The work will include creation of a Riverfront Fort Wayne area master plan that will include a market analysis to determine the types of retail, commercial and residential development that can be supported locally and it will further define the character of the Riverfront Fort Wayne area. The consultant team will determine design guidelines and zoning recommendations, as well as recommendations for ensuring the business sector connects seamlessly with public spaces, nearby neighborhoods and downtown. In addition, the team will develop an infrastructure plan that will evaluate what changes to streets, sewers and flood/wetland protection measures will be needed. It will also design riverbank public space improvements on both sides of the St. Marys River between Ewing and Wells streets and Harrison and Clinton streets.

A contract in the amount of $2.5 million will be introduced to City Council Tuesday. Funding for the contract will come from the .13 percent increase in the local income tax approved last year. That revenue stream also supports sidewalk and alley improvement projects. If approved by council, work will begin immediately; construction on the public spaces along the riverbank is expected to begin in late 2019 or early 2020.

Contracts with Riverworks Design Group to design Phase I/Promenade Park totaled $2.2 million funded through Legacy Fort Wayne.

DAVID RUBIN Land Collective is an award-winning landscape architecture and urban design firm that has worked in cities across the world. Land Collective has completed, or is working on, riverfront design work in Allentown, PA; Bala Cynwyd, PA; Muncie, IN; and Indianapolis. Other members of the team include: Agency Landscape + Planning, Beyer Blinder Belle Architecture and Planning, HR & A Real Estate and Economic Development Consultants, Bruce Mau Design, One Lucky Guitar, Christopher B. Burke Engineering, DLZ Engineering, CE Solutions Structural Engineering, MSKTD, Wilson Consulting Group Engineering, and Dharam Cost Consulting.

“Our community and region continue to support the Riverfront Fort Wayne efforts,” Mayor Tom Henry said in a statement. “Being in position for the next phases speaks to the importance of why we’re always moving to make unique and innovative progress for residents, visitors and businesses.”