Tag Archives | Fort Wayne

New Media, New Rules presentation

By on December 19, 2007 in Etc.

If you’re a blogger in town, you’re certainly quite aware of the New Media, New Rules presentation at the downtown library Thursday evening.

The presentation focuses on politics, especially on the local mayoral race here in Fort Wayne. This is from the press release:

New Media, New Rules will feature a presentation by Fort Wayne Observed founder Nathan Gotsch and a panel discussion on the significant impact of new media on the 2007 election with city council members-elect Mitch Harper (also editor of Fort Wayne Observed) and Karen Goldner as well as bloggers Jeff Pruitt (Fort Wayne Left) and Dan Turkette (Fort Wayne News). Bloggers, commenters, the general public and traditional media are invited to attend.

“Local candidates are just beginning to understand the power of local blogs to influence voters,” Gotsch said. “Now that the city election is over, we can start a discussion on how to make the Fort Wayne blogosphere a place of dialogue for elected officials and constituents alike.”

In the first part of the program, Gotsch will give citizens advice on blogging effectively in order to make sure their voices are heard by and have an impact on elected officials. He’ll also discuss how candidates can develop Internet strategies that take advantage of new technologies, pointing out missed opportunities during the 2007 campaign and providing tips on how to interact with political bloggers writing about their campaign.

That will be followed by the panel discussion on the impact of local blogs on this year’s election and how new media is already altering the local political scene. Gotsch and the panel will also be taking questions from the audience.

And there’s more information on the web site. Although I’ve not been really involved in politics, mostly because I’ve worked in journalism most of my professional life, I’ll be there.

– Jon Swerens · photo by anemergencystop on Flickr

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24 favorite local businesses

By on December 15, 2007 in Fort Wayne

I don’t know who Samantha Goldsberry is, but I do know she’s a Fort Wayne blogger with excellent taste.

Back in November, she listed her 24 favorite local businesses. I’m happy to say I’ve been to some of her favorites, but I still need to visit some more in order to become an official gold-star Fort Wayne resident. (I moved here in 1998, btw.)

Here are the places she listed that I’ve visited:

  • Atz’s Ice Cream Shoppe: The servings are ginormous
  • Coney Island: The ambiance is perfectly ’50s.
  • Cebolla’s Mexican Grille: Great place to take family.
  • Firefly Cafe: Great place to take wife.
  • Munchie’s Emporium: I can’t resist the unwraps.
  • Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo: What family doesn’t have a zoo pass?
  • Azar’s Big Boy: Oh boy the fish and chips.

Notice how many of them are restaurants!

I am embarrassed to say I haven’t been to the following, although they’re so close to where I live:

  • Powers Hamburgers
  • Cindy’s Diner
  • The Thirsty Camel
  • Three Rivers Co-op

But here are some additional places that I think say “Fort Wayne” that I have visited and that she didn’t list:

  • Bell’s Roller Rink
  • Paula’s on Main
  • Redwood Inn
  • Castle Gallery

What do you think? I didn’t grow up here, so tell me: What locally owned places can you name that exemplify Fort Wayne culture?

– Jon Swerens · photo by Everett White on Flickr

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The question of rural development

By on December 14, 2007 in Architecture

Before the week completely gets away from me, I should mention Kevin Leininger’s column in Saturday’s News-Sentinel with the headline “A battle over property rights.”

Here’s the lead:

Drive down most any road in rural Allen County and you’ll see them in increasing numbers: new homes scattered among the barns, fields, fences and old farmhouses.

But the pastoral tranquility is deceiving. County planners and many developers see those homes as an impediment to sensible growth – while real-estate agents defend them as monuments to property rights.

The problem isn’t the parceling of the land. It’s the roads, the sewers, the water and the utilities. And I’m finding I’m not as libertarian on the issue as I once was.

I really couldn’t care less what color your house is, and whether or not you own a horse — if you can control the smell somewhat. But we property owners are all in this together when the discussion turns to roads and utilities. Some control seems necessary.

I’d love to hear Rachel‘s take on this — and anyone else who has a stake in the discussion.

Update: The county approved the land-sale rules (as Rachel points out in a comment below).

— Jon Swerens · Photo by Dean Terry on Flickr

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Snuffed out

By on December 11, 2007 in Smoking ban

The West State Cafe is the kind of little restaurant that’s easily overlooked — it’s not cool, it’s not fancy, it’s not youth-oriented and it’s not spending lots of money on advertising.

