What's open, closed and coming next in the Fort Worth Stockyards
If you walk Exchange Avenue every week, you’ve already noticed the changes. The Stockyards Hotel and H3 Ranch are dark. Tecovas is spilling into the old Taco Heads space. A new neon cowboy is going up on North Main. And yes, parking is still a mess.
Here’s what’s happening in the Stockyards right now, what’s coming soon and what’s still stuck in court — because the broader expansion plan is on hold even as smaller projects move ahead.
The big picture: Phase 2 is on pause, but not dead
Two years ago, the City Council unanimously approved an incentive package to roughly double the footprint of the Stockyards. That Phase 2 plan called for two underground parking garages, three 500-room hotels, 300,000 square feet of commercial space and 295 multifamily housing units.
Then came a legal fight between developer Majestic Realty and its former executive vice president, Craig Cavileer. That dispute has paused the broader expansion, according to court records.
The incentives aren’t gone, though. City economic development spokesperson Andrea Duffie said the developer has until 2032 to hit the minimum project benchmarks and qualify for the approved incentives.
“Now in the second decade of our collaborative development, we continue to believe in the long-term future of the Stockyards and are focused on when, where, and how to grow with scale, timing and a thoughtful, measured approach ensuring that any new development adds to the authentic Stockyards experience,” said Rick Kline, Majestic’s president of operations for the Fort Worth Stockyards, in an email to the Star-Telegram.
Translation for shop owners and regulars: the cattle drive will keep running, the legal stuff is mostly happening in offices far from Exchange Avenue, and the smaller projects below are moving forward right now.
What’s closed: Stockyards Hotel and H3 Ranch
Majestic and its local partner the Hickman Companies closed the historic Stockyards Hotel and H3 Ranch restaurant in early April for a $30 million renovation.
According to a filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, the work includes new electrical equipment, lighting and plumbing upgrades. If you’ve sent visitors to H3 Ranch for steaks or booked guests at the Stockyards Hotel, you’ll need to redirect them for now.
What’s getting a facelift: Hyatt Place
The Hyatt Place on the eastern end of the district is staying open, but the owner, Stockyards Heritage Development Co., plans to spend $9 million updating the entrance, pool area and south-side patio facing Mule Alley, according to a TDLR filing.
Kristin Assad, the company’s chief operating officer, said Stockyards Heritage Development Co. is looking forward to sharing more details soon.
Paul Paine, president of the nonprofit Fort Worth Stockyards Inc., said the upgrades at both hotels are about catching up to the standard set by Hotel Drover.
“Nothing wrong going there. It’s just, hey, it’s time for a facelift. Let’s do it,” Paine said.
What’s coming: a luxury hotel from White Lodging
Indiana-based White Lodging bought a 3.5-acre parcel further east on Exchange in September 2025 and is planning a luxury hotel there.
The details haven’t been released publicly. Conner White, the company’s vice chair and chief investment officer, said in a September 2025 statement that the goal is to celebrate the character of the Stockyards while introducing new experiences for visitors and locals.
For now, that land is going to become something you’ll appreciate immediately: a paid parking lot. The City Council voted unanimously May 12 to let White Lodging operate a temporary parking lot on the site for three years while it finalizes plans and lines up financing, according to city zoning documents.
Paine said the company originally looked at Dallas before landing in Fort Worth.
“They got really intrigued with what was going on in Fort Worth, but specifically the Stockyards,” he said.
He noted White Lodging tends to build multiple hotels in a market rather than flip a single property — a sign, he said, that they’ll stick around and maintain the building.
West Exchange: a smaller project, but pivoting
Graham Limited had pitched a boutique hotel on the northeast corner of West Exchange and Clinton Avenues. That’s now a two-story mixed-use building instead, developer Trey Neville told the Star-Telegram in an April 21 email.
The use is still to be determined, but Neville said he’s considering a restaurant. The city’s Historic and Cultural Landmarks Commission signed off on the new design at its May 11 meeting.
Paine said a restaurant at the top of the hill on West Exchange would be a welcome anchor. He stressed the goal isn’t to clone East Exchange.
“It’s just, hey, it’s time for a facelift. Let’s do it,” he had said of the broader hotel updates — but the West Exchange thinking is different: complementary, not duplicate.
Retail you can see right now: Tecovas expands
Boot maker Tecovas is taking over the space formerly occupied by Taco Heads at 2341 N. Main St. The expansion will include a customization bar to enhance the customer experience, North Texas district manager Teodoro Arellano told the Landmarks Commission at the May 11 meeting.
You’ll also spot the new landmark: a nearly nine-foot neon sign of a cowboy on a bucking bronco on the corner of the expanded property.
Parking: the question everyone keeps asking
If you run a business in the district, you already know the answer to “how’s parking?” is “bad.”
Leddy’s, another boot maker, has proposed a four-and-a-half-story parking garage on its surface lot at 2458 Ellis Ave. The structure would add around 300 spaces.
Dunaway architect Shannon Bearden told Fort Worth’s zoning commission on May 13 that the streets surrounding the site — Ellis, North Main, West Exchange and Northwest 25th Street — all exceed 100% on-street parking capacity. Bearden said the garage would be designed to blend with the historic look of the area.
Paine said the board of Fort Worth Stockyards Inc. is split. Some members point to the Stockyards zoning code, which doesn’t list parking garages as an allowed use, though they’ve said they’re open to continued discussion about the design.
Between that garage proposal and the White Lodging temporary lot, there’s at least some relief on the horizon — but for now, plan to arrive early or walk a few extra blocks.