Can Grapevine’s Main Station be a model for developing Fort Worth TEXRail stops?
Trinity Metro hopes to develop areas around a number of its rail stations in the coming years, and the organization is looking for an economic development director to help lead those efforts.
Rich Andreski, Trinity Metro CEO, and Greg Jordan, chief financial officer, pointed to the development around Grapevine Main Station, which includes a hotel, a food hall and numerous nearby restaurants, retailers and residences, as something of a model for what they want to see in Fort Worth.
Trinity Metro’s TEXRail commuter trains serve the Grapevine station. Before coming to Trinity Metro, Jordan was chief financial officer for the city of Grapevine, and he had a hand in helping bring the hotel operator to Grapevine Main Station, which kicked off other development.
Andreski said as Fort Worth continues to grow, improved mobility should be a top priority. Part of that improvement includes building up areas around transportation hubs to make them more attractive places to live and commute from.
At the same time, there’s a value in turning transportation hubs into destinations in and of themselves. You see that with Grapevine, which draws visitors from elsewhere in Tarrant County who travel by rail to take advantage of all the city has to offer within walking distance of its train station.
Andreski and Jordan said the development in Grapevine created a virtuous circle where ridership drives economic growth, and economic growth drives ridership. Today, Grapevine is one of the busiest stops on the TEXRail line.
Neither Andreski nor Jordan would provide specific plans, but Trinity Metro owns around 30 acres of land near its stations that they said was prime for development.
You already see some residential development near the North Richland Hills/Iron Horse Station. Andreski and Jordan said people can expect future development around the North Richland Hills/Smithfield Station as well as the Trinity Lakes Station near the Loop 820 and Texas 121 merge point.
Andreski talked about the need for increased mobility in downtown Fort Worth with the coming Texas A&M campus. That lies half a mile from Fort Worth T&P Station, though Andreski acknowledged that it will be difficult to further develop given the residences above it and the buildings all around, not to mention the parking lots that encircle the station, which are deemed necessary to accommodate commuters.
On Oct. 20, Trinity Metro announced that it was partnering with an operator to bring a wine bar to the T&P Station and facilitate event rentals for the station’s historic ballroom.
When the position is filled, the Trinity Metro economic development director won’t directly seek out developers for properties under consideration, Andreski said. Instead, that person will work with the city and other stakeholders to find “the highest and best use” for the land around Trinity Metro’s stations.