So when Fort Wayne’s smoking ban forced it out of business, it was easy to not notice.

Thankfully, Kevin Leininger did notice. And he tells us the plight of David Hecke in his column in today’s News-Sentinel.

Hecke lost a half million dollars on his investment and can legitimately blame the smoking ban:

“My business dropped 60 percent (after smoking in restaurants was outlawed). People who smoke are more social and want to be out with friends,” said Hecke, who bought the 50-year-old building at 1329 W. State Blvd. in 2003 and closed it Nov. 5 — the day before City Councilman John Crawford, the law’s chief supporter, was defeated in his bid for re-election. “I went home and cried. For four years I never missed a day, opening at 4:30 a.m. and closing at 9 p.m. I was where I wanted to be, doing what I wanted to do.”

We have to be honest: This is not an unintended consequence of the smoking ban. The closing of the West State Cafe is an intended consequence.

There was no chance that every smoker in the city would continue to go to restaurants if each one has to stand in the cold to have a cigarette. And there was also no chance that every restaurant in the city could afford to build roofed patios for their customers who smoke.

Now, what does all of this have to do with The Good City? Plenty, because a central tenet is neighborliness and courtesy. Smoking is a health problem, sure, but the rush to push all of the city’s smokers to the curb was downright rude.

The city didn’t seek some sort of long-term solution for this long-term problem. Instead, it instituted a sudden morality crusade that left a lot of hard feelings in its wake. That’s too bad, because it irritated a citizenry that now is all too ready to oppose other “progressive” projects like Harrison Square. I’m afraid the splintering effects of the smoking ban on our community will continue for years.

UPDATE: Rachel Blakeman offers a counterpoint and graciously links over to me.

– Jon Swerens · Photo by armisteadbooker on Flickr

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Packed houses

By on December 9, 2007 in Downtown, Events, West Central

Congratulations to Castle Gallery and The History Center for hosting wildly successful downtown/West Central events over the weekend.

Castle Gallery was packed Friday night for its Holiday Show and Artist Reception. The house was packed with well-wishers from door to roof. The building must be seen to be believed. If you go, be sure to tour the third floor, with a rooftop porch with a spectacular view.

Plus, the hors d’oerves by Joseph Decuis were outstanding.

Photography was discouraged at the event for the sake of the artists, but I understand someone may have taken some photos on behave of the gallery. If they’re online, I’d loved to link to them.

And it was wall-to-wall at The History Center on Saturday for the last weekend of the Festival of Gingerbread.

As usual, what interested me most was the building itself. Are they restoring the ceiling in the old council chambers? I’ll have to try to find out.

– Jon Swerens

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This weekend: Castle Gallery, Festival of Gingerbread

By on December 7, 2007 in Culture, Downtown, Events

Here are a couple of city happenings of note this weekend:

Artist reception in West Central

Castle Gallery is presenting its free holiday show artist reception today from 5-10 p.m. Art by 21 artists will be represented, and I’m told maybe 16 of the artists will be in attendance. Hors d’oerves by Joseph Decuis will be provided, and you’ll also find a cash bar.

If you can’t attend tonight, the gallery will also be open Saturday and Sunday from 1-6 p.m.

Castle Gallery is in the West Central neighborhood at the corner of West Wayne and College streets. (Google map)

(Painting is “Sunset Sunflowers” by Jody Hemphill Smith.)

Downtown gingerbread

The History Center‘s Festival of Gingerbread wraps up this weekend. You can check out the decorated gingerbread houses today until 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

Regular admission prices apply. Adults are $5 and seniors and students are $3.

The History Center is downtown at the corner of Berry and Barr streets. (Google map)

– Jon Swerens

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Allowing a city to look like a city

By on December 2, 2007 in Downtown

Most zoning codes in America no longer allow you to build what you’d call a traditional urban cityscape — mixed-use buildings, constructed up to the sidewalk, with retail below and apartments above.

For the most part, such zoning was written right after World War II, when America was high on automobiles, highways and suburbs. The effects on our cities has not been good.

But the city of Fort Wayne is considering taking a big step toward rectifying its antiurban zoning:

Some streets leading into downtown feature a mix of shops and homes that does not fit easily into the city’s defined zoning categories.

A proposed zoning ordinance amendment would create a new classification for these areas to use. The category, called the neighborhood commercial corridor district, is designed to encourage pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use development, said Sherese Fortriede, a city planner.

