COMMUNITY APPEARANCE & DESIGN SECTION OVERVIEW

The City of Fort Wayne addresses issues of community appearance and urban design through the staff landscape architect/urban designer in the Redevelopment Department.

Urban design and landscape architecture are bridges between City planning activities and the actual built environment of Fort Wayne. They incorporate elements of city planning, historic preservation, civil engineering, architecture and interior design with other disciplines such as real estate development, redevelopment and economic development.

The Urban Designer is responsible for providing professional original design, evaluation and implementation skills to The Redevelopment Commission, The Plan Commission, Board of Zoning Appeals,  Sign Review Board and other City departments. Actual design and implementation of many community development projects is performed through this section, including annual implementation of a Street Tree Planting Program.

DESIGN ASSISTANCE

As part of the range of services offered to the community by the Redevelopment Department, the Urban Designer offers design assistance to property owners in certain situations, including:

• - Redevelopment and other Community Development projects.

• - Projects involving local funding such as building facade improvement grants, City capital improvements, to aid in establishing good decisions and policies by development incentives, Community Development Block Grants or other projects where the city has a financial or community development interest.

• - Projects requiring review by the Board of Zoning Appeals or the Plan Commission.

• - Local and National Register Historic Districts.

• - Projects requiring review by the Sign Review Board.

• - Projects involving other City Departments such as Parks and Recreation, Public Works, Property Management, Housing and Neighborhood Development Services (HANDS), and others.

The degree of free assistance which may be provided is determined by the available staff time, the Redevelopment Department and City's interests, and the degree to which the assistance competes with private individuals selling similar services. Services offered typically involve the following areas:

• - Neighborhood image improvement strategies

• - Site planning, architectural, landscape and site identity design ideas

• - Site planning for enhanced crime prevention

For more information on Community Appearance & Design, contact the City of Fort Wayne Redevelopment Department at (260) 427-1140.

 View of Freimann Square