Special Projects
- Details
- Published: Thursday, 24 April 2014 11:25
Block Restoration Project
West Central Purchase Custom Rehab Program
801 West Berry Street
Blight Elimination Program
ARCHie Award Winning Urban Farm
Superior Lofts
Bottle Works Lofts
Hanna Renaissance Pointe Trail
Posterity Heights
Block Restoration Project: 800 Block of West Washington
West Central Purchase Custom Rehab Program
West Central Purchase Custom Rehab Program - information coming soon!
801 West Berry Street - information coming soon!
*** The City of Fort Wayne Office of Housing and Neighborhood Services is currently developing a strategy for properties acquired through the Blight Elimination Program. Once the strategy and process is developed, we will provide information to residents and interested parties through the media, social media (@CityofFortWayne), on our website (www.FWCommunityDevelopment.org) and in our newsletter (available by joining our mailing list on the website).
If you would like to stay informed about the process, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with your name, phone number, email address and address of the property or properties in which you are interested. You will be placed on a list to contact when the disposition strategy is determined. However, placing your name on the list does not give you preference for acquiring a property.
City Looks to Purchase 88 Vacant and Blighted Homes
Fort Wayne, Ind. – As the next step in the City’s Blight Elimination Program, the Housing and Neighborhood Development Services (HANDS) Board is inviting owners of blighted and vacant homes to consider selling their properties so they can be demolished.
“We are in the home stretch of the Blight Elimination Program and are looking to purchase up to 88 properties that have a blighting influence on the homes that surround them,” said Heather Presley-Cowen, director of the Office of Housing and Neighborhood Services and managing director of HANDS. “This is the next step in the process; through collaboration with the Allen County Community Development Corporation, we have been able to purchase many homes that have come through the tax-sale process and meet the criteria. Now we are reaching out directly to property owners to say if you have a property that has long been vacant and has a hole in the roof, failing foundation or believe it may fit the program for other reasons, now is the time to come forward.”
The City’s Office of Housing and Neighborhood Services is looking to execute offers to purchase on up to 88 blighted homes and schedule them for demolition. The City has purchased and demolished (or is in the process of purchasing and demolishing) 227 properties and has room for an additional 88 in the program.
Any property owner interested the program should call Housing and Neighborhood Services at 260-427-8585 to see if their house meets the criteria.
The Blight Elimination Program is a statewide effort administered by the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA). Funding comes from the U.S. Treasury Department. The purpose is to strengthen neighborhoods and stabilize property values.
Last year, the City of Fort Wayne was awarded approximately $7.5 million to demolish as many as 315 blighted properties and then maintain and redevelop them.
The State of Indiana, through Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA) is using a portion of Indiana's Hardest Hit Funds to demolish blighted and abandoned homes that are beyond repair. The goal is not simply to demolish abandoned homes, but to stabilize property values in Indiana communities. The partnership between IHCDA and Indiana municipalities allows communities to demolish blighted properties and offer a variety of end uses for the newly cleared properties including green space and redevelopment.
Blight Elimination Program funds may be used to acquire properties for the purpose of demolishing the residential structures located on that parcel. Properties may be purchased from third parties, at tax sale, at sheriff sale, or through the purchase of an outstanding tax sale certificate.
Because the program allocates funding for legal expenses and title expenses, all properties enrolled in this program receive an insured closings and have title insurance policies issued. The only encumbrance listed against these properties is the IHCDA mortgage, which is used to ensure grantee compliance until the property is transferred. Blight Elimination Funding is in the form of a three year forgivable loan to the City of Fort Wayne.
All private property improvements are removed from the site. Demolition specifications utilized for this program require that all building material larger than two inches in diameter must be hauled off the site. Only IDEM certified backfill can be deposited on these sites. Program funding allows for the restoration and maintenance of these sites over the three year period or until property ownership is transferred.
ARCHie Award Winning Urban Farm
Hear more about the farm here.
Superior Lofts - information coming soon!
The Lieutenant Governor’s Office today announced the recipients of 2016 Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (see news release below), and Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry is pleased to announce that the Coca-Cola Building project is a recipient of one of the allocations.
The HANDS Board and Mayor Henry gave their enthusiastic approval to the project proposal that was submitted to the State by Miller Valentine (developer), Vincent Village (the local non-profit partnering in the development) and Martin Riley Architects and Engineers. The City of Fort Wayne owns the historic Coca-Cola Building, located in Renaissance Pointe, 1631 E. Pontiac St., and scattered sites within the nearby neighborhood.
Highlights of the $13.4 million project include:
- Historic rehabilitation of the Coca-Cola Building, returning it to its original appearance
- New construction of 31 single-family lease-to-purchase homes in the nearby neighborhood
- A total of 62 living units: 31 in the Coca-Cola Building and 31 new homes
- Affordable Housing Units rented to individuals of varying incomes, earning anywhere from 30% to 60% of the Area Median Income
- Amenities including: on-site management, community room, business center, theater, fitness center, gallery area, one garage space per unit, outdoor shelter, indoor and outdoor playground
- Supportive services, such as job training, provided by Vincent Village and other non-profits
- Construction expected to begin January 2017 and be complete by spring 2018
This latest development complements hundreds of millions of dollars invested by the private sector, City government, non-profits and government agencies into the Renaissance Pointe neighborhood. Some of the improvements include new utility lines, sidewalks, a trail, the renovation of former Fire Station #9 into the Renaissance Pointe Urban Farm and Community Center, the 66 lease-to-purchase homes built and managed by Ideal Builders, as well as a new library branch, YMCA and Urban League offices.
Hanna Renaissance Pointe Trail
Hanna Renaissance Pointe Trail - information coming soon!
Posterity Heights - information comming soon!
Learn more about what OHNS is doing here .
