Mayor Henry Leads Celebration of Grand Opening for The Riverfront at Promenade Park and Riverfront Park Phase IIa

07/01/2023  |  BY RFW

SHARE  

Fort Wayne’s continued growth and momentum were on display as Mayor Tom Henry led a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony for The Riverfront at Promenade Park and the completion of Riverfront Park Public Space Phase IIa. The City of Fort Wayne’s Community Development Division, Parks and Recreation Department, development partner Barrett & Stokely, elected officials, and community leaders were part of the special event.

“We’re passionate about having unique quality of life amenities, providing opportunities for success, and being a welcoming community. The public and private investments along our riverfront do all of those things,” said Mayor Henry. “I continue to be amazed and encouraged by the ongoing interest and support as we work together to build on our successes with riverfront development. We wouldn’t be the city we are today without the attention we’ve given to our downtown – the heart of Fort Wayne.”

Since the opening of Promenade Park in 2019, the City of Fort Wayne has worked closely with Indianapolis-based development firm Barrett & Stokely on The Riverfront at Promenade Park private investment. The six-story, mixed-use building includes more than 200 apartments, seven town homes, and a 900-space parking garage. There is approximately 30,000 square feet of office space now occupied by anchor tenant Swiss Re and nearly 15,000 square feet of retail space.

The total project investment is $88.7 million. Riverfront Phase IIa is designed primarily as a connection between Promenade Park and Headwaters Park, filling in a missing piece of park space and providing a vital connection between what will now be nearly one acre of public park space on the south side of the St Marys River. The Phase IIa investment was approximately $2.6 million.

“Bringing more access to our rivers continues the dream to revitalize our natural resources using sustainable practices and provide new opportunities for recreation in downtown Fort Wayne,” said Director of Parks and Recreation Steve McDaniel.

“This project represents true community partnership and collaboration,” said Nancy Townsend, Director of Community Development. “The Capital Improvement Board, the Allen County Commissioners, the Fort Wayne Downtown Development Trust, Fort Wayne City Council, along with many other partners, played an integral part in making this project a reality.

This effort was led by the Fort Wayne Redevelopment Commission who worked directly with the Barrett & Stokely team. Together we worked to find a way to involve all the community partners. The Barrett & Stokely team’s philosophy about building, owning and managing their developments long-term make them a good fit for our community.”

“We are excited about how The Riverfront at Promenade Park will help move riverfront development forward,” said Rex Barrett of Barrett & Stokely. “We appreciate the efforts of all the City and County personnel, who have helped us throughout the process. It has been a true partnership.”