Fort Wayne City Council approved more than $31 million in funding Tuesday evening to continue work on the Urban Trail project and Riverfront Phase II.
Nearly $30 million of that money went to Riverfront Phase IIB, which encompasses an area north of the St. Marys River. It extends public and green spaces from Promenade Park along the St. Marys River west to Ewing Street and east to Clinton Street.
It includes an expansion of the Tree Canopy Trail, a boulder mound to give an elevated view of the river, a new dock upstream of the MLK bridge directly across from Headwaters Park, and multiple paths.
The Phase IIB spending ordinance passed 8-1, with Paul Ensley (1st, R) objecting.
Chad Shaw, deputy director of planning for the city, said the project is all public space, not any buildings.
Councilmember Russ Jehl (2nd, R) noted that the project was more than an extension of a park.
“How do we define this as being successful?” he asked. “What does it lead to?”
Shaw said that the project is not just creating a destination, but prior phases have proven that it is a catalyst for future development, as well as building ecological capital and social capital.
“It provides a place that is inclusive, and acts as a tourism driver,” Shaw said.
They told the design team to help bring the adjacent neighborhoods into the space, drawing them with pedestrian-friendly paths to the river, Shaw said.
“While it does just look like a park space…it is multi-layered,” he said. “It will continue to generate that ROI we have seen in the first phase.”
Money for the Phase IIB project comes from a redevelopment bond, a READI grant, and local income taxes.
Councilmember Geoff Paddock (5th, D) said that the projects bring in $3 for every $1 spent, bringing forward additional private investment in housing, retail, and other spaces.
The Phase IIB spending ordinance passed 8-1, with Paul Ensley (1st, R) objecting.
The city approved nearly $1.3 for another piece of the Urban Trail project, which will extend a section of the Harrison Street section south of Main Street and connect the Riverfront and the Grand Wayne Center.
No travel lanes will be removed for the trail.
A motion to pass the resolution was unanimously accepted.
City planners continue to work on design alternatives connecting from Harrison Street to Electric Works as requested by the council at an earlier meeting.
Funding will come from American Rescue Plan funds and a community development income tax.
