FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — Despite what you might hear, it looks as though momentum is building on Fort Wayne’s southeast side.

In the past year and a half, several real estate developments or improvements have been proposed or realized.

This month, two developers submitted plans with the Fort Wayne Plan Commission to build new living accommodations near the heart of the southeast side.

First, Jack Dadou, a Michigan businessman, proposed building 16 one and two-bedroom apartments at South Lafayette and Sherwood Terrace and is awaiting site plan approval.

Now, another application has been submitted for 11 market rate but affordable townhome rentals in the 2200 block of McKinnie Avenue at Abbott Street, directly across from Posterity Heights, a 28-acre urban revitalization project with state-of-the-art and innovative components according to online information.

It is surrounded by Village Premier, a public-private partnership building a mixed-use development for apartments, market-rate housing, and senior living.

Chris Payne, developer, and Ray Elsherif, RISE Engineering Solutions LLC, are developing the 1.8-acre project jointly and hope to break ground by the end of this year, said Elsherif, the development’s point person.

McKinnie Street townhomes

Their partnership, Think Southeast, is “an organization created to improve and develop the southeast and offer affordable living for the community,” Elsherif said. “It feels like it’s (the southeast) been abandoned for years.”

The two and three-bedroom two-story townhomes will be separated by 15 feet and offer a one-car garage with another parking spot in the front.

The latest announcement is part of several positive announcements made in the last year. Real estate developer Jerry Starks last year put a stake in the ground on 141 acres on Paulding Road to build a housing development, Roosevelt Reserves.

City Councilwoman Sharon Tucker has worked with developers and others who want to build in and build up the southeast side.

Recently, a Starbucks opened on South U.S. 27 in the same shopping center as Menard’s, next to an office building built by real estate developer and broker, Linda Golden.

And thanks to the Proactive Rezoning Work Group, a 23-block strip on East Pontiac Street from Barr Street to South Anthony Boulevard was rezoned to an Urban Corridor and will receive a facelift.

“In spite of the perception people may have, southeast Fort Wayne is a very important and vital part of the success of the city of Fort Wayne. The developments we are starting to realize and see come from years of sowing seeds and telling the story of benefits and resources that exist in Fort Wayne,” City Councilwoman Sharon Tucker said. She represents the 6th district which encompasses the largest part of the southeast.

“My first year on council was spent on sharing with developers the hidden jewel that Southeast is. It started with the launching of the Southeast Strategy and sharing the blueprint to make our community become a success. Lots of people wanted to know how they could help and be a part of the success for the Southeast, but they didn’t know how to go about it,” Tucker said.

The momentum has not been lost on Mayor Tom Henry, particularly since many believe his only focus has been the downtown area where a major transformation is taking place.

“I’m very enthusiastic about what we’re seeing take place in southeast Fort Wayne. We’re bringing meaningful quality-of-life opportunities to residents, neighborhoods, and businesses. Collectively, our community has an unwavering commitment to make a positive and lasting difference in the southeast quadrant. We still have work to do, but we’re on the right track.”

A list quickly compiled by the mayor’s spokesman John Perlich is included here:

-Pontiac Street Market – full-service grocery store
-A Public Works Division resurfacing package in the southeast quadrant this year that’s $1.5 million
-Hanna Street Trail extension -New water mains through City Utilities are planned for McKinnie Avenue
-A Culver’s restaurant to be built in a few years
-Village Premier – $50-$60 million development that broke ground in February. It’s more than 20 acres of land near S. Anthony and McKinnie. There will be apartments, single-family homes, daycare, and a health clinic.
-Recent restoration of Powell Park
-McKinnie Commons is under construction as a placemaking and gathering space
-ABF Freight opened a nearly $5 million facility on Adams Center Road in 2022 and retained 28 jobs