FORT WAYNE – A once-touted downtown development has been shelved for the foreseeable future.
The Superior Street Row mixed-use project is no longer being pursued by the developers, according to Greg Leatherman, executive director of redevelopment for Fort Wayne. Members of the city’s redevelopment commission asked about the project this week.
“I do not believe they are actively pursuing the project at this time,” Leatherman told the board.
Hartland Development in 2009 submitted a proposal to build a $4 million mixed-use downtown development on Superior Street. The city planned to offer the use of 8,000 square feet of land, just west of Club Soda, for $1. The city had valued the land at $65,335.
According to the submission from Hartland, the group had hired Morrison Kattman Menze Inc. as an architect and The Hagerman Group as construction manager and general contractor. The proposal from John McKay, Hartland president, also said the group had the finances to proceed with the project, the details of which were to be revealed during final negotiations.
McKay could not be reached for comment this week.
In December 2008, the development group said it secured a $900,000 community revitalization tax credit from the state. The plan included businesses on the first floor, which could be retail, food services or offices. The second-through-fourth floors would include residential lofts ranging from 1,000 to 1,300 square feet each.
Leatherman said talks broke off with the developer, whom he said he had not talked to in some time. He said he believed the difficult economy played a key role in the project’s stalling.
The city is unlikely to actively solicit development proposals for the site in the near future, Leatherman said.
