February 19, 2025 - Fort Wayne Mayor Sharon Tucker today delivered her first State of the City address. The theme was “Forging New Footprints Together.” The event was held at the Grand Wayne Center.
Highlights from Mayor Tucker’s speech:
New initiatives:
*Mental Health Commission
*Young Adult Council
*Opioid Settlement Fund Committee
*Phase two of infill housing strategy
*Acquisition of legacy industrial properties for future redevelopment
*Study of corridor retail opportunities – South Calhoun Street, East State Village, and Waynedale
*Connected Neighborhoods program
*North River Fieldhouse
Public safety:
The Fort Wayne Police Department will have staffing for 510 officers, a downtown patrol district will be created, and a citizens academy will allow community members to become more familiar with law enforcement. The Fort Wayne Fire Department will break ground on a new Fire Station 5 in Waynedale, there will be a record staffing number of more than 370 firefighters and expanded offerings in the fire education and outreach programs will be added. The City’s partnership with Three Rivers Ambulance Authority will continue by providing lifesaving care to the public.
Parks:
There will be $3 million in capital improvements in parks across Fort Wayne this year. Projects for 2025 include the redesign of the entrance into Foster Park, new playgrounds will be installed at six neighborhood parks, and Parks and Recreation will oversee construction of the $30 million Riverfront Phase 2B public open space along the St. Marys River west to Ewing Street and east to Clinton Street.
Public Works neighborhood investments:
The City plans to invest nearly $42 million in neighborhood infrastructure enhancements in 2025. Work will include improvements to streets, roads, sidewalks, alleys, curbs, bridges, and trails. Since 2014, more than $346 million of work has occurred in neighborhoods throughout Fort Wayne.
City Utilities:
City Utilities continues to protect the environment while positioning Fort Wayne for future growth and being responsible stewards of ratepayer dollars through the Microgrid and Deep Rock Tunnel projects as a few examples.
Continued downtown revitalization with multiple projects in 2025:
Treeline District – The redevelopment of the former Pepsi warehouse site with new public park spaces, apartments, retail space, and public parking garage.
The Eddy/$45 million – Mixed-use development northwest of Promenade Park with housing, retail, and a public parking garage.
The Landing Exchange/$20 million – Located at the northeast corner of Harrison and Columbia streets to include 40 housing units, with 20 percent of the units being considered affordable housing.
Economic development - Job growth/retention and private investment:
Inside City of Fort Wayne limits in 2024, there were 15 projects, 813 new jobs were created, nearly 2,800 jobs were retained, and the average wage was $74,000. The total private investment was more than $2.5 billion.
National recognition:
In the past year, Fort Wayne has been named the 8th best run city in the country by WalletHub; fastest growing city in the Midwest through the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data; most affordable city in the country to live in by U.S. News & World Report; number one housing market in the country by The Wall Street Journal and Realtor.com; 38th most caring city in the country by WalletHub; and the 7th most affordable destination for a vacation in the country by Daily Passport.
“With the accomplishments from the past year and a wide array of new projects and aggressive goals and objectives for 2025 and beyond, it’s apparent why I have unwavering hope and optimism for our great city,” said Mayor Tucker. “We’re forging new footprints together as a community that’s committed to being the very best for every resident, neighborhood, and business in Fort Wayne.”
Speech TranscriptSpeech Presentation