Fort Worth looks to draw historic areas into downtown design district

August 12,2015

BY SANDRA BAKER
sabaker@star-telegram.com

Some believe Fort Worth’s Greenway neighborhood of World War II-era bungalows and newer Habitat for Humanity homes could draw the attention of developers looking to be a part of expanding downtown development.

In response, Downtown Fort Worth Inc. is exploring adding its dozen streets, as well as more of the adjacent historic Samuels Avenue corridor, into the Downtown Urban Design District. Design districts are a program of the city of Fort Worth, which formulate development standards and guidelines that developers must follow.

Andy Taft, president of the nonprofit Downtown Fort Worth Inc., which oversees the Downtown Urban Design District, said developers continue to assemble land for future development in the area, just off the northeast side of downtown’s central business district. It only makes sense that speculators might start looking at the Greenway neighborhood too, he said.

Design standards would guide possible development to make sure it “ties well to the existing neighborhood” and is of “high quality,” he said.

“Hoteliers are kicking tires up there,” Taft said. “We are seeing economic pressure in the greater Samuels Avenue corridor.”

Currently, the Downtown Urban Design District, established in 2002, includes the southern portion of Samuels Avenue, from Bluff Street north to Gounah Street. It doesn’t include the blocks from the BNSF railroad tracks and further east to Interstate 35W and north to Northside Drive, nor further north on Samuels Avenue along the Trinity River bluff.

Planners are also considering including industrial areas west of I-35W at Mony and Pharr streets, and a pocket around 9th Street bounded by Spur 280 on the north, I-35W to the east and the railroad tracks on the west, and I-30 to the south.

Development could be several years away in those areas, but city planners want to have the conversation now to make sure standards are in place before anything happens. The standards are currently being updated. That was last done in 2009.

Downtown Fort Worth Inc. has started discussions with residents about being included in the design district. If they agree, the expansion of the design district would need City Council approval.

The district’s design guidelines address many topics including minimum height requirements on select streets and building setbacks. They also look at signage, street lights, streetscapes and the walkability of a neighborhood.

Noble Reed, president of the Greenway Neighborhood Association, who grew up on Carver Avenue and moved back to his boyhood home in 1991, acknowledged the neighborhood is on the fringe of recent development that could move their way.

Reed said he does see benefits in joining the urban design district. However, few vacant lots are available in Greenway, the largest being a 10-acre tract near Delga Park.

“We’d like to try to keep it like that,” Reed said. “I understand why they want to include us in the design district. The thing I like about it is having another entity looking on this. With a design district, it sets up an entity to pass things through.”

Redevelopment around Samuels Avenue and Bluff Street, one of Fort Worth’s oldest neighborhoods, began a decade ago. At that time, developers acquired property, razed dilapidated structures and built hundreds of apartments, a hotel and condominiums. The area is now called Trinity Bluff.

But as development started heading further north, the recession hit and projects were put on hold. One Dallas developer has since lost his land planned for nearly 300 apartments to foreclosure. Several “For Sale” signs dot Samuels Avenue.

In addition to downtown, design districts cover Camp Bowie Boulevard, Fort Worth South and Trinity Uptown. A task force is currently working on design guidelines for the Historic Stockyards and an area surrounding it in the north side.

Sandra Baker, 817-390-7727

Twitter: @SandraBakerFWST