Two Midwest development firms are the finalists for the City of Fort Wayne’s North River Fieldhouse project.
City officials announced the Price Brothers Development in Kansas City and Related Midwest in Chicago as the finalists Monday. Twenty businesses submitted their proposals to develop the 29-acre north river site.
In February, Mayor Sharon Tucker issued a nationwide “request for qualifications” to construct a youth sports complex on the site of what was once a rail yard and scrap yard. The property sits alongside Clinton Street between Harrison and Fourth streets and has not been used since 2006.
Local businessmen Chuck Surack and Daryle Doden expressed a desire to be selected for the project this spring. The city invited them to assist with the project, but they were not chosen as developers.
The cost for the project starts at about $50 million dollars. The building would span 160,000 square feet, and could accommodate a variety of sports and activities from basketball and baseball to pickleball and flag football.
When it was introduced in February, officials said the complex as a whole is estimated to generate approximately $36 million in economic activity annually. The Fort Wayne Redevelopment Commission would oversee and manage the project, according to a release from the city.
