The City of Fort Wayne's Neighborhood Planning & Activation Workgroup is working closely with stakeholders in the East Central Planning Area to develop a new ten-year strategic framework for the neighborhood.
What is East Central 2035?
The City of Fort Wayne's Community Development Division's Neighborhood Planning and Activation Workgroup is working with the East Central Neighborhood Association and several local organizations and institutions to develop East Central 2035. The expected outcome of this work is a 10-year neighborhood plan that provides a shared vision and direction for the East Central neighborhood, providing strategies for investing in growth, building community, and improving the quality of life for neighborhood residents, businesses, and organizations.
Why Do We Need a Neighborhood Plan?
You may ask why a neighborhood plan is important. The neighborhood planning process offers local stakeholders the opportunity to come together and shape the future of your neighborhood. Neighborhood plans do a lot for a community, including (1) engaging residents and businesses in identifying a future vision for the area and providing strategies and recommendations for achieving that vision, (2) providing detailed recommendations for the neighborhood to ensure neighborhoods grow as envisioned by the plan, and (3) provide a level of analysis, detail, and guidance on issues affecting local areas that a "comprehensive" citywide plan cannot.
Who Is Involved In Creating a Neighborhood Plan?
In short, everyone! This plan involves anyone who lives, works, worships, and participates in the neighborhoods in the East Central Planning Area, and we want to ensure your voice is included. Direct involvement from the neighborhood's stakeholders and residents is central to developing a neighborhood plan. To ensure that the neighborhood planning process goes smoothly, a team of steering committee members, made up of residents and business owners in the East Central Planning Area, meet regularly to provide feedback and guidance in the plan development process.
Community Engagement
Crucial to a good plan is the voices of the community. The East Central 2035 plan is seeking input through a variety of outreach opportunities including the following:
East Central Neighborhood Input Map: Use the interactive mapping tool to provide feedback and input in the Neighborhood Plan. We are looking for suggestions from dangerous intersections to lighting improvements and redevelopment opportunities. These suggestions will be compiled and evaluated when drafting the plan goals and strategies.
East Central Neighborhood Stakeholder Interviews: Through the first several months of the East Central Neighborhood Plan, we will hold a series of one-on-one stakeholder interviews with neighborhood residents, business owners, and organizations. These interviews can be scheduled using Microsoft Bookings. Each interview will have a few required questions, but the goal of the interview is to hold an open-ended conversation.