Is this Fort Worth neighborhood too dense? Residents are worried about new apartments
An effort to increase the number of affordable housing units in Fort Worth has met criticism from residents of the historic Linwood neighborhood, who worry leaders are not considering the long term impact of high-density housing on the city’s aging streets and stormwater system.
Azalea West would add 84 apartments to the northwest corner of Carroll Street and Azalea Avenue, across from the Montgomery Plaza Target. At least 10% of those units would be set aside for households making at or below 30% of the median household income.
The Fort Worth City Council approved a resolution Tuesday supporting the developers’ application for a 9% state housing tax credit for that project along with eight others, but residents’ ire was directed only at the Azalea project.
The vote does not approve the project as it requires a zoning change and approval from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs for the tax credit.
Eva Bonilla, president of the Linwood Neighborhood Association, urged the city Tuesday to place a moratorium on development in the area, saying the city needed to reassess traffic on the narrow streets and form a long-term plan for the neighborhood’s future.
Bonilla, in an interview with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram before the council meeting, stressed that the neighborhood had no issues with affordable housing, and said that if the complex had been proposed before some of the other new apartment buildings in the area, they would have “welcomed it with open arms.” But Linwood’s streets and lack of sidewalks can’t support new residents now, she said.
Linwood is a small neighborhood in Fort Worth’s popular Cultural District to the west of downtown. Homes there were heavily damaged by a tornado in 2000, but in the past few years it has seen a boom in residential redevelopment, growing from about 150 housing units to more than 600, according to a neighborhood association assessment. The neighborhood is bound by White Settlement Road to the north, West 7th Street to the south, Carroll Street to the east and University Drive to the east.
Linwood faces two mounting problems: flash flooding and congestion.
A city flooding assessment shows many of the streets in Linwood would be inundated during a 100-year flood, and Bonilla said high water in the streets is becoming more common. Photos she shared showed high water at Foch and Wingate, along Wimberly and at Weisenberger and Currie.
The increased population of Linwood, combined with popularity of the Montgomery Plaza area and the closure of White Settlement Road, has also increased traffic through the neighborhood, she said. Drivers wanting to avoid congestion on Carroll cut through Linwood, which has narrow, winding streets, Bonilla said.
“They’re putting a lot of density on our infrastructure,” Bonilla said. “Until they have a plan for this area, we don’t want any more.”
Other concerned Linwood residents, who wore green ribbons to Tuesday’s meeting, said they supported another nearby housing complex that was also applying for a state housing tax credit. HTG Jacksboro LLC plans to build about 90 units, called Park Tower, across the Trinity River from Linwood at University and Jacksboro Highway. The complex is more in line with with the the surrounding area, Linwood resident Sara Toth said.
“This is absolutely in no way a ‘not in my back yard’ scenario,” Toth said. “I fully support Park Tower. Not because it’s in north side and not my neighborhood, but simply because it is the better development and will bring revitalization.”
City staff, however, said the Azalea West development is consistent with the city’s long-term land use plan, which calls for increased density in the urban core and a mix of both commercial and residential development.
Fernando Costa, an assistant city manger, said the city’s letter of support for Azalea West developers to apply for the state’s housing tax credit didn’t guarantee the project would move forward as it is. Developers Saigebrook Development and O-SDA Industries must apply for rezoning, which allow for more public hearings.
Concerns about traffic may not be as bad as residents fear, city staff said. White Settlement Road, which is closed for construction of a bridge needed for the Panther Island project in the Trinity River, should be open by the end of the year. The Azalea West developers are expected to start construction in early 2021 and be open by 2022.
Dana Burghdoff, assistant city manager, said that while the Azalea West complex didn’t necessitate a new traffic study, the city should consider the entire Linwood area to get a better understanding of traffic patterns after White Settlement Road is reopened. Azalea Avenue should be able to support about 2,500 cars per day.
“The location is perfect for affordable housing and mixed-income housing, given the access to transit, jobs, retail, and lifestyle amenities, and also given the recent history of gentrification,” Burghdoff said in an email.
Representatives for Saigebrook Development and O-SDA Industries on Tuesday told the City Council they had shrunk the size of the project and rearranged parking after meeting with concerned neighbors.
This story was originally published February 19, 2020 at 5:30 AM.
