InFortWayne - Feb. 2016

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Developer in with revised Ash plan By Linda Lipp llipp@kpcmedia.com

The long-awaited replacement of the developer on the residential portion of the Ash Skyline project in downtown Fort Wayne was announced by Mayor Tom Henry in January. It was a poorly kept secret that the city had been negotiating with Great Lakes Capital on the final component of the development. The mayor’s announcement of the development agreement made the deal official. Work got underway in 2014 with construction of a parking garage and the office portion that will house the corporate headquarters of Ash Brokerage. Hanning & Bean, the original developer for the residential and retail component of the project, pulled out in September 2014. At that time, the

total development, with the garage and office portions included, was estimated to cost $95 million. The city at first predicted it might find a new residential and retail developer by the end of that year, but the process dragged on all through the next year, 2015, as well. The $40 million in private investment by Great Lakes Capital, which has offices in Fort Wayne and South Bend, will create 124 apartments as well as 170,00 square feet of retail and office space. The design differs from the one proposed by Hanning & Bean, which was taller and included condos and townhouses, but was priced at $10 million less. The retail component of what will be known as Skyline Tower will be on the first floor. Office space See SKYLINE, Page A12

COURTESY ART

A Great Lakes Capital rendering shows the mostly residential portion of the Ash Brokerage project in downtown Fort Wayne. The residential and retail components will be known as Skyline Tower.

GE talks move forward on two fronts A citizens task force formed to develop plans to save the downtown GE campus had three meetings scheduled in February to get ideas and input from the general public. But conversations also have taken place behind the scenes involving GE, city officials and Greater Fort Wayne Inc. GE representatives met with both the city and GFW to discuss “the possible implications” of the region’s recent win of $42 million in Regional Cities grants, GE spokesman Matt Conkrite said. “The possibilities this may bring in attracting development opportunities to the city are exciting. We continue to support the city

of Fort Wayne and Greater Fort Wayne (Inc.) as they work to identify actionable solutions that will benefit the community and meet the needs of the local market,” Conkrite said in an email. “We continue to have positive discussions with GE about the future of the campus,” said John Perlich, spokesman for Mayor Tom Henry’s office. “Everyone realizes this is an effort that’s going to take time.” The Regional Cities proposal submitted to the state by the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership included the redevelopment of the GE campus as a “vision” project, with no timeline for completion specified. It estimated the cost of repurposing and redeveloping the GE campus at roughly $165 per square foot, or a

total of $165 million. The Regional Cities funds from the state are conditioned upon other public and private investment in each project. “Regional Cities has the possibility of providing funding assistance for a number of projects to benefit the region,” Perlich said. “Collaboration will be key in moving forward to find an appropriate future use of the campus. We’re encouraged there’s open communication designed to find ways to make a meaningful difference for the community.” The task force itself has not had any discussions with GE, said City Councilman Geoff Paddock, who organized the ad hoc group last May. GE representatives were not specifically invited to the

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