Stockyards danger not yet established
Everything the National Trust for Historic Preservation says about what a treasure the Stockyards historic district is for Fort Worth is spot-on correct.
It’s “one of the most distinctive historic sites in Texas,” and it “attracts millions of visitors each year to experience Fort Worth’s emergence as a center of the American livestock industry.”
But other things the National Trust says are simply scare tactics aimed to engender fear of what could happen, not based on anything that’s actually been proposed.
An expected $175 million development by Fort Worth’s Hickman family and California-based Majestic Realty “would forever alter the character of the Stockyards Historic District,” the National Trust said in adding the Stockyards to its list of the most endangered historic places in the U.S.
Maybe the development would be bad for the Stockyards, but we should at least get a look at what the developers propose.
They’ve said they have hotels, residential units, shopping and entertainment venues in mind for the 70 acres they control, but they’ve not yet laid out their plans.
The City Council has approved property and sales tax incentives, but nothing can happen until specific plans get city approval.
A 15-member, council-appointed task force of civic and city leaders has been meeting to establish design guidelines.
The developers are expected to lay out their plans to the task force on July 29, and any media savvy developer (like Majestic) would have a splashy news conference before that.
Adding the Stockyards to the “endangered” list is aimed to draw attention, maybe add some weight to local historic preservationists’ efforts and encourage “smart and respectful” use of the property.
Nobody from the developers’ camp or City Hall has argued with the “smart and respectful” goal. But we must see plans before we condemn them.
The real challenge is to not be swayed by splashy news conference hype or by alarmist tactics but to make a careful judgment that will guard the Stockyards treasure — or maybe even enhance it.
This story was originally published June 24, 2015 at 5:52 PM with the headline "Stockyards danger not yet established."