More TCU students in Fort Worth’s Paschal neighborhood? This 4-story complex has 130 units
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with a comment from Councilwoman Ann Zadeh.
Neighbors around Paschal High School say a 400-bedroom apartment complex planned north of the school’s football field is too much, too fast for the small neighborhood.
A representative of Chicago-based developer CRG says the company will continue to work with the neighborhood to address concerns, particularly issues around increased traffic.
CRG wants to build a roughly 130-unit complex between Forest Park Boulevard and Wayside Avenue, stretching a full block, from West Cantey to West Lowden streets, according to plans filed with the city. At four stories, the $50 million project would be one of the largest developments to come to the Paschal neighborhood.
The building is too big for the area, said J.D. Barnes, president of the Paschal Neighborhood Association.
“We’re going to fight this thing all the way through,” he said.
The city’s zoning commission will hear the proposal at 2 p.m. Wednesday at City Hall. If approved, the Fort Worth City Council will vote Feb. 4 on the rezoning necessary to move the project forward.
Barnes’ neighborhood is worried about the amount of traffic on Lowden Street and Forest Park Boulevard, both already choked by street parking, if the apartments are approved. Other developments are in the works, including an apartment complex a block away, and it’s unclear how they will affect congestion on the narrow streets, he said. When cars park on the street, especially when the high school is in session, it becomes difficult for drivers to see pedestrians and other vehicles, he said.
Barnes called the apartments “stealth dorms” and said many homeowners worry about college parties spilling into neighborhood. Because of the complex’s proximity to TCU, many tenants will likely be college students.
Change is bound to come to the neighborhood, said Mary Lou Dunaway, whose family has lived in her home a few blocks north of the proposed apartment for 100 years. The complex will alter the fabric of the neighborhood “for the worse,” she said, adding that it’s not designed for long-term residents.
Rick Garcia, a former neighborhood president and a longtime resident, said he believed the majority of the neighborhood was against the the proposal. He wondered about the environmental impact, with the increase in traffic and the possibility that four stories could block sunlight for neighbors.
“There’s a lot of complications with a building that size,” he said.
The zoning change before the commission Wednesday would allow up to 150 units and nearly 450 bedrooms, but Jay Case, a principal with CRG, said developers are proposing 400 bedrooms across 130 units with 440 parking spaces inside a secured garage.
Case described the building as “upscale” with full amenities and monthly rents around $1,200 per bedroom.
“The units will be designed to attract TCU students but will be available to the general public,” Case said in an email.
Case said he understood the neighborhood’s concerns about traffic and a study had been ordered. The developer has also considered improving a city-owned lot on Wayside by turning it into a public space.
The bulk of the complex will sit on the north side of the block. Facing West Cantey Street and Wayside Avenue, the building will have three stories, but a fourth story faces Forest Park, according to a site plan. A central courtyard is in the middle of the building.
A four-story parking garage is planned for the corner of Lowden and Wayside. The site plan indicates it will have entrances off Forest Park, Lowden and Wayside.
Today, the 3.215-acre block contains a small rental house and duplexes. CRG recently gained control of the entire block, Case said.
A city staff report indicates the proposal is compatible with the long-term plan for the area.
CRG broke ground in November on the $40 million 401 Hemphill complex. That project will bring 242 apartments to the Near Southside.
Councilwoman Ann Zadeh said Tuesday she didn’t support the proposal in the Paschal Neighborhood.
Having a single property manager control the entire block might alleviate concerns about the hodgepodge quality of homes, but the size of the building and the number of units are too much for that area, she said. That block should remain smaller rentals, she said.
“What’s there is kind of the mix of density I envision,” she said. “That’s more appropriate for the neighborhood.”
Once dominated by single-family bungalows, the area east of TCU surrounding Paschal High School is increasingly becoming denser as developers look to capitalize on the TCU’s growth and a planned TEXRail stop. The city, through incentives and zoning, has been encouraging redevelopment around commuter rail lines. Developers can receive tax breaks for projects that blend commercial and residential and meet other requirements.
In October the neighborhood lost a battle over a significantly smaller complex a block east on Lowden Street.
The former SouthSide City Church at 2100 W. Lowden St. was rezoned to allow approximately 30 units in two and three story buildings. The council approved the rezoning Oct. 15 with Mayor Betsy Price and Councilman Jungus Jordan voting against.
The size of that development changed repeatedly as the developer, city and neighborhood negotiated. Zadeh requested five additional parking spaces on the site, which decreased the number units, Mary Nell Poole with TownSite Company said.
Given neighborhood opposition to the smaller complex, Barnes said he was shocked to see a larger development proposed just down the street.
“What a slap in the face,” Barnes said.
This story was originally published January 7, 2020 at 5:56 AM.
