You have GM on the south and Tokheim on the north. You can live in Pine Valley and work at GM and be 15 minutes away from work. People in places such as Fremont use the interstate to shop at the popular mall. Meanwhile, it's a long way from declining Southtown Mall to I-69. Utilities and roads only make developments feasible.
City planners agree that school district boundaries have the greatest effect on development.
For example, along Dupont Road, developments in recent years have concentrated on the north side of the road. At NACS, enrollment grew to 4,205 this year, from 2,302 in 1970, and most of the growth occurred in the last nine years, when 2,762 students enrolled. Southwest of the city, served by Southwest Allen County Schools, the district grew from 1,673 students in 1970 to 5,537 this year. Most of this growth comes at the expense of FWCS, where enrollment dropped from 43,016 in 1970 to 31,680 this year. Consider the Carroll Creek development.