current Wizards Stadium near the Coliseum.

A consultant's report made public months ago, suggested that if a new stadium gets built downtown, it might be best if the current structure was demolished.

[astyrrian]

Projects hatching downtown
Mayor set to announce update on stadium, hotel
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/fortwayne/16272455.htm

Fort Wayne officials look to be closer to bringing new developments – including a baseball stadium – downtown.

Mayor Graham Richard will make an announcement Thursday morning regarding multiple downtown projects, according to several sources, but the details were not disclosed.

City Councilman Don Schmidt, R-2nd, confirmed that Richard’s office briefed members of the City Council on the announcement. He said it was more of an update to downtown projects as opposed to a contract signing, but he hinted that the news was positive.

“Usually people don’t make announcements of bad news,” he said.

Denise Porter-Ross, spokesman for Richard, confirmed only that there would be an event Thursday.

City officials are working to bring at least two major projects to downtown: a third hotel and a baseball stadium complex. Schmidt said the mayor will provide specific details on several projects.

The new owners of the Fort Wayne Wizards want to play in a new downtown stadium, or a renovated Memorial Stadium, by the 2008 season. Fort Wayne officials previously said a preliminary agreement between the Wizards and the city on whether a downtown stadium is feasible would be reached by December.

Mark Becker, deputy mayor, has said the delay in a decision is not an indication of whether an agreement can be reached; the discussions are still moving forward positively, he said.

For the project to work, Richard has said it will take a major private investment, but he also said there would be a need for public financial support.

City officials have long touted a downtown baseball stadium as a catalyst project for downtown. A study commissioned by the city stated a downtown project including a stadium and retail and residential units would be one of the best ways to spark growth downtown.

City officials have been adamant that they were looking to do more than move the Wizards downtown, especially as many fans see Memorial Stadium as a suitable place for baseball. The study said that if a new stadium is built, Memorial Stadium would likely have to be demolished.

The city has also been looking for a developer to build a third hotel on the Belmont Beverage property across the street from the Embassy Theatre.

One city official said the announcement Thursday was important enough that staff on vacation would be returning to the office for the event.

[Strate]

I'm completly for this even though we have a "good" stadium already. Its interesting to hear though that they want all of this biult all at once, and on the same property. It will be like a new DT.

Edit: The only area that I can see that is NW of the federal building, and actually a great area after looking at it is the areas bound by Ewing St, W Main St, S Harrison, and the railroad tracks to the north.

The bus station is a block away and night life on columbia street.

[jpIllInoIs]

The city has also been looking for a developer to build a third hotel on the Belmont Beverage property across the street from the Embassy Theatre.

A new Hotel would be a great step in FTW DT redevelopment. A price point below the Hilton but a better facility then the Holiday Inn.

[Strate]

The Holiday Inn is being sold. I hope to Bill Bean you wants to turn it into a mixed use structure with retail and condos.

[astyrrian]

Originally Posted by Strate

Edit: The only area that I can see that is NW of the federal building, and actually a great area after looking at it is the areas bound by Ewing St, W Main St, S Harrison, and the railroad tracks to the north.

The bus station is a block away and night life on columbia street.

I think when they say north and west of the Federal building they mean the Belmont/Montessori school location. The new hotel would likely be put on the same property as Cindy's Diner.

[Strate]

Last I knew the city couldn't reach an agreement to purchase that parking lot and was gonna stick with the "Belmont Beverage property across the street from the Embassy Theatre."

[astyrrian]

Wrigleyville in the Fort?
The mayor will announce details of a mixed-use downtown development plan on Thursday.
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/fortwayne/16282009.htm

The mayor plans to make an announcement Thursday morning about the future development of downtown, but officials are being tightlipped on discussing just yet what the development might entail.

John McGauley, spokesman for the Allen County Commissioners, said the announcement could be about recent talks of creating a mixed-use development, which could include a stadium, retail, housing and a hotel, similar to the Wrigleyville development at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

McGauley said the commissioners’ office received a short statement Monday about the announcement.

City council members have been meeting with city administrators since Monday about the project, but said they can not disclose details until Thursday.

“I don’t want to spoil what they’re going to say. The mayor is doing this, not council,” said Councilman Tom Didier, R-3rd District.Councilman John Shoaff, D-at-large, said the project will include public and County Economic Development Income Tax funds, and other money will need to be raised to complete the project. Shoaff said the biggest challenge would be balancing taxpayers’ money with the economic development and benefits the public would gain.

“We’ll all have to do our homework on this one,” he said.

Mayor Graham Richard gives each district council member $450,000 annually to pay for improvements to their district, known as CEDIT money. The three at-large members of council receive $450,000 collectively for projects anywhere in the city.

Downtown Improvement District President Dan Carmody said he doesn’t know the details of the project either, but knows it’s good news for downtown.

Denise Porter-Ross, substitute spokesman for the mayor, confirmed Thursday’s news conference, but said she didn’t have any more information on the project. John Perlich, the city’s spokesman, is coming back from vacation today to address questions about the project announcement.

[astyrrian]

I hope the stadium will be located at the Belmont location, because I've been working on a 3D model of a stadium there using Google Sketchup

Here's a little preview:


If I get it done before any info from the Mayor's office possibly voids the effort, I'd like to make a blog with pics of the design and get people's responses and hopefully get some discussion about what a downtown stadium could be like for Fort Wayne.

[Strate]

Removed : Double Post