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Parks that could reshape downtown Fort Worth 'in high gear' following funding approval

See full Dallas Business Journal article by Seth Bodine here.

New funding is pushing a plan to open two parks and reopen an iconic downtown landmark closer to reality.

The Regional Transportation Council board approved March 12 an additional $8 million in funding for Heritage and Paddock Park, two parks near the historic Tarrant County Courthouse at 100 W. Weatherford St. and overlooking the Trinity River and Panther Island. The approval comes with a $2 million match from the city, bringing total additional funding to $10 million, which will go toward a section of the park that leads down to the Trinity River.

Andy Taft, president of Downtown Fort Worth Inc., said the approval is significant for the project, which he said would create a "downtown green space destination" at the base of the courthouse. Downtown Fort Worth Inc. is working with the city to bring the project to life.

With the $8 million in funding in place, the Texas Department of Transportation will move forward on the design review process, Taft said. The department reviews the plans four times, at 30%, 60%, 90% and 95% complete. He said the goal is to open the park before 2030.

"This commitment on the part of the RTC fires the starter pistol and puts us in high gear to continue the architecture and engineering plans and the required reviews," he said.

With the additional funding, Downtown Fort Worth Inc. now has $45 million of the $50 million required to fund the project. Of that total, $5 million will be used for a maintenance endowment, Taft said. Funding comes from a mix of public and private dollars, including $15 million in funds from voter-approved bond packages in 2014 and 2022. The project has also received corporate donations from some of Fort Worth's largest employers such as American Airlines Group, Bell Textron Inc., Alcon, GM Financial and BNSF, along with major foundations such as the Amon G. Carter Foundation.

Right now, Taft describes Paddock Park as a two-block long "glorified traffic median." He hopes the vacant space will be filled with water features, lights, tables and chairs and act as a public space at the base of the courthouse, which is designated as a historic landmark by the National Register of Historic Places.

Next to Paddock, Heritage park features Heritage Plaza, which was designed by renowned architect Lawrence Halprin. The plaza was closed in 2007 after four people drowned in the plaza's fountain. Heritage park would feature a large deck at the top of the bluff, 80 feet above the river, which would be a performance and reception space. Plans also call for a quarter mile winding sidewalk that weaves its way down the bluff, connecting to an amphitheater and to the Trinity Trail system.

The restoration of the water gardens is being designed by Bennett Partners. The parks are being designed by Berkeley, California-based MIG Inc.

"All of these together will create a new regional destination for Fort Worth," Taft said.

Karla Windsor, senior program manager at the North Central Texas Council of Governments, said the RTC board funded the roadway, street improvements around the county courthouse in 2020, but waited to provide more funds until there was more fundraising for the overall project.

The council held onto the funds at first to make sure there were enough dollars to build the parks in the first place, avoiding a "bridge to nowhere" situation, she said. Now, Windsor said it looks like the project is moving forward.

"I love the fact that they're taking this community amenity like the park, and then they're bringing all of the downtown down to the trail system, and they're bringing the trail system up to the downtown," Windsor said. "So making that connection through multi-modal connections was really appealing from the regional perspective."

Not far away from the future parks, another major project is moving forward: Panther Island. The Tarrant Regional Water District seeks a development partner to bring new commercial activity to the area. The district issued a request for qualifications last year and plans to spend $50 million on canals, paseos and park improvements. At the same time, construction on a crucial element of the flood control effort by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers could start this year.

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