City asks for proposals for riverfront study

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) The city asked for proposals from qualified consultants on potential riverfront development and enhancement opportunities.

Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry was joined by Legacy Fort Wayne leaders to talk about the proposals on Tuesday afternoon.

The Riverfront Development Study (RFP) was issued on Tuesday. Proposals from qualified consultants and consultant teams are due on April 12 and interviews are scheduled to take place in May. The city hopes to make a selection in the summer of 2013. They will then take a year to a year and a half  to iron out details of the plan before they bring it to City Council for adoption. However, it is possible that development could begin during that time before the vote.

The area of focus for the study should include land use, engineering and infrastructure investment, watershed issues, trail connectivity, access to the river, urban design guidelines, retail, entertainment, and housing.

"We believe it will be a comprehensive study that looks at all the opportunities, looks at the environmental issues such as the flooding. water quality, other issues, but looks for other opportunities for recreational uses or development uses," said John Urbahns, the Director of Community Development for the city. "The flooding aspect will be taken into account in the study, so what will be determined is what areas are developable and which ones are not."

The city said they want this process to be open and engaging for the entire community.

“This is going to be a tremendous year for the Legacy initiative,” said Mayor Henry. “The riverfront study is a great first step as we will begin to see transformational change in our community.”

Consultants interested in submitting a proposal can see all the requirements on Legacy Fort Wayne's site (PDF) .