During the planning process, East State Village was identified as the neighborhood's primary economic and activity hub. Community input consistently emphasized the need for improved pedestrian access, enhanced safety, and clearly marked parking locations in the area. Residents and businesses also identified East State Village as a prime location for placemaking investments, such as enhanced streetscapes, landscaping, and improved storefront visibility to strengthen its role as a vibrant community hub in the Historic Northeast area.

The majority of funding for the East State Village project will come from the proceeds of the City's land sale to Google in 2023. This investment allows the City to reinvest those funds directly into neighborhood revitalization projects like East State Village. Using these proceeds ensures that these improvements can be completed without relying heavily on additional local tax dollars, while supporting long-term community and economic development goals.

As of October 2025, there is no finalized design for East State Village. While input has already been gathered from local businesses and residents, we are continuing to seek feedback on the community's top priorities for a future design. Once this input is collected, we will collaborate with our Fort Wayne-based engineering firm, and the City's traffic engineers and landscape architect to create a design that enhances East State Village as a vibrant business corridor that reflects the community's vision and priorities as outlined in the Historic Northeast 2035 Neighborhood Plan.

After gathering community input, the project team will move through several key phases to complete the design and prepare for construction. Each phase represents a deeper level of detail and refinement:

• Step 1 - Topographic Surveys and Fieldwork (Nov 2025): The design team will collect precise data on existing conditions, such as street elevations, utilities, and landscaping, to inform the redesign.

• Step 2 - 50% Design (Jan 2026): Preliminary plans will be developed to show the general layout, roadway alignment, and initial concepts for streetscape and pedestrian improvements

• Step 3 - 75% Design (Apr 2026): The design will be refined based on feedback and technical review by the design team, incorporating detailed engineering elements such as materials, lighting, and drainage

• Step 4 - 100% Design (Jul 2026): The final construction documents will be completed, providing all details needed for contractors to bid and build the project

• Step 5 - Bidding (Late Summer/Early Fall 2026): The project will be advertised to contractors, and bids will be reviewed to select the team that will construct the improvements to East State Village

• Step 6 - Construction (Late Fall 2026/Summer 2027): Construction could begin as early as late fall 2026, with most of the work expected to occur through Summer 2027

• Improved Safety for Pedestrians: By converting to a three-lane design, the number of lanes pedestrians must cross is reduced from four to three, making crossing the street shorter and safer. Traffic patterns on a three-lane roadway are more predictable due to a dedicated lane for left-turning vehicles, which will improve decision-making for vehicular traffic and pedestrians.
• Reduced Vehicle Crashes and Conflicts: Crash data for East State Boulevard between Kentucky Avenue and Florida Drive shows that sideswipe and rear-end collisions are the most common types, both caused by drivers frequently changing lanes and turning on narrow four-lane roads. In 2024, there were 44 crashes in this small section of East State Boulevard, with nearly 20% involving injuries. National studies by the Federal Highway Administration indicate that converting a four-lane undivided highway in a neighborhood to a three-lane design can reduce crashes by up to 40%. By introducing a continuous center left-turn lane, turning vehicles are separated from through traffic, reducing these conflicts and creating a safer, more predictable traffic flow.

• Consistent with Current Traffic Volumes: Traffic counts for this segment of East State Boulevard show an average of 13,000 to 14,000 vehicles per day, which is well within the capacity of a three-lane design. Current volumes are also lower than historic traffic levels in the area, indicating that past conditions no longer justify maintaining four travel lanes.

• Enhanced Drive Comfort and Corridor Functionality: The existing lanes are narrow and create side-by-side conflicts between vehicles, particularly when driving next to larger trucks and buses. The proposed design would provide standard lane widths, improving comfort, safety, and flow of traffic. The center turn lane would allow safer and more predictable left turns into driveways and side streets, reducing backups and confusion for through traffic. Traffic signal operation can be optimized with dedicated turn lanes at intersections. This process was recently completed on Lake Avenue in front of Lakeside Middle School to great success.

This is a key concern when a lane reduction is considered near a school, and we've heard those concerns with Forest Park Elementary. We believe that a three-lane configuration can improve the traffic flow and safety near Forest Park Elementary, and here's how:

• Unorganized Queuing in Four Narrow Lanes: Under the current four-lane configuration, vehicles stopping to turn left, or queue in the southern-most lane for drop-off and pick-up, block a travel lane. This forces other drivers to weave around stopped cars, creating erratic movements and safety risks for children and pedestrians. The narrow lanes also make it difficult for school buses and larger vehicles to drive on East State Boulevard during peak times.

• Safety Benefits for Students and Families: The reduced lane count and slower, more predictable traffic patterns near the school significantly enhance safety. Fewer lanes to cross mean shorter crossing distances and clearer sightlines for both drivers and pedestrians. Speeds often will decrease, which could reduce the likelihood and severity of crashes, which is especially important in a school zone.
• Design Considerations for Forest Park Elementary: We are working with the administration at Forest Park Elementary to better understand what adjustments could be made in the design at East State Boulevard to prioritize safety and improve pick-up and drop-off for students. Our goal is to ensure that the redesign of East State Boulevard works for daily school routines.

Yes. Beyond the East State Village improvements, the City is actively investing in the Historic Northeast Neighborhood Plan through separate projects that upgrade and add sidewalks, alleys, and streetlights. Recent work includes nearly $1.8 million in sidewalk and pedestrian improvements near Lakeside and St. Joe River Boulevard, along with nearly $1 million allocated in new streetlights expected to be installed in the next year. Several alleys have also been replaced in recent years, with additional repairs planned as funding becomes available. Each year, the City invests approximately $40 million in public works construction projects. While we understand more work needs to be done, available funding prioritizes the most critical infrastructure needs first. Importantly, Connected Neighborhoods funds, such as those supporting East State Village, are dedicated to catalytic revitalization projects and cannot be redirected to traditional infrastructure maintenance.