Greater Fort Wayne (GFW) Inc.’s 10-year vision presents five key quality of place projects to be completed for Fort Wayne and Allen County. One of those projects is The Landing, an epicenter of Fort Wayne’s history.
One of few historical sites of its kind in Fort Wayne, The Landing, located on Columbia Street, was once a center of commerce and trade. Now, plans are underway to turn the eight buildings and two parking lots into 110,000-square-feet of gathering space for the community with retail, restaurants, entertainment, and housing.
The Model Group, a national developer based in Cincinnati, Ohio, was chosen to redevelop the property and has invested in the project. The group worked on “Over the Rhine” in Cincinnati, a similar historic development project and the largest historic district in the nation, with more than 20 blocks of redeveloped mixed-use spaces.
“The Model Group has the capacity, experience and success in redeveloping such a project,” Kirk Moriarty, director of business development at GFW Inc., said, “There is a great deal of emotional attachment to the area. Our aim is to wow the community with this historic asset.”
The development has been three years in the making. Managing all the groups involved has required collaboration among various entities, including the city and the downtown development trust.
The Fort Wayne Downtown Development Trust is a private non-profit group that acquires underused buildings and properties for new use and redevelopment. In addition to work with properties on The Landing, the trust has also worked on properties around the Ash Brokerage national headquarters.
GFW Inc., provides staffing and administration to the Fort Wayne Downtown Development Trust, and works closely with the city of Fort Wayne on redevelopment projects such as The Landing.
The Landing is part of Fort Wayne’s history. The relationships and connections this street created for the community were foundational to the Fort Wayne we know today.
“It is not just about redeveloping a block, it is about appreciating the treasured assets of the community and creating continuity and synergy with other developments in the area,” Moriarty said, “There is a great deal of enthusiasm, not only for this project, but for the entirety of the 10-year vision.”
Communities have seen that when you have creative spaces where people collide, economies grow due to collaboration and creation of business start-ups. The Landing is a vital part of Fort Wayne’s history, and is transformational for its future.