Other good ideas as part of the proposal include:

Change the parking requirements for schools, restaurants and certain other types of buildings. Restaurants and schools would have parking requirements calculated by square footage or other building measurements rather than occupancy, said Ben Roussel, a city planner. Property owners finding a new use for downtown buildings would not need to meet parking requirements, he said.

Change the date property owners must research to show a building had a previous non-conforming use. For instance, homeowners who wanted to continue using a house as a duplex now must show that use as a duplex dates back to 1955. Under the proposed rules, they would only need to trace the use back to 1974, when better records were available, said Bryan McMillan, a city planner.

City council will discuss the proposal at its Tuesday meeting, but the Journal Gazette story does not mention the time of the meeting, and neither does the city web site.

– Jon Swerens. HT: Downtown Fort Wayne Baseball. Photo by Michael Sarver

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Read ‘The Three Rules,’ and tell the author what you think

By on November 28, 2007 in Architecture, City culture, Downtown, Neighborhoods, Urbanism

To those who love our city, here’s your assignment:

First: Understand The Three Rules.

David Sucher loves cities. He hopes to foster what he calls “urban villages,” cities that are vibrantly urban but yet also in some way cozy and neighborly. Kinda like what many of us want in Fort Wayne.

His Three Rules are his attempt to help urban planners consider site plans as the key to urban vs. suburban:

If the problem is to create a walkable, pedestrian-oriented neighborhood, much of the answer is architectural. Actually, it is not so much “architectural” in the usual sense of the word, for it ignores style. Site plan trumps architecture.

The Three Rules, in brief, are:

  1. Build to the sidewalk (i.e., property line).
  2. Make the building front “permeable” (i.e., no blank walls).
  3. Prohibit parking lots in front of the building.

Second: Download and read Chapter 3 of “City Comforts.”

In this 11-page chapter of his book, he expands on the rules and gives examples, photos and sub-rules.

Download the chapter here (PDF).

If you love cities, you’ll find this chapter all too short. You’ll probably want to buy the whole book sometime, but for now, stay on topic.

Third: Tell the author he’s full of it.

Really. Sucher has the crazy idea in his head to expand the chapter on The Three Rules into an entire book. But he wants your advice:

Praise it if you like but I am even more interested in hearing the reasons why I am full of it, why the “Three Rules” is naive, incomplete, simple-minded and overall just plain wrong and/or misleading. Let me have it. Bring it on, in the words of our bumbling leader. Tell me in as much detail as you are able why I should drop this project immediately and not embarrass myself any further by my clueless rantings.

So be sure to leave some comments at his blog (feel free to jot them here, too) when you’re done reading his chapter.

The prizes

If he really, really likes your critique, he’ll give you a book. If you convince him that he’s out of his mind and he drops the project completely, he’ll buy you dinner at a restaurant of your choice — in Seattle, naturally.

Now, if you win dinner with Sucher, I’ll want to see the photos. And you’ll have to take a ride on the Bainbridge Island ferry for me. But in the meantime, read, consider, discuss and distribute his short chapter. I believe Sucher has a lot to say to Fort Wayne at this juncture in our urban history.

– Jon Swerens 

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Car trouble

By on November 14, 2007 in City culture, Transportation, Urbanism

If you want to feel how desperately dependent on the automobile you are, simply arrange for your only vehicle to break down.

This happened to me and my family recently, and suddenly, getting a daughter to a distant doctor, getting a dog to the vet, and getting groceries became either difficult or impossible.

At least for us, this was not a new feeling. Back when we were living in western New York State on a newspaperman’s salary, we could not afford both food for a growing family and a car. So we had to rely on walking and an inadequate transit “system,” which in its entirety consisted of one small bus making one circuit around town once an hour.

James Howard Kunstler, in his admittedly caustic book “The Geography of Nowhere,” identifies three groups of people would are discriminated against in an automobile dominated society:

  • The poor, because they can often not afford a car.
  • The young, because a parent has to drive them everywhere.
  • The old, because once they lose the physical ability to drive, they are helpless.

I know it is thought to be a conservative value to oppose subsidies for public transit, forcing things like train lines and city bus companies to fend for themselves. But cities and states remain committed to spending billions building new highways and interchanges to support an urban culture in which an automobile is a necessity for everything in every day life.

We put all of our eggs in one basket, and now there is no wonder why there are no trains leaving from the Baker Street station. We’ve starved every other mode of transportation to feed our appetite for the automobile. I’m glad I will be buying another minivan, but our community is poorer for not having more options for moving people around.

– Jon Swerens 

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