Harrison2

Moving money

The Fort Wayne Redevelopment Commission Monday approved some settlement money with two property owners on the project site.

The commission approved a settlement with the Subway restaurant at 301 W. Jefferson Blvd. to pay it $400,000 for the property, everything inside and relocation costs. In addition, the city will pay the restaurant $8,500 for each month the restaurant is closed while opening a new location. Greg Leatherman, commission director, said the restaurant only has a few months to relocate, so it can’t just remain closed and take checks from the city.

The commission also approved giving an additional $20,000 to the Martin Luther King Jr. Montessori School to help with relocation costs. While the commission agreed to pay $1.5 million for the school’s property, Leatherman said those costs were based solely on appraisals and didn’t include relocation expenses. He said prices for other properties in the development area included relocation costs and it was only fair to also pay those costs for the school.

The show will go on

Mayor Graham Richard sees last week’s vote by a state tax control board in support of the Harrison Square financing as good news. He said the board’s 4-2 vote for the property tax-backed financing for the project will save taxpayers millions of dollars on the project in interest costs.

Richard, however, said the project will happen even if Cheryl Musgrave, commissioner of the Department of Local Government Finance, reject’s the property tax-backed financing. Because the city doesn’t plan to use any general property taxes to pay for the $45.9 million bond, Richard said the project can still be completed without the state’s approval.

The rejection by the state, however, would cost the city millions of dollars in interest costs he said, so it makes sense for everyone to get the property tax backing. He said he hoped the commissioner would approve it based on its merits and not be concerned by the number or emails or letters received from project opponents.

The city’s redevelopment commission is expected to begin preliminary bond work at its Monday meeting.

Restaurant removal

The one building whose demolition got a head start will finally be removed this week.

Greg Leatherman, city deputy director of development, said official demolition on the Centro America restaurant on West Jefferson Boulevard will begin Wednesday.

The restaurant was struck by a vehicle in June and has sat in a pile of rubble for weeks. Leatherman said the demolition was delayed because there was more asbestos than anticipated at the site.

“It’s been an unfortunate delay,” he said.

The restaurant is on the site where Hardball Capital plans to construct its retail and condominium building.

Retail options

At Thursday's Harrison Square open house, questions were asked about the types of retail stores that would go in the project. People were told the developers are working with restaurants, a fitness center, convenience stores and other types of shops to go in the first floor of the condominium building. The project is estimated to have 30,000 square feet of retail.

When asked, Jason Freier, Hardball CEO, made it clear that at least one type of business won't go in the development.

"I will not put a strip club in Harrison Square," he said.

Keeping up the fight

One of the staunchest opponents of Harrison Square has not given up his legal fight against the project.

John B. Kalb, of Fort Wayne, Tuesday asked Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter to investigate how the city purchased the property for the development.

Kalb previously asked the Allen County prosecutor’s office to investigate the matter, but the office last week found the city broke no laws and the matter didn’t need any further investigation.

In his letter, Kalb asks Carter to fully investigate the matter and stop all activity on the project until a court can rule on it.

Kalb was also one of the men to file a remonstrance against the project, which failed.