The City of Fort Wayne has outlined the next steps expected to take place at the North River property, following completion of its $4.63 million purchase agreement in November.
The agreement was controversial due to what some council members described as a rushed process, as well as an indemnification agreement that would have absolved the land’s previous owners -- the Rifkin family -- of responsibility for any on-site environmental hazards. The Rifkins had owned the property, located on Clinton and Fourth, since 2007.
Nevertheless, council swung in favor of the potential financial returns of the property, ultimately voting 5-3 for the agreement. While the City is still early in the process of developing on the land, it has indicated its next steps as:
- Working with the Indiana Brownfields Program to receive a letter indicating the program is comfortable with the North River property being used for future development. The program may ask for some additional soil sampling work to be conducted. This is a customary practice when a site goes from one type of use to a different type of use.
- Issuing a request for qualifications (RFQ) to determine interest and expertise from the private sector for development opportunities. The RFQ will be available beginning Thursday, Feb. 8. Once qualifications are reviewed, the entities that meet the qualifications set out by the City would move to a request for proposals (RFP) process to submit their formal proposals for development of the North River property.
- Anticipating moving forward to have the North River property rezoned to allow for future development that’s more compatible for the area than the previous industrial use.
- Keeping nearby neighborhoods and stakeholders informed about the North River development process as it moves forward.
