DFWII & City of Fort Worth Seek Public Input for Heritage Park and Surrounding Park Projects
April 12,2021
Heritage Park Plaza sits atop the Trinity River bluff where the original Fort Worth was built. The Plaza has been closed since June 2004, fenced from public use due to safety concerns.
The Plaza is part of Heritage Park, located Northwest of the Tarrant County Courthouse. If the Heritage Park bluff could be improved to include a beautiful, fun, and easy-to-use connection between Downtown and the Trinity River, that transition would better serve the public’s use of the Plaza. The Fort Worth City Council, Tarrant County, Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives, Inc., and several other groups have been working to improve Heritage Park and reopen its Plaza.
As part of this effort, the project partners have been working on plans to make these ideas a reality. Downtown street intersections, which are challenging for pedestrians to cross, will be narrowed. Paddock Park, serving today as a nearly two-acre traffic median, will be reconfigured into a new, elegant park space at the foot of the Tarrant County Courthouse. Restoration of Heritage Plaza will include historic restoration, upgraded water features, new landscaping and lighting, electrical improvements, and safety features. Bluff improvements that make traversing the slope include a grand staircase and a gently sloping ramp that will make access for everyone interesting, enjoyable, and easy.
Renovation plans and construction drawings to restore the original Heritage Plaza are 95% complete, and this project is “shovel ready.” The broader area’s planned improvements are needed to ensure that Heritage Plaza no longer operates in isolation from both the River and Downtown but serves and is served by both.
A NEW VISION FOR HERITAGE PARK
Benner Bennett Partners is the lead design firm for the restoration of Heritage Plaza.
MIG, a national design, planning, and architecture firm, is the lead on the Heritage and Paddock Parks and Streetscape components of the plan.
Current conceptual plans for the greater Heritage and Paddock Parks improvements include:
Pedestrian and Street Improvements
Paddock Park
River Stairs
Canopy Walk
We want to hear from you
DFWII, the City of Fort Worth, and MIG will hosted three virtual public meetings to discuss design concepts, park enhancements and to receive community feedback on April 20 and 21.
There is still time to submit your feedback through the online survey below! Please share and participate by May 15, 2021.
English: http://bit.ly/HeritageParkSurvey
Spanish: http://bit.ly/EncuestadeHeritagePark
For additional information about the project, please visit dfwi.org/go/hp.
The attached images provide an overview of the existing design concept.
Location Mentioned: HERITAGE AND PADDOCK PARKS PROJECT