CITY OF FORT WAYNE, IN
Housing Needs and Market Assessment 

The firm was engaged by the City of Fort Wayne to identify housing market opportunities and prepare a housing development strategy for the Southeast Study Area of the City of Fort Wayne, one of the poorest and most distressed areas of the City. Our analysis included an assessment of housing supply and demand and housing development trends within the City of Fort Wayne and Allen County . We also surveyed the location, type, and character of new housing being sold in the market, including style, size, price points, amenities, and absorption.

The overall competitive position of the Southeast Study Area was then assessed in light of these broader market trends. We collected and mapped housing data by census tract to assess overall marketability of the area compared to other areas of the City and the County. This included an assessment of block and infrastructure conditions, building code violations, demolitions, new construction permits, neighborhood amenities, and the physical condition and marketability of the housing stock. This also included an analysis of the number of sales, median and high sales prices, and growth in housing values by census tract compared to new construction costs and sales prices in the City and County.

Based on this analysis, we outlined a series of general and area-specific strategies designed to improve the overall competitive position of the Southeast Study Area. These strategies included an identification of those Census tracts where resale housing values were growing at a rate similar to the City and County as a whole, and areas where resale values approach new home prices. This information generally indicates that new infill housing can be supported. We also identified where rehabilitation activity and infrastructure investment should be targeted, based on neighborhood conditions, amenities, and the marketability of the housing stock. We then assessed and reviewed the City’s neighborhood investment strategy and housing programs in light of our findings and recommendations.