Dirt is moving on one of the bigger housing projects in the Fort Wayne area this fall. The City of New Haven and South Bend-based developer Great Lakes Capital broke ground Thursday, Oct. 22, on The Lincoln, a $56 million mixed-use development on South Maplecrest Road, 21Alive reported.
The project sits near Culver's and covers nearly 30 acres. Once it's finished, the site will have more than 240 apartments spread across multiple residential buildings, anchored by a community clubhouse with outdoor amenities.
Great Lakes Capital expects to start leasing its first building in September 2027.
What's being built
According to 21Alive, The Lincoln is designed as a mix of housing and commercial space. Besides the apartments and clubhouse, the master plan sets aside commercial lots meant to attract future retail, dining and other local businesses.
WOWO News reported the same core details: more than 240 housing units near South Maplecrest Road, multiple residential buildings, a clubhouse with outdoor amenities, and commercial lots for future retail and dining. WOWO described construction as underway.
21Alive described the project as expanding modern, attainable living options, though neither report gave rents or a unit mix.
Why the city wanted it
New Haven Mayor Steve McMichael said the project is part of the city's long-term vision to provide a wider range of housing in New Haven, and its plan to support commercial growth.
"It helps the New Haven businesses by providing additional traffic and additional dollars to be spent in the community," McMichael told 21Alive. "But it also helps the residents that are already here (and) have lived here for decades because it creates opportunities for additional stores, restaurants and services in the community."
That's a common pitch for projects like this. Rooftops come first, and the commercial lots are meant to fill in once the people are there.
By the numbers
Using the reported figures, here's a bit of our own math. A $56 million project with "more than 240" units works out to a little over $230,000 per unit if you divide the total by 240. That figure is rough. The total also covers the clubhouse, site work and infrastructure on a nearly 30-acre property, and the final unit count could be higher.
The timeline is also worth noting. From an October 2026 groundbreaking to leasing the first building in September 2027 is just under a year for the first phase.
What we don't know yet
The reports didn't name a general contractor, list the number of buildings, or say how many phases the project will take. They also didn't say when the full development is expected to be done, or when the commercial lots will be marketed. Those are the details contractors will want as the project moves along.
Why it matters for contractors
A 240-plus-unit, multi-building apartment community on nearly 30 acres is a lot of work for the northeast Indiana building trades. It means site work, utilities and paving up front, then foundations, structure, roofing, exteriors, windows, MEP and finishes across several buildings, plus a clubhouse and outdoor amenities.
A first-building leasing date of September 2027 points to a busy 2027 on this site. Multi-building projects like this one are often built in phases, which can keep trades on site for an extended run if they're on the right team.
The commercial lots are a second opportunity down the road. If they attract retail, restaurants and services as the city hopes, that means more ground-up commercial work along South Maplecrest Road.
Fort Wayne-area subcontractors and suppliers who want in should find out who Great Lakes Capital is using as its builder and get on the bid list early.