Abstract:
The North River Now project is a mixed-use Brownfield development in the city of Fort Wayne, Indiana. The project, originally pioneered by the City of Fort Wayne, recently received a lot of press while the city was debating whether or not to purchase the property. The project is located north of the downtown core and St. Mary’s River, and is bounded by Clinton Street to the east, Calhoun Street to the west, and Imagine Schools’ property to the north. Surrounding the project are two public parks to the east and southeast, as well as a large residential neighborhood to the west. The property’s recent use as a metal recycling plant, owned by OmniSource Inc., was abandoned and left as a vacant scar on the urban landscape of Fort Wayne.The problem to be solved involved developing a mixed-use community that extended the urban fabric north of the river, which would increase the potential for future development. The design also needed to successfully integrate into existing fabric while encouraging proven urban design principles that promote diversity of uses and markets. While achieving these goals, the development also needed to encourage interaction with the river and downtown.The final design involves a new street grid integrated with a strong pedestrian based system that allows residents easy access to both the river and the downtown core. The development contains mixed housing, retail space, a hotel, performance venue, and multiple outdoor civic plazas and parks.
