One of the biggest surprises – and announcements – from Mayor Tom Henry’s State of the City address had little to do with city government at all.The Fort Wayne Plan Commission on Monday approved the expansion of the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center.
The commission unanimously approved the center’s plan to build up to five more buildings with a combined 131,000 square feet on its 55-acre complex at 3201 Stellhorn Road.
The center partners with Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne and other colleges to attract high-tech companies to Fort Wayne. It features a business incubator called the Emerging Growth Center.
The plans include a 25,000-square-foot Global Design and Technology Center and a 17,000-square-foot Center for Leadership in Advanced Manufacturing Performance. Innovation center officials said those buildings are expected to be complete by the end of next year.
In July, the Indiana General Assembly appropriated $10 million for the projects. The center also submitted plans for a 20,000-square-foot building and one of 30,000 square feet.
In other business, the commission unanimously approved Kroger Co.’s proposed gas station at the Georgetown Scott’s Food & Pharmacy store. Several residents expressed opposition to the gas station, and the commission took an extra month to ensure it wouldn’t hurt traffic within the shopping center. The land was already properly zoned for a fuel station.
