Fort Worth council approves affordable apartments for this south side neighborhood
A proposed 292-unit affordable apartment complex planned for the corner of West Biddison Street and South Jennings Avenue received zoning approval Tuesday from the Fort Worth City Council.
Tobias Place will have rent and income restrictions, said Daniel Smith, representing Dallas based developer Ojala Partners, LP. The average annual income of residents will be around $35,000, and rents will range from $385 per month to $1,100 per month for three-bedroom units, Smith said.
An after-school child care center and 24-hour security are included. The project was made possible by federal and state grants for low-income housing.
The building received unanimous approval despite opposition from residents worried the complex would spur gentrification.
District 9 council member Elizabeth Beck acknowledged that fear, but assured the crowd the rent and income restrictions would serve the community’s need for more housing, and would not lead to rising property taxes and displacement.
Victoria Bargas of the Worth Heights Neighborhood Association worked with the developer and several other neighborhood associations to get deed restrictions in place that would limit density and increase green spaces on the property. She said the development was needed to increase housing stock in an area where available land is zoned for industrial use.
Fernando Peralta, a former City Council candidate and president of Las Familias de Rosemont, said he’s not against development, but said the city needs to do more to engage the community.
“I’m talking about the neighbors that don’t come to city council meetings, that don’t go to community meetings, that don’t go to events because they’re working two jobs,” he said.
Smith’s presentation included a slide that showed numerous attempts to reach community leaders, however, Beck urged the developer to continue its outreach efforts.
The city began developing sections of Hemphill Street in 2020 by eliminating two lanes of traffic, adding bike lanes, fixing sidewalks and adding parking spaces.
Some residents feared this development would lead to an influx of big box apartments similar to those built in the Near Southside and Magnolia neighborhoods. They organized to defeat a planned zoning change that would have set rules for new development along Hemphill between Allen and Felix Streets.
Rudy Avitias, who along with his brother Ricardo formed the community group Hemphill No Se Vende, told the Star-Telegram at the time he feared being displaced after having to move his barbershop from Magnolia Street due to rising rents.
Ricardo Avitas told the City Council Tuesday the community needs “conservation zoning” to protect the culture of largely Latino community making up the Hemphill neighborhood.
This story was originally published October 13, 2021 at 4:54 PM.
.jpg